Cue the emergence of Pyledriver, trained in partnership by Dwyer’s “glass half full” father-in-law William Muir and Chris Grassick and homing in on Sunday’s, 12 December, LONGINES Hong Kong Vase as a fresh horse with just three runs in 2021.
Pyledriver (inside) defeats Al Aasy in the 2021 G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom (Pic- Hugh Routledge)
“The first day I really knew we had something special was when he quickened so impressively to win the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer,” he adds.
“We put a line through his run in a very messy Derby but he destroyed his rivals under a penalty in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York and he’s come back in great heart this year to win the Coronation Cup at Epsom and the Churchill Stakes at Lingfield last month.”
That Gr1 Coronation Cup success, following Casual Look’s 2003 Gr1 Oaks win and Sir Percy’s Derby, means Dwyer is one of a select handful of riders to have landed all of Epsom’s crown jewels.
“I love Epsom and I’m really proud to have won all three Gr1s there as I don’t get the chances every year that Frankie and Ryan Moore get. Of course, it was a blow that Pyledriver missed the summer with a muscle problem but sometimes things happen for a reason and maybe the best is yet to come.”
Pyledriver lines up this weekend as the highest rated horse in the field with an international rating of 121 and has beaten last year’s LONGINES Hong Kong Vase hero Mogul comfortably in three of their four meetings, including the Coronation Cup.
His chance is there for all to see on form and Dwyer feels his unusual character is part of what makes him so good. “He’s like a schoolboy in class who has all the talent in the world but can look out of the window if he loses concentration,” he adds.
Pyledriver hits the track under his work rider (Pic- HKJC)
“There’s no way he would let me put his bridle on in a morning – and his groom Babu has plenty of bumps and bruises because of him – but that’s just Pyledriver. He knows how much talent he’s got and isn’t afraid to tell you.”
Dwyer thinks carefully when asked how his 2021 Vase hope compares with the 2004 model.
“That’s a tough one,” he concedes. “Phoenix Reach was great, so versatile, a warrior who really battled for you. Pyledriver has more character and quirks but I do think he has more natural ability and he means the world to everyone connected with him.”
Which brings us neatly to Sunday, December 12th, 2021, when a calm, veteran jockey from Liverpool will gaze around the Sha Tin paddock ahead of the Vase to see Soumillon, Moore, Joao Moreira, Vincent Ho and Damian Lane among his rivals.
“Yes, I’m a different person now and this will be a massive buzz,” says Dwyer. “But let’s get this straight, this might be the last time I get to ride in an HKIR race. I hope it isn’t but you never know and that’s why this chance has to be grabbed with both hands.”
Now 46 and in the autumn of a 30-year career that has yielded over 1500 winners, Martin Dwyer knows Father Time is undefeated and that this sort of chance may never come again.
But this time there will be no sense of Imposter Syndrome. Dwyer and Pyledriver have shown time and again that they belong at the top level. All they need now is a little luck – and the bridle to remain intact.
