ASCOT has been the scene of some of the best racing moments for Pyledriver (Harbour Watch), and he added the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes to previous wins in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at the royal meeting.

Retained as a foal for 10,000gns, he has now won £2 million and is a great racing favourite. His sire was bred at Riversfield Stud, also the nursery that produced this year’s Royal Ascot winner Waipiro. Like Dark Angel, being a son of Acclamation (Royal Applause), Harbour Watch gained his most important win at two when he was successful in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood.

He was unbeaten at two but, sadly, did not make it back to the racetrack, retiring to stud at Tweenhills. While he failed to set the stallion ranks alight, his five European crops included a pair of Group 1 winners, the other being the Molan-bred Waikuku, a triple Group 1 winner in Hong Kong and a half-brother to Waipiro. In total, Harbour Watch sired 10 stakes winners.

Surprising

Pyledriver is the first foal out of dual French winner La Pyle (Le Havre), and the second of that mare’s successes at three was at Saint-Cloud. It is somewhat surprising, therefore, that she was sent hurdling in England, but showed no real ability when popping over timber and was sent to stud. There she is a revelation.

La Pyle’s first four foals are all now winners, the most recent being her three-year-old with the great name of Shagpyle, a daughter of no less a stallion giant than Frankel (Galileo). Next up will be a yearling filly by Kingman (Invincible Spirit).

La Pyle is a half-sister to Mont Ormel (Air Chief Marshal), winner of the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris, and a full-sister to Normandel (Le Havre), a Group 3 winner in Ireland and a broodmare at Ballylinch Stud. Their half-sister Lillebonne (Danehill Dancer) is the dam of a pair of stakes winners and a couple of stakes-placed runners. One of the latter is Thornbrook (Saxon Warrior) who was beaten a length by Meditate when third in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes last year.

Come of Age

A three-year-old son of Kingman (Invincible Spirit), Age Of Kings has a long way to go to win back his 1,100,000gns purchase price, but he significantly increased his value with victory in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. His only previous pattern form was a third-place finish in the Group 3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown.

The Jersey Stakes has been won in the past decade by such as Ribchester, Expert Eye, Space Traveller and Creative Force.

From the fifth crop by Kingman, already responsible for seven Group 1 winners and 10 at Group 2 level, Age Of Kings was bred by Farmleigh Bloodstock and sold through Corduff Stud as a yearling. At the time of the sale, Corduff’s David Egan said: “He is a magnificent horse, he really is. I am delighted [M.V. Magnier] bought him. I was not sure they were on him, but they stood up and bought him. It is great.

“This horse was all about John Corcoran and he bred the dam [Turret Rocks (Fastnet Rock)} with Jim Bolger, and then bought her out in training. John had a vision of what he wanted to do with the horse. He had a plan, and we own the dam with his children Andrew and Roseanne O’Grady Walshe through Farmleigh Bloodstock.

“John, who unfortunately is not with us, was very involved in the mating. He chose Kingman. It is a great start for the mare. She has got a very nice Too Darn Hot colt at home and we bred her back to Kingman. The bidding took a long time, but it got more enjoyable as it went on.”

Turret Rocks won for both Jackie Bolger and June Judd during her racing days, and her victories included the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster, Group 3 races at Leopardstown and the Curragh, and a listed race at Gowran Park. She was runner-up in both the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two and the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes.

David Redvers bought the now two-year-old Trafalgar Square (Too Darn Hot) for 600,000gns, and Turret Rocks now has a yearling colt, no doubt sales-bound this autumn, by Kingman.