“I honestly believed I'd win from two weeks ago,” said Muir.
“I'd seen him do a piece of work — like last year when he worked with Pogo. Everyone will say ‘what a great training performance from Willie Muir and Chris Grassick,' but let's not take too much away — Jeta (Ram, work rider) does most of it. He rides him and every single morning I ask him, ‘what shall we do today, Jeta?'
“I thought we'd do a good, strong piece of work and he said ‘I thought I'd give him a little bit stronger' — giving him seven furlongs and give him seven lengths to make up and he caught him. The seven-furlong horse is very good.
“I'm driving the box back — I don't get away with anything! I've said I never wanted to cry, but I want to cry today.
“I thought for the last two weeks we'd win it. I didn't care what was in it. I know they say Westover was fantastic in the Irish Derby. I know they say Emily Upjohn was terrific, but we know this horse is a very, very good horse.
“He was just showing everything at home — all the signs.”
Muir added: “Today, we smashed them to pieces. I actually wrote the papers for you boys tomorrow. I said ‘If Pyledriver wins, the line is a poor bunch of three-year-olds again. If the three-year-olds win, a great crop'.
“They are a great crop, the three-year-olds. He is just a very, very talented horse. He is just a very good horse and I've never lost faith in him.
“In our second or third year, we had a horse who came here and won a five-furlong race and we were partying in the car park for ages. When Pyledriver won the King Edward VII a couple of years ago, we would still be in the car park today if we'd been able to, but we couldn't because of Covid.
“We haven't had a party yet, but I can tell you now — I don't drink and I'm not going to start to drink — but everybody else will have a party. This is a big, big moment. It means the world to me.”
