'I was flying along and my leather snapped off' - Dwyer faces lengthy spell out

Martin Dwyer fears he may miss Pyledriver's bid to repeat last year's win in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June as he is now resigned to at least two or three months out of action.

Dwyer had to watch frustratedly from home as the horse finished a luckless fourth on Dubai World Cup night last Saturday and is worried the knee injury he suffered last week could force his comeback deeper into the summer.

"It's up in the air because I don't know if I'm going to have one operation or two," Dwyer said on Tuesday. "I've torn two ligaments in my knee and one is torn off completely.

Martin Dwyer won the Coronation Cup at Epsom on Pyledriver (right) last JuneCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"I went through the NHS route yesterday and they've been brilliant but they've got too long a waiting list so I've got to see another specialist and go private.

"It's going to be at least two to three months but it might be longer, it depends on whether I have one operation or two. It's always difficult because you get advice in the hospital but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the right advice for someone who's a sportsman.

"Jerry Hill at the BHA has been helping me but the knee swells up so much and it's hard to get an accurate prognosis. Apparently it's quite common with an injury like this to take a week or two for the swelling to go down enough to allow a proper assessment."

Watch Pyledriver's luckless run at Meydan

Dwyer, 46, suffered the injury in a fall and said: "I was galloping a horse at Brian Meehan's and I was just about to join up, I was flying along and my leather snapped off. Gravity took over and I hit the deck. It was very painful, torn ligaments are worse than broken bones in that way for some reason."

Dwyer won last year's Coronation Cup for his father-in-law William Muir on Pyledriver, who met trouble in running when beaten barely a length under Frankie Dettori in the Dubai Sheema Classic last weekend.

Pyledriver (green with white sleeves and red cap): a close fourth in the Sheema ClassicCredit: Edward Whitaker

"It's annoying because it's the start of the season and I missed that ride in Dubai," he said. "Sitting watching him run was hard. He ran a great race and showed he's a very good horse. If things had gone differently he might have won.

"But you can say that about the runner-up, he was very unlucky and the draw beat him. It was a shame it was such a slow-run race, he was a bit keen through the race and it didn't suit him. In these top-level races you need everything to go in your favour."

Dwyer is looking forward to seeing another specialist and said: "I've just got to choose the right course of action. It's very frustrating but when you work with horses this is what happens. If you play with feathers, you're going to get tickled."

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