Tag Archive for: William Buick

Castle Way in front but Appleby has Ascot not Epsom in mind

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Castle Way got the Qipco Guineas meeting off to the perfect start for Charlie Appleby and William Buick with a dominant display in the Newmarket Stakes, in the process denying the King a winner.

Sent off the 7-1 apparent Appleby second-string with the James Doyle-ridden and eventual third Victory Dance the 7-2 favourite, Castle Way was handy throughout.

Buick kicked clear well over a furlong out and seemed to catch many of his rivals on the hop, with Victory Dance suddenly finding himself out of his ground.

Castle Way, a son of Almanzor, soon had the race won and it was left to Circle Of Fire, trained by Sir Michael Stoute in the royal colours on coronation weekend, to chase him home but he was beaten a length and three-quarters.

The race lost some of its interest before the start with Ed Walker’s Waipiro having to be withdrawn.

Just as the horses pulled up near the stalls, Forca Timao kicked out and caught Waipiro’s jockey Tom Marquand, who was deemed not fit enough to take the ride.

The winner was cut to 25-1 from 33s by Betfair for the St Leger.

Appleby said: “I don’t quite know why the market was the way it was, that’s not my business, but William has always loved Castle Way. He was sitting on the fence as to which horse he would like to ride, but he did say he’s always loved this horse and wanted to stick with him.

“I said to William before he went out to let him get on with it and use himself and he’ll stay further for sure.

“I’m very pleased with Victory Dance as well. It was his first time over that trip and on a more conventional track I think you’ll see further improvement.

“I would say Castle Way will go to Royal Ascot (King Edward VII Stakes). The only reason I didn’t put him into the Derby picture is because he went round Epsom as a two-year-old and got beat as a favourite. Admittedly the ground was soft, but Adam (Kirby) said he hated the track.

“He’s just one of those horses and a big unit. He’s tried and tested once on that track and I don’t really want to go back there again and potentially lose the horse.”

Circle Of Fire (red sleeves) was second for the King
Circle Of Fire (red sleeves) was second for the King (Tim Goode/PA)

The King and Queen Consort’s racing manager John Warren said of Circle Of Fire: “I simply have no idea whether the King would be able to watch this live, but the good thing is the King and the Queen Consort are loving their involvement with the horses, which is tremendous.

“No doubt they’ll be watching the video when they can cram it in and Circle Of Fire is a lovely horse in the making.

“I get feedback all the time of how important the royal patronage is to racing. The King takes it seriously and understands the bigger picture of everything he does.

“I don’t think the racing is just for him to enjoy his horses alone, I think knowing the effect the royal patronage has doesn’t get lost on the King or the Queen Consort.

“In racing we’re lucky enough to have two members of the royal family keen, so hopefully we can get lucky with a few horses for them to make it even more enjoyable.”

Although it is yet unknown where the withdrawn Waipiro will be rerouted to put his Epsom credentials to the test, Marquand will have to sit out of the weekend’s action due to the injuries he sustained in the pre-race incident.

He was due to partner Roger Varian’s Charyn in the Qipco 2000 Guineas and Hugo Palmer’s Stenton Glider in the Qipco 1000 Guineas, but revealed on twitter he will be on the sidelines for the next two days.

He said: “Absolutely gutted to be ruled out of this weekend’s Guineas meeting after being kicked in the arm while cantering down today.

“Thankfully my X-rays have come back clear and I’m now stitched back together after a fairly messy looking wound.”

Silver Lady proves a big hit at Newmarket

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Charlie Appleby raised the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot as a potential summer target for Silver Lady after the newcomer lived up to her billing on day two of the Craven meeting at Newmarket.

The three-year-old is bred to be smart as a daughter of Sea The Stars out of Group One-winning mare Lumiere, and the Newmarket dogs were barking her name in the hours leading up to her Rowley Mile debut, with strong support seeing her go off the even-money favourite for the bet365 European Breeders’ Fund Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

The result was never really in any doubt, with Silver Lady overcoming brief signs of greenness racing out of the dip to put the race to bed within a few strides – eventually passing the post with just under four lengths in hand over Never Ending in the hands of William Buick.

It is a measure of the regard in which the winner is held that Appleby briefly flirted with the idea of supplementing her for the Qipco 1000 Guineas, but she appears more likely to take a less adventurous next step on her way to the showpiece summer meeting in Berkshire.

“She’s done some nice home work, she’s got a great pedigree and at the end of the day she was touted,” said the Moulton Paddocks handler.

“She hasn’t got any lofty entries and isn’t in the Guineas. We’ll go back and review whether she’s a filly we’d contemplate supplementing, or whether we take baby steps and bring her on towards something like the Coronation Stakes.

“We’ve got a filly in the Guineas in Dream Of Love who I feel is a realistic filly to be running there and this filly might just want time. Speaking to William, the Guineas might come a bit too soon.

“She’s had a lovely experience here today. I don’t think she’s an Oaks filly as she’s got too much pace for that. She’s from a family with huge talent and if we mind her hopefully she’ll repay us.”

Persian Dreamer leads the way at Newmarket
Persian Dreamer leads the way at Newmarket (Tim Goode/PA)

Dominic Ffrench Davis is excited to see how far Persian Dreamer can climb the ladder following a similarly sparkling debut in the bet365 British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

The Lambourn-based trainer is in charge of an exciting squad for Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation and Persian Dreamer appears to be towards the top of the juvenile pecking order.

A €145,000 purchase as a yearling, the daughter of Calyx was an 11-4 shot for her racecourse debut in the bet365 British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes and looked every inch a Royal Ascot contender as she powered three and a quarter lengths clear of fellow newcomer Dorothy Lawrence under Kevin Stott.

Amo Racing were completing a double on the afternoon after Mammas Girl confirmed herself a major 1000 Guineas contender with victory in the preceding Nell Gwyn Stakes and Ffrench Davis is hopeful his filly can go on to scale similar heights.

He said: “She’s a nice, quality filly who has always shown a bit of class at home and Kevin came down and rode her work and loved her.

“That (Royal Ascot) would have to be the target, she’s an exciting one for the future and she has got that bit of class – she’s not just an out-and-out five-furlong early two-year-old.

“We’ll see how she comes out this and how she progresses from the race before any decisions are made, but she’s definitely right up there. Certainly of the two-year-old fillies, she’s the best.

“It’s exciting for Kia. He’s just won a Guineas trial and he’s also got a filly who might be here this time next year.”

Ffrench Davis also has the Royal meeting in mind for Surely Not (9-1), who had earlier provided him with his very first winner on the Rowley Mile in the the Connaught Access Flooring Handicap, with Hollie Doyle the winning rider.

Surely Not and Hollie Doyle winning the opening race at Newmarket
Surely Not and Hollie Doyle winning the opening race at Newmarket (Tim Goode/PA)

“Perhaps they went off a bit quick and our plan was always to drop in,” said the trainer.

“He was unlucky not to win a good nursery at Goodwood last year, then he won at Newbury for Hollie and I ran him once too often on heavy ground at York at the end of the season.

“He got a little above himself, so we picked his pockets (gelded him) over the winter and it’s really settled him down and made a man of him.

“We’d have to think about Royal Ascot if we’re good enough to go there, but we may have to have another run in between, depending on what the handicapper does.”

Orazio finished with gusto to claim the Weatherbys Digital Solutions Handicap for Charlie Hills.

The grey son of Caravaggio was sidelined for 17 months following a promising juvenile campaign in 2021 and having blown away any cobwebs with a comeback run at Kempton in January, he was sent off at 9-1 for his return to the grass.

As is usually the case, Buick timed his challenge to perfection, deliver Orazio with withering late run to get up and beat 4-1 joint-favourite Probe by a length.

“He obviously missed the whole of last season, so it was always the plan to give him a run during the winter to try and get the freshness out of him and then bring him back for the turf,” said Hills.

“He was placed in the Rose Bowl as a two-year-old and was well fancied for the Gimcrack. Obviously he went wrong between then and now – he had a setback that needed a bit of time.

“I’d like to work back from the Wokingham at Royal Ascot.”

Ottoman Fleet powers home in Sefton heat

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Ottoman Fleet came from last to first to make an impressive start to his season in the bet365 Earl Of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket.

The son of Sea The Stars won twice at Listed level on the Rowley Mile last season and returned as the 6-4 favourite to strike Group Three gold after finishing third three times at the Dubai Carnival.

With one-time Derby hope Reach For The Moon lit up by first-time blinkers in the colours of the King and the Queen Consort, the pace was solid from flag-fall and William Buick was happy to take his time aboard the Charlie Appleby-trained market leader.

He made smooth inroads to move onto the heels of the pacesetters inside the last couple of furlongs, though, and quickened up smartly on meeting the rising ground to to win comfortably by two lengths.

Poker Face, unbeaten in three previous starts, beat Raadobarg to the runner-up spot. Reach For The Moon weakened quickly following his early exertions and finished last of seven under Frankie Dettori.

Appleby said: “I’ve just had a chat with William and the race was set up for him. This place suits him and for some reason he always brings his A game here. He’s been kept busy during the winter, ran three solid races and just kept bumping into one.

“But we came here confident that he was fit and well, track conditions suited him with a bit of ease in the ground and from halfway I was pretty confident. I know Poker Face is a nice horse and he travelled into it well and I’m sure with experience he’ll progress nicely but once they hit the rising ground, I knew he’d come home strong.

“As for the future, he’ll probably have a break now as he’s been on the go through the winter. He returned from Dubai when we had that warm week here, so it was easier for him to acclimatise.”

Majestic start for Appleby and Buick at Newmarket

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Charlie Appleby and William Buick got this year’s Craven meeting at Newmarket off to the perfect start as Majestic Pride justified favouritism in the bet365 British EBF Conditions Stakes.

The reigning champion trainer and jockey invariably prove a formidable combination on the Rowley Mile and Majestic Pride was a 2-1 market leader for his first start since winning at Chelmsford in November.

The Shamardal colt was being niggled at with over two of the seven furlongs still to run, but responded to Buick’s urgings to grab the lead and was always doing enough from racing out of the dip to hold the challenge of Holguin at bay, with a neck separating the pair at the line.

Majestic Pride holds an entry for the Qipco 2000 Guineas on May 6, but Appleby does not currently consider him a contender for the season’s first Classic.

He said: “This horse has been on the runners list for a few weeks, so I didn’t think he was going to lack for fitness today.

“He’s a horse, that with the ground being on the slow side as it is out there, all his family go on it, even though he’s by Shamardal.

“Going forward, I’ll speak to William but I don’t think he’s a Guineas horse.

“We’ll probably look at the race back here – the King Charles II (May 5) over seven furlongs.”

Rebel Territory (right) leads the way at Newmarket
Rebel Territory (right) leads the way at Newmarket (Tim Goode/PA)

Amanda Perrett’s Rebel Territory (7-2) also obliged for favourite backers in the National Stud Handicap, getting the better of Vafortino by half a length in the hands of Jim Crowley.

“He’s a super horse but he’s a little bit ground dependent,” said Perrett.

“He was tending to over-race over a mile last year, so dropping to seven furlongs really suited.

“I think we’ll look at the Victoria Cup if the ground is soft enough, then maybe go back to Goodwood.”

The finish to the Close Brothers Handicap was dominated by Yorkshire trainers with David O’Meara’s 11-1 shot Bopedro narrowly outpointing John Quinn’s 7-2 market leader Empirestateofmind, while the Roger Fell-trained Toshizou pipped Charlie Johnston’s Dutch Decoy to third.

“It was very heavy ground at Doncaster (when sixth in the Lincoln) and ours are needing a run this season and it’s put him right. He ran well enough I thought,” said O’Meara.

“He travelled nicely, met a little bit of traffic before he finished off well enough. His owner, Lee Bond, told me to leave the blinkers off today as it might freshen him up and that has clearly worked.

“There are lots of nice races at York, Ascot and Goodwood for him – there’s a great programme for these milers. That was good today.”

James Tate has his eye on bigger things having seen Blue Storm (8-1) enhance the fine start made by first-season sire Blue Point in the Pat Smullen Memorial British EBF Novice Stakes.

“It’s my first two-year-old winner of the year and when they hit the mark at Newmarket you just feel a bit better,” said the winning trainer.

“We always picked him to be an early type, he’s bred to be early and he’s not the biggest. He hasn’t had any setbacks at all so we thought we would get him started early but mine normally improve for the run first time so I was impressed with him.

“Obviously you don’t really know what he’s done and what he’s beaten but I couldn’t ask for much more really.

“He’s very professional so I will be targeting the early black type races. I’m thinking the National Stakes and races like that, so we will just look at those targets and work back from there.”

James Evans’ Dream Composer was a neat winner of the Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap at 9-2 under Dougie Costello.

The gelding was ridden in the middle of the group by the rail and was travelling best of all when the field merged and hit the two-furlong marker.

A furlong from home he was asked to quicken and responded well, pulling away to cross the line half a length ahead of 16-1 shot Spring Bloom.

Sparkling Suhail headlines Appleby’s Super Saturday double

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Al Suhail showed his rivals a clean pair of heels as he sprinted clear in the Ras Al Khor, highlighting a Super Saturday double for Charlie Appleby and William Buick.

The six-year-old had been off the track since winning the Al Fahidi Fort in January, but he showed that absence presented few problems with a smooth success.

Settled behind the pace-setters early on, Al Suhail found a perfect split in the straight and when Buick gave the signal, the 4-6 favourite shot away under hands and heels riding to win by four lengths in a new course record time for the seven furlongs.

Appleby told www.godolphin.com: “We were obviously delighted with Al Suhail, who has put up another good performance to break his own track record.

“We will most likely bring him back to the UK and look at the nice seven-furlong races in Europe over the summer.”

Global Storm (100-30) led home a one-two for Appleby in the Dubai City Of Gold.

The trainer was forced to rule out likely favourite Rebel’s Romance with a late setback, but Global Storm stepped into the breach with a cosy triumph in the hands of Buick.

Global Storm was in command turning for home in the 12-furlong heat and while stablemate and 2-1 favourite Kemari tried to challenge in the straight, the winner kept finding for pressure and eventually came home two and a half lengths to the good.

Appleby said: “Global Storm has been working with Rebel’s Romance and the one thing I took from the result was that if Rebel’s Romance had been in there, it would have been an easy race for him.

“Global Storm is a solid campaigner out here – he ran well in this race last year behind Hukum – and it was a race that we thought could set up well for him. William gave him a lovely ride on the front end and was able to dictate.

“Realistically, I do not see him being here on Dubai World Cup night. As solid as he is, we know we will be taking on a different kettle of fish on Dubai World Cup night. He will go back to England with that Group Two penalty, which will make him a bit trickier to place.”

George Boughey got on the Super Saturday scoresheet with Al Dasim (4-1 favourite), who registered his third Meydan win in the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint.

Winner of two three-year-old conditions events at the Carnival, Al Dasim was ridden with confidence by Mickael Barzalona in the six-furlong Group Three contest.

Content to track the early pace, he switched out to challenge with two furlongs to run and Al Dasim really asserted his authority inside the distance, winning by two and a quarter lengths.

Barzalona said: “It was a big question mark today against the older horses, we were unlucky to have a bad draw but he just put his head down and tried his best. He deserved it.

“He had to perform today, but now he can go ahead for the Al Quoz Sprint and we’ll see against the best horses in the world.”

All eyes were on Real World as he returned to action in the Group One Jebel Hatta, but Saeed bin Suroor’s charge never looked like taking a hand in the finish.

Real World failed to fire on his Meydan return
Real World failed to fire on his Meydan return (David Davies/PA)

Roger Varian’s El Drama race prominently throughout in the nine-furlong heat but he had no reply to the late thrust of Alfareeq (25-1), who sprung a surprise and grabbed the glory for a second successive year by a neck under Dane O’Neill.

The James Doyle-ridden Discovery Island (11-2) won the Burj Nahaar, while the rider was just denied aboard Bendoog in the Al Maktoum Challenge R3, as last year’s victor Salute The Soldier (11-4) swooped late to take the Group One honours.

Go Soldier Go (6-1) won the Al Bastakiya and the closing Mahab Al Shimaal marked a double for Barzalona as he steered Sound Money (5-1) to victory.

Master Of The Seas sails to comeback victory at Meydan

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Master Of The Seas, who came within a short head of winning the 2000 Guineas two years ago, made a successful return from nine months off the track in the Zabeel Mile at Meydan.

Charlie Appleby’s charge was touched off by Poetic Verse in the Rowley Mile Classic and has only made it to the track three times since – winning last year’s Earl of Sefton Stakes on his only start in 2022.

Despite his lengthy absence, the Dubawi gelding was a hot favourite to make a winning comeback and ultimately did so in good style in the hands of William Buick.

After initially tracking a couple of fellow Godolphin runners, Master Of The Seas quickened up to grab the lead in the straight and was always doing enough to hold David O’Meara’s Shelir at bay.

Appleby said: “I’m very pleased. Well done to all the team – they’ve done a great job getting him back.

“He’s obviously not been seen since the spring. He had a setback after Newmarket and it’s taken a lot of patience and time to get him to where he is now.

“The race couldn’t have gone any better really. The pace was there, William got a nice box seat and if anything it would have been handy if the pace had lasted a little bit longer because the one thing this horse does is travel well. He put the race to bed and is entitled to come forward from the run.

“He’s a challenge to himself sometimes, but the engine is there and if everything goes right, as you saw tonight, he’s a good horse.”

Charlie Appleby was delighted with Master Of The Seas on his return to action
Charlie Appleby was delighted with Master Of The Seas on his return to action (Mike Egerton/PA)

The Moulton Paddocks handler confirmed Master Of The Seas will remain in Dubai up until World Cup night, while an appearance at Royal Ascot is already at the back of his mind.

He added: “We’ll get him back and hopefully get a clear run through to Super Saturday and the Jebel Hatta and then all being well he can book his ticket for the Dubai Turf on World Cup night.

“He’s had a bit of a stop-start career so far, but if we can get a clear run Royal Ascot is something we’ll definitely be working back from.”

Buick was similarly pleased with his mount’s performance, saying: “It was lovely. The race set up for him nicely and it’s lovely for him to come back like he did.

“He’s always been a very exciting horse – he has been since he was a two-year-old. His class and quality has never been in question and let’s hope he can build on that today.

“He’s taken on some horses there that have had recent runs, which counts for a lot, but he’s certainly that class of horses that deserves to be aimed at Super Saturday and World Cup night all being well.”

Harry Eustace saddled Brighton and Beverley winner Cite d’Or in the UAE 1000 Guineas, but she struggled on her dirt debut and finished last of six behind the impressive Mimi Kakushi.

The latter, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, won the trial for the Listed contest four weeks ago and took her game to another level as she stretched readily clear of of her rivals.

“I was happy to sit just behind the pace, the extra furlong helped and she’s an improving filly. Hopefully we see her great race from her again in the UAE Oaks,” said Barzalona.

Buick chalks up double century with Southwell success

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Champion Flat jockey William Buick capped a superb year by notching up his 200th domestic win aboard Zealot at Southwell.

After taking the title for the first time in his career this autumn, the rider had been closing in on the milestone as the year reaches an end.

Zealot, trained by Michael Appleby, was one of two rides for Buick on the evening all-weather card and the gelding immediately carried him to his double century when securing the Spreadex Sports First Goalscorer Insurance Handicap.

“I said to Tony (Hind), my agent, six weeks ago when we had 31 winners to go that it was within reach,” Buick told Sky Sports Racing.

“Things didn’t quite go to plan until today, but it’s great and I’ve had lots of support. Thank you to everyone.

“It’s been a great year. I’ve had wonderful support from everybody. Charlie Appleby and Godolphin have had an amazing year with Charlie also being champion (trainer) as well.

“I would love to go for it again next year, beyond that you never know.”

Buick’s previous best was 170 winners in 2021, when he narrowly lost out to Oisin Murphy in the title race.

Generation triumphs as racegoers make brief return at Doncaster

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Latest Generation won the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Doncaster – the first race run in front of a paying crowd in Britain in almost six months.

Racing went behind closed doors from March 16 due to the outbreak of coronavirus – and just two days later the sport was cancelled entirely, ultimately not restarting until June 1.

Participation was initially restricted to essential staff – and while owners were allowed to return from July 4, hopes to stage a pilot event in front of a crowd of 5,000 at Goodwood on August 1 were scrapped at the 11th hour following a change to Government regulations.

Racegoers place bets at Doncaster
Racegoers place bets at Doncaster (David Davies/PA)

It has taken another six weeks for a renewed pilot to test out the return of spectators – and an estimated crowd of 2,500 spectators was expected on Town Moor for the opening afternoon of the St Leger Festival.

That figure was due to rise to around 6,000 for the Pertemps St Leger on Saturday.

However, it was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon racing will go back behind closed doors for the rest of the meeting after Doncaster Council called a halt to the pilot in light of an imminent change in Government policy, which restricts social gatherings to six from a maximum of 30 people.

Having finished a promising third on his racecourse debut at Sandown last month, Latest Generation was the 8-11 for the curtain-raiser under William Buick and was prominent from the off.

Newcomer Stay Well came with a late run and shaped with plenty of promise, but Simon and Ed Crisford’s market leader always had matters in hand and passed the post a length and a half to the good.

Buick said: “He was in front, but we went fractions to suit him, so I’m not sure how hard it was for him.

“At the end of the day he’d only had one run and was in front a long way there, but he’s done it well.

“He’ll be a nice horse for next year. I don’t think you could ask any more from him.”

Tarboosh (centre) on his way to winning at Doncaster
Tarboosh (centre) on his way to winning at Doncaster (David Davies/PA)

The Paul Midgley-trained Tarboosh claimed Listed honours with victory in the bet365 Scarbrough Stakes.

Ridden by Kevin Stott, the 8-1 shot finished with a flourish to get the better of Johnny Murtagh’s Irish challenger Urban Beat and Frankie Dettori by a length and a quarter, with 5-2 favourite Dakota Gold a neck further back in third.

Midgley said: “He was good today and when he’s good, he’s very good. He ran a good race at York, I’m just not sure what happened at Beverley last time – it just didn’t happen. We started to think he could be better on flat tracks.

“There’s a Group Three for him at Newbury on Ayr Gold Cup day and that is highly likely, I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to win a Listed race with him.

“He deserves a chance at a big one. I didn’t put him in the Abbaye with all the travel problems, but we said if we were lucky enough we could always supplement him, so that is an an option.”

The Yorkshire-based trainer admitted to being disappointed on hearing the news there will be no crowds on track for the rest of the week.

He added: “It all seemed really good, having a few people back in and for the first few races we had a little bit of atmosphere back, which was excellent.

“To hear they won’t be back tomorrow is a shame. It’s trying times for everyone I’m afraid, we’ve got to just do what is right and do the best we can.”

There was a thrilling climax to the bet365 Nursery Handicap, with Terry Kent’s recent York scorer Ataser justifying 100-30 favouritism under Ray Dawson with a head verdict over Party Game.

Jedd O’Keeffe ran two in the Each Way Extra At bet365 Handicap and it was bottom-weight Strait Of Hormuz under Andrea Atzeni who came out on top.

Strait Of Hormuz swoops late under Andrea Atzeni
Strait Of Hormuz swoops late under Andrea Atzeni (David Davies/PA)

“He’s doing really and what is crucial to him is a strong pace, you’ll see the best of him when he gets it,” said O’Keeffe.

“He wouldn’t get in the Cambridgeshire this year so we might have to give it some serious thought for next year.”

He added on the crowd situation: “I feel really sorry for Doncaster when you look around and see the effort that has been made with the marquees on both sides of the track. I’m sure lots of people have made a huge amount of effort, not just the racecourse itself, but we’ve got to protect the people.”

The closing Parkes Bros Roofing Contractors Handicap went to Sound Of Iona who beat her Jim Goldie-trained stablemate Primo’s Comet.