WILLIAM Buick made a winning comeback from injury when making all the running on Blue Point in the Group 3 John Guest Bengough Stakes at Ascot.

Absent since fracturing his T12 vertebra in a fall from the ill-fated Permian at Arlington Park in August, Buick wasted no time in getting on the scoresheet.

With no apparent pace in the six-furlong contest, Buick was allowed an easy lead on the Charlie Appleby-trained Commonwealth Cup third and Sprint Cup fourth Blue Point, who was soon several lengths clear of the field.

However, the even-money favourite got lonely in front and was getting caught after being in the lead so long. Projection was gaining at the line and got within half a length of Blue Point. Magical Memory was three and a quarter lengths away in third.

Buick told ITV Racing: "He's a better horse on fast ground. He has shown today he's quite versatile making all the running on pretty slow ground. He's a good horse and I believe he's staying in training so we'll see more of him next year.

"It's fantastic and I have to thank a lot of people. First of all, Sheikh Mohammed who has been very supportive all along and this horse is not a bad ride to come back on, so my thanks to Charlie and all the team at home.

"It's nice to be back and thankfully I didn't make any mistakes. This year's three-year-old sprinters are a fantastic bunch and Charlie and everyone at home have had no qualms about him.

"We have always thought he was right up there with them and he's a horse that is going to be dining at the top table with all the others."

Appleby was in France, where he said: "Delighted. It's great to have William back on board and it was good for Blue Point to get his head back in front as well. They know each other well and William gave him a great ride.

"He just did not like that ground, so it was a brave performance. He'd been in front for long enough, but he was tiring in that ground.

"We might put him away for the winter and take him out to Dubai for something like the Al Quoz Sprint and look forward to a four-year-old campaign with him.

"We'll speak to His Highness (Sheikh Mohammed). If the ground is going to come up soft again we might give Champions Day a miss. Harry Angel is there for Godolphin and he's a worthy favourite.

"We're going to stay in training ourselves and hopefully have some fun days with him."

Richard Hannon has lofty targets in mind for Danehill Kodiac next year after he kept Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) runner-up Waldgeist at bay to land the Group 3 Gigaset Cumberland Lodge Stakes.

The four-year-old made all the running in game style for Sean Levey and pulled out extra in the closing stages when Andre Fabre's raider produced a late effort as the 4/7 favourite.

A previous course and distance winner, Danehill Kodiac (8/1) set a decent pace and soon had the field well strung out. The pack found it hard to get to the leader, who was still a neck in front at the line.

Waldgeist, who had not run since finishing fourth in the Irish Derby 98 days ago, could not quite get there after being held up by Vincent Cheminaud for much of the mile-and-a-half contest. Secret Number was a length and three-quarters away in third.

Hannon said: "He had problems earlier in the year and that is why he missed a good section of the first part of the year. He's done very well and he will stay in training and hopefully will win some very nice races.

"He rarely runs a bad race and he sticks his head out and tries very hard. He (Waldgeist) is a very good horse, but for some reason he didn't pick him up. I thought he was coming to beat us, but then my horse is an older horse and he is only three.

"I will speak to the owner, but we might be thinking of going to Dubai. I'd like to think of something like the Coronation Cup next year for him, which we won with Pether's Moon."

Levey said: "He's a lovely horse. You don't always get the chance to keep a lot of older horses in training, especially nice ones like him.

"It's so good for all the connections. They bought him two years ago. He had a few setbacks, they sat with him.

"Last year he won here and was placed here and I told connections to stick with him and wait for him. I said he's going to be a lovely horse."