Newmarket Thursday
Princess of Wales’s Stakes (Group 2)
THE victory of Godolphin’s El Cordobes (Charlie Appleby) in the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (Sponsored by The Kingdom Of Bahrain), the highlight on day one of the Debenhams July Festival at Newmarket, was especially sweet for the winning rider, as it brought up his 2000th career winner in the saddle.
The race was weakened by the withdrawal of overnight favourite Ghostwriter, who reared over in the pre-parade and was found to be lame.
The 7/2 shot El Cordobes took a keen hold as Palladium made the running, but made smooth progress and quickly asserted when Buick switched him with two furlongs to go and had two lengths to spare over Wimbledon Hawkeye (James Owen/Sean Dylan Bowen) at the finish.
Buick (36) rode his debut winner in 2006 on Bank On Benny for Paul d’Arcy and became joint-champion apprentice with David Probert in 2008.
He has since won the jockeys’ championship twice (2022 and 2023) and has ridden seven UK classic winners and many other big races around the world in his role as retained rider to Godolphin.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Buick quickly moved to 2,002 winners after further wins aboard Crimson Rose in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes and Opera Ballo in the Listed Edmondson Hall Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, both for Charlie Appleby.
Of reaching this landmark, William Buick told ITV Racing: “I am very proud, and my thanks go to a lot of people - my family first and foremost; without them you can’t do it.
Thanks
“Also, thanks go to all the owners, trainers and stable staff who have helped me over the years, obviously including Charlie and Godolphin over the last 10 years.
“It is a great achievement and has been hanging over me for a while. To do it at the July Meeting in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes for Charlie and Godolphin means the world to me.”
“I’m grateful for it to happen here and I’m grateful to my family and all my supporters, all the owners and trainers, stable staff and all the great horses along the way. Without the support, it could never happen.”
Asked to pick the most special of his 2,000 winners, Buick said: “The Derby (on Masar) would be the standout win. I’ve been fortunate to ride some great horses for great people over the years, but if I had to pick one it would be the Derby.”
THURSDAY is Ladies’ Day at the Debenhams July Festival, and therefore Zavateri (Eve Johnson Houghton/Charlie Bishop) was an appropriate winner of the juvenile feature, the Group 2 Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes. The 18/1 outsider of six produced a strong run to lead at the two-furlong pole and beat Coventry Stakes runner-up Do Or Do Not (Ed Walker/Tom Marquand) by a length.
Jel Pepper (Paul & Oliver Cole) finished third, two and a half lengths behind the winner, with market leaders Maximised and Brussels unplaced after Comical Point had set an overly strong pace which suited those held up.
Comparing Zavateri to her Royal Ascot winner Havana Hurricane, Eve Johnson Houghton said: “He and Havana Hurricane are different horses and never work together – this one probably wants seven now, maybe a mile, and Havana Hurricane wants five or six furlongs. They win nothing at home, so we don’t do very much, but they are both really, really nice horses.
“I think Zavateri could stretch out to a mile next season, he’s got the pedigree for it. I love this horse; I always have done.
“Everyone said why don’t you go for a novice, but I said why do you want to go for a novice and get beaten with a penalty by a group horse? Come to a group race.
Nothing wrong
“I am Eve Johnson Houghton with 80 horses – not John Gosden with 150 or whoever but he is one of the nicest I’ve had and he’s done nothing wrong so far.”
Her father Fulke, who established the training operation at Blewbury and trained with great success, died aged 84 in February, and Eve paid tribute to him, saying: “Dad is cheering me on - I am not quite sure whether it’s from up or down, but he is cheering me on!
“He laid amazing foundations and aren’t I lucky to train where I train from and to have had the grounding I’ve had. I feel blessed every day because of it.”
Scandinavia
Aidan O’Brien kicked the day off when Ryan Moore partnered the Justify colt Scandinavia (11/8 favourite) to run out an eight and a half-length winner in the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy over a mile and five furlongs, beating Richard Hannon’s Nightime Dancer, who had finished eighth in the Derby behind Lambourn. He was cut to second favourite for the St Leger.