Latest news with #William Buick
Khaleej Times
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
July Festival delivers historic milestone for Dubai's Godolphin stable
At Newmarket, the long-established heartbeat of British flat racing, Godolphin added another significant chapter to its illustrious racing story with a weekend to remember at the July Festival. The Dubai-owned stable proudly celebrated its 450th Group 1 triumph, while retained jockey William Buick marked his 2,000th career win. The defining moment came on Friday as Cinderella's Dream, a filly bred in the royal blue tradition of excellence, stormed to a stirring victory in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes to mark Godolphin's 450th top-level win since the stable was founded in 1993. Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by Buick, Cinderella's Dream showed trademark grit and class as she fended off a determined challenge from Irish raider January, pulling half a length clear at the finish. 'This filly is all class,' said Buick, who was celebrating his 60th Group 1 win with Godolphin. 'She gave everything, and it's days like these that make the job so rewarding.' The victory was the centrepiece of a sensational Friday treble for the Appleby-Buick axis, with King's Charter landing the Heritage Handicap and Distant Storm taking the Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes. Buick joins Racing Royalty But before Cinderella's Dream stole the show, Thursday had already delivered a moment of personal significance for Buick. In the Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes, his masterful ride aboard El Cordobes brought home a victory that sealed his 2,000th British win, a milestone that cements the 36-year-old Norwegian-born jockey as one of the modern greats of the weighing room. 'I'm incredibly proud,' Buick said. 'To do it here at Newmarket, for Charlie and Godolphin, it means everything. I owe so much to my family, and to everyone at Godolphin who has supported me since I joined as a stable jockey in 2015.' Since then, Buick has won the British jockeys' title in 2022 and 2023, and ridden more than 150 winners in each of those championship years, including one in the coveted Epsom Derby in 2018 aboard the legendary Masar. The three-day July Festival ultimately reaffirmed Godolphin's deep resources and competitiveness, although Saturday brought mixed fortunes. The day's big story came from outside their camp, as former jockey-turned-trainer Richard Hughes delivered a shock result in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup (G1), saddling rank outsider No Half Measures to a stunning victory, two decades after he won the same race aboard Oasis Dream. Notable Speech, Godolphin's star miler and 2,000 Guineas winner who went into the race as the favourite, couldn't replicate that form and finished sixth in the six-furlong sprint. Al Basti's Commitment to Racing Race sponsor Al Basti Equiworld, a prominent equine industry supplier based in Dubai, was established in 1998, demonstrates a strong global commitment to top-level horse racing through both marquee sponsorships and holistic investment in racing communities worldwide. Spanning Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, and Dubai, their support includes high-profile races as well as grassroots initiatives like jockey development schemes, reflecting a dedication to nurturing the sport's future. Back at Newmarket, Godolphin did not leave the final day's race empty-handed. In the Group 2 Superlative Stakes, two-year-old Saba Desert overcame a stuttering start to power home under Buick, sealing Godolphin's eighth win in the race's history. The win was a nod to former champions like Dubawi, Master of the Seas, and Native Trail, who used the race as a springboard to elite careers. Trainer Appleby hinted at high hopes for the young Dubawi colt: 'Saba Desert did everything we could have asked for, he's a colt with real potential. He wasn't straightforward today, but that often brings out the best in the good ones.' With targets like the G1 National Stakes or Dewhurst now under discussion, Saba Desert may well be the next headline act from a stable that is showing no sign of slowing down. By the Numbers: Godolphin & Buick 450 Group 1 wins worldwide for Godolphin since its founding in 1993. 2,000 Career British wins for William Buick after Thursday's Princess of Wales's Stakes. 10 Group 1 wins for Godolphin in the 2025 season to date. 60+ Group 1 victories by Buick in Godolphin colours since 2015. 2 British Champion Jockey titles in the Godolphin colours for Buick (2022, 2023).
Khaleej Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Cinderella's Dream a reality as Godolphin strikes landmark 450 Group 1 win
The historic July Course at Newmarket Racecourse in the UK delivered a storybook script for Dubai's Team Godolphin, as two extraordinary days of racing saw them add another Group 1 victory, notch their 10th top-tier win of 2025, and witness a career-defining moment for their leading rider, William Buick. At the heart of Friday's drama at the storied racetrack, which comprises undulating terrain and a famous dip about two furlongs from home, was the courageous Cinderella's Dream, who brought the Godolphin silks storming home in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, the feature race of the day. The four-year-old daughter of Shamardal, a product of blue-blooded breeding, proved once again why she's one of the most talented fillies in training when outbattling a quality field to claim her first elite European success. The win also marked a landmark 450th Group 1 victory for the Dubai-owned stable, a number that reflects decades of global dominance. Buick, full of praise, called Cinderella's Dream 'all class,' as she fought off Aidan O'Brien's January in a thrilling stretch duel, giving away 9lbs and still finishing half a length clear. 'I am delighted with Cinderella's Dream. Everyone involved with her said she has been ticking all the boxes over the last 10 days or so,' said trainer Charlie Appleby Cinderella's Dream's win was part of a sensational Friday treble for the Appleby-Buick partnership, which also included King's Charter in the Heritage Handicap and Distant Storm in the Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes. But it was Thursday that delivered a personal milestone for Buick himself. Steering El Cordobes to victory in the Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes, the 36-year-old rider with Scottish and Scandinavian roots, chalked up his 2,000th British winner. This staggering achievement places him firmly among the sport's modern greats. 'I am very proud. Thanks go to a lot of people, my family first and foremost, as you cannot do it without them,' Buick told the Godolphin website. 'Thanks to all the owners, trainers and stable staff who have helped me, especially Charlie and Godolphin, over the last 10 years. It has been hanging over me for a while, so to do it at this meeting for Charlie and Godolphin means the world. Buick, who has been Godolphin's retained rider since 2015, has captured some of the sport's biggest prizes, including the 2018 Derby aboard Masar and consecutive 2,000 Guineas with Notable Speech and Ruling Court. Together, the past two days have not only reaffirmed Godolphin's supremacy on British turf but also showcased the enduring power of loyalty, class, and excellence that are embedded in the team's identity.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Buick reaches 2,000 wins - then eyes another 1,000
William Buick rode his 2,000th British winner and immediately targeted another 1, 36-year-old brought up the landmark with victory on El Cordobes, trained by Charlie Appleby, in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at kicked clear in the final three hurdles to record a two-length win over Wimbledon Hawkeye."It's a great milestone and we're looking for the next thousand now," Buick told BBC Sport."It's a big achievement. It's longevity, hard work, dedication that gets you to those numbers."Probably the most important thing is support from trainers, owners, my family and the horses themselves. Without them, none of those things can happen." 'A golden period for jockeys' Buick, born in Norway but based in Newmarket for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin team, is the sixth jockey currently riding to reach 2,000 British winners, but none of those have made it to 3, turned professional in 2006 and said he hopes to carry on riding at the top level for another decade."You want to keep going. I'm in and around my prime in my career, at the age of 36, soon to be 37," said Buick, who won the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas in May with Ruling Court and Desert Flower respectively."Touch wood, I've got many more good years left in the saddle and I want to really make it count."We've had Ryan (Moore) and Frankie (Dettori) and plenty of other names in the waiting room - we are in a golden period of jockeys at the moment."So we need to embrace it, keep going and keep making it special."
