William Buick

A dozen of the best jockeys from all corners of the globe--four based locally and eight from overseas--come together Wednesday evening at Hong Kong's iconic Happy Valley Racecourse for the Longines International Jockeys' Championship. Widely recognized as the premier contest of its kind, the IJC carries total prize money of HK$1 million, to be divided up three ways, with the winner taking home a checque for HK$600,000, while the second- and third-place finishers earn HK$250,000 and HK$150,000, respectively. Vincent Ho, best known for his association with the now retired three-time...

DEL MAR, USA -- From the 2,000 Guineas to the Breeders' Cup Classic, he is the horse who has kept us captivated, wondering and engaged, through to season's end. And that, really, is why we are all fans of horse racing. That longing to know what can't be known for sure until those gates spring open, the skirmishes are had, and the winning post looms.  In the end, for City Of Troy (Justify), unbeaten and burgeoning with promise at two, redeemed in the Derby and then some at Sandown and...

From Qatar to Dubai to Hong Kong, back to Britain and then across to Germany. By any metric, it had already been a massive season for Godolphin's hearty globetrotter Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and it got that little bit better Saturday afternoon, as his best battling qualities were on full display in just staving off a gallant effort from Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB})--the lesser-preferred of the two Sunday Racing-owned horses--to win the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf for the second time in three seasons. Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact...

There were 11 defectors from an overnight entry of 19 and a field of eight will line up for Saturday's £215,500 G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, Britain's final Group 1 event of the year, after final declarations were confirmed Thursday morning. Aidan O'Brien last won in 2022 with Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and he is in the mix for a record-extending 12th success in the one-mile contest. O'Brien has trimmed his team from six down to one and relies solely on G3 Autumn Stakes and 'TDN...

Saturday's G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes looked there for the taking beforehand, with no standout performer in the line-up and in the end it came down to who was the most progressive. Step forward Juddmonte's Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}--Zero Gravity {GB}, by Dansili {GB}), who had made a significant advance last time in the G3 September Stakes and who successfully carried that momentum into this mile-and-a-half test, a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf next month. Tracking the...

While the G1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes was robbed of The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Newmarket's feature produced a thrilling three-way go to compensate as well as a rarity in its winner with Godolphin's Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Winters Moon {Ire}, by New Approach {Ire}) completing the Middle Park-Dewhurst double on Saturday. Tracking the leader Seagulls Eleven (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) up the centre as the five-runner field remarkably split into two groups, the William Buick-partnered even-money favourite veered across the track late on...

Fresh from Friday's double with a pair of exciting two-year-old fillies, Charlie Appleby returned to the Rowley Mile bright and early on Saturday morning to oversee racecourse gallops for some of the biggest names at Moulton Paddocks, including the 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech (Ire) who could yet stay in training as a four-year-old according to his trainer. Breeders' Cup Mile contender Notable Speech finished his exercise nicely clear of his galloping companion, Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), in the hands of regular work rider Paul Eddery,...

Taking another step forward from her G2 May Hill Stakes success, Godolphin's Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Promising Run, by Hard Spun) emphatically established herself at the head of the pecking order among the stronger-staying juvenile fillies of 2024 in Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. Having mastered Ballydoyle's January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) by 1 1/2 lengths at Doncaster last month, the Charlie Appleby-trained TDN Rising Star made it 5 1/2 this time as she opened up with the rising ground to the line bringing out her superior stamina....

Godolphin contributed to a succession of fireworks at Newmarket's Park Paddocks sales venue during the earlier part of the week and, with action firmly centred on the nearby Rowley Mile racetrack, continued in similar vein as the operation's 2-year-old filly Verse Of Love (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}--Vercelli {GB}, by Shamardal) powered to a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette in Friday's Godolphin Under Starters Orders Maiden Fillies' Stakes. She becomes the 14th Rising Star for her sire, whose roll of honour includes this month's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Zarigana (Ire). The March-foaled...

Emulating his half-brother Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), Godolphin's Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Winters Moon {Ire}, by New Approach {Ire}) took a major stride forward to dominate Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Content to track the 4-5 market-leader Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never) and the front-running Dash Dizzy (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the Charlie Appleby-trained 11-4 second favourite, who had been second in the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York in August, was sent forward by William Buick to take command approaching two out and surge to...

Despite the absence of the King George hero Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in Sunday's G1 Mehl-Mulhens-Stiftung Preis von Europa, the Cologne feature held up well with the two domestic Classic winners bidding to deny Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Minidress {GB}, by Street Cry {Ire}) a second edition of the prestigious mile-and-a-half contest. In the event, Godolphin's high-class stalwart was able to ward off all challenges and reproduce his 2022 success for a sixth win at the top level. Last seen finishing best of those who raced near the hot pace...

Sir Michael Stoute trainee Anna Swan (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}--Vivionn {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}), a G1 Fillies' Mile entry who notched an impressive 5 1/2-length win at Great Yarmouth last month, remained on an upward trajectory and made all to post a two-length tally in Friday's Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises British EBF Fillies' Conditions Stakes at Newbury.   🇬🇧 British EBF Fillies' Conditions Stakes @NewburyRacing @BritishEBF Newbury - Classe 2 - 2 ans - 1408m - 4 Pts 🏆Anna Swan 🏇William Buick @WilliamBuickX 📖(Almanzor (Fr) @Haras_d_Etreham - Vivionn (Gb)...