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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Racing is irrelevant when you can make a difference for kids': William Buick on the inspiration behind his bid for a clean sweep of the first four classics
History is creeping into view for William Buick but the potential for galloping through the record books will not form part of this discussion. 'Way too soon to think about,' Buick says with a smile that demands fate is not tempted. This week, he will partner Desert Flower and Ruling Court — the Godolphin-owned horses he rode to thunderous wins in the 1000 and 2000 Guineas — in the Betfred Oaks and Derby respectively. No rider has managed to collect the first four British Classics in the same season and you have to go back to 1949 to find the last time the same filly and colt (Musidora and Nimbus) went on from success at Newmarket and followed up on Epsom's helter-skelter Downs. We could easily spend time talking about champions but, today, Buick is at home with his wife, Jane, and their young sons, Thomas and Oscar, and he is busy being Dad. Thomas, who is six, needs his socks and Oscar is nibbling with uncertainty at the lettuce he has just helped his mum, Jane, unearth. 'I've been in this situation before, when you have two live ones for Epsom,' says. 'I'm not really someone who gets too wound up and, if I feel myself getting that way, I'll try to get myself back quickly, though Jane might tell you differently! What distracts me? Thomas and Oscar!' Buick has become accustomed to scaling peaks. He is living a dream, emulating the exploits of his heroes, Frankie Dettori, Mick Kinane and Olivier Peslier, in contesting the biggest events — just as he hoped he would when riding his pony as a boy growing up in Norway. Of course, success at Epsom would be out of this world but, in some respects, he has had his most satisfying win of the season. At Haydock last Saturday, this Liverpool fan and willing partner Symbol Of Honour prevailed in a photo-finish that meant the world. Parenthood enables you to see life in a different way and he fully understands the challenges that are presented. Thomas is autistic, and to raise awareness of the condition, Buick, 36, and his wife became ambassadors for Autism In Racing two years ago; they take their responsibilities seriously. 'Horses are therapeutic,' says Buick, who has twice been Champion Jockey. 'We've seen it with Thomas. He's actually quite a competent rider now. He doesn't always hold his reins but he's got a very good seat and he'll be able to ride by himself one day. We're very fortunate.' The impact a horse can have on a child, though, was really brought home by Symbol Of Honour. Before he was due to contest the Sandy Lane Stakes, Daryl Jacob, the former jump jockey, had ventured into the weighing room to see if he could find anyone to help with a request. Jacob was accompanied by three children from the Owen McVeigh Foundation, a charity which provides life memories for youngsters living with cancer and their families. Buick did not hesitate to step forward and the whole experience was profound. 'It was a beautiful moment to be a part of,' says Buick. 'Daryl asked me if I would go and see these kids, they had leukaemia. I said, 'Of course I will'. I was trying to scramble a few things together to give them, goggles and what have you. 'I looked at them and I nearly broke down. I really had to work hard to compose myself. It was just before the Sandy Lane and the joy on their faces was incredible. 'They saw the horses, they saw the jockeys in their colours and the joy it gave them — and their parents — was amazing. Everything else became irrelevant. It really brings reality to everything. I remember going down to the start and I was thinking to myself, 'Please, just win'. I just wanted them all to be on the podium with me. Bless him, Symbol Of Honour put in a good shift and won.' Buick pauses for a moment. This part of the conversation had materialised organically but it reveals an unseen side. Yes, you might see him on a racecourse flashing past in those famous royal blue silks but this is the true version of him. 'Everyone at Godolphin — Charlie Appleby (trainer), Sheik Mohammed (founder) — they love to be part of it when children are involved,' says Buick. 'I knew it wouldn't be an issue for them to collect the trophy. We were in the one spot and I saw the kids smiling. It was incredible. 'If you think you can make a difference (in life), you have to grasp it with both hands — and you are in a fortunate position if someone asks you to do it. Do it with integrity, do it with a good heart. Racing is full of people like that. When it comes to making a difference, racing really does come to the fore.' Coming to the fore is something he will strive to do at Epsom but, really, he has been doing that since he partnered his first winner, Bank On Benny, at Salisbury on September 27, 2006; his father, Walter, was the Champion Scandinavian Jockey eight times and his mother, Maria, was a dressage rider. Racing was always going to be his vocation but it is how he has progressed. After an apprenticeship with Andrew Balding, he was appointed first rider to John Gosden in 2010, aged 21, before joining Godolphin 2015, the equivalent of moving from Liverpool to Real Madrid. Pressure has been omnipresent all through his career but he has carried it comfortably, switching off by spending hours in his gym or immersing himself in box sets — he's currently enjoying MobLand after raving about Eddie Redmayne in The Day Of The Jackal. 'One of the best I've seen to be honest,' he says. 'He travels the world (as a hitman) but it's a bit more stressful than being a jockey!' There will, inevitably, be stress at Epsom this week as these are the two races that matter more than anything during the summer. Buick won the Derby in 2018 on Masar and the glint in his eye when he muses about Ruling Court's potential indicates the wonderful possibilities. 'These are two very good horses and they sum up what racing is all about,' he says. 'We all want the horse to be the next champion. We are optimists, every single one of us in this industry. We start with the same dream and it comes from one thing: the love of the horse.' William Buick is a Jockey Club Ambassador and represented by H Talent Management. Visit
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Desert Flower chasing more Classic glory as nine go forward for Oaks
A total of nine horses are in contention for the Betfred Oaks on Friday, with Desert Flower on track to bid for a Classic double. The Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of Night Of Thunder took her unbeaten record to five in landing the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, her first start since ending her two-year-old campaign with victory in the Fillies' Mile. In fourth at Newmarket was Saeed bin Suroor's Elwateen, running a big race on her second career start. She has been supplemented at a cost of £30,000 by her Shadwell connections, who as expected have taken out Falakeyah. Aidan O'Brien has three leading chances of making it an 11th win in the Epsom showpiece, with trial winners Giselle and Minnie Hauk having looked good at Lingfield and Chester respectively while Whirl impressed at York. The Betfred Coronation Cup on the same card features eight, headed by Francis-Henri Graffard's Calandagan, whose last three starts have been runner-up finishes in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes and Dubai Sheema Classic. Last year's St Leger winner Jan Brueghel is one of the possibles for O'Brien, with Marco Botti's Giavellotto another of note.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Desert Flower chasing more Classic glory as nine go forward for Oaks
The Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of Night Of Thunder took her unbeaten record to five in landing the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, her first start since ending her two-year-old campaign with victory in the Fillies' Mile. In fourth at Newmarket was Saeed bin Suroor's Elwateen, running a big race on her second career start. She has been supplemented at a cost of £30,000 by her Shadwell connections, who as expected have taken out Falakeyah. Aidan O'Brien has three leading chances of making it an 11th win in the Epsom showpiece, with trial winners Giselle and Minnie Hauk having looked good at Lingfield and Chester respectively while Whirl impressed at York. The Betfred Coronation Cup on the same card features eight, headed by Francis-Henri Graffard's Calandagan, whose last three starts have been runner-up finishes in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes and Dubai Sheema Classic. Last year's St Leger winner Jan Brueghel is one of the possibles for O'Brien, with Marco Botti's Giavellotto another of note.
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Desert Flower chasing more Classic glory as nine go forward for Oaks
The Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of Night Of Thunder took her unbeaten record to five in landing the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, her first start since ending her two-year-old campaign with victory in the Fillies' Mile. In fourth at Newmarket was Saeed bin Suroor's Elwateen, running a big race on her second career start. She has been supplemented at a cost of £30,000 by her Shadwell connections, who as expected have taken out Falakeyah. Aidan O'Brien has three leading chances of making it an 11th win in the Epsom showpiece, with trial winners Giselle and Minnie Hauk having looked good at Lingfield and Chester respectively while Whirl impressed at York. The Betfred Coronation Cup on the same card features eight, headed by Francis-Henri Graffard's Calandagan, whose last three starts have been runner-up finishes in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes and Dubai Sheema Classic. Last year's St Leger winner Jan Brueghel is one of the possibles for O'Brien, with Marco Botti's Giavellotto another of note.
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Desert Flower chasing more Classic glory as nine go forward for Oaks
The Charlie Appleby-trained daughter of Night Of Thunder took her unbeaten record to five in landing the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, her first start since ending her two-year-old campaign with victory in the Fillies' Mile. In fourth at Newmarket was Saeed bin Suroor's Elwateen, running a big race on her second career start. She has been supplemented at a cost of £30,000 by her Shadwell connections, who as expected have taken out Falakeyah. Aidan O'Brien has three leading chances of making it an 11th win in the Epsom showpiece, with trial winners Giselle and Minnie Hauk having looked good at Lingfield and Chester respectively while Whirl impressed at York. The Betfred Coronation Cup on the same card features eight, headed by Francis-Henri Graffard's Calandagan, whose last three starts have been runner-up finishes in the Juddmonte International, Champion Stakes and Dubai Sheema Classic. Last year's St Leger winner Jan Brueghel is one of the possibles for O'Brien, with Marco Botti's Giavellotto another of note.
