Buick eager to add name to Epsom’s roll of honour

Now it is Buick dreaming of further Classic glory – he rides The Fugue, the likely favourite for today’s Investec Oaks – while Dettori is scotching retirement rumours after being left without a ride in either of Epsom’s premier races.

Apart from when recovering from a plane crash in 2000, this is the only time Dettori has not been at the Derby in 20 years.

While it would be naive to expect Buick, a Northern Racing College graduate, to be a showman in the Dettori mould, it should not detract from his prowess in the saddle; indeed the shy Norwegian-born jockey is already a more accomplished big-race rider than the ever popular Italian at the corresponding stage in his career.

It began when the young pretender, on his first ride for John Gosden after being recommended to the top trainer by Dettori, won the prestigious Dubai Sheema Classic with a late thrust aboard Dar Re Mi, the super-filly owned by composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber and his wife Madeleine, a successful three-day eventer.

It is a relationship which comes full circle today when Buick dons the Lloyd-Webbers’ light pink colours on The Fugue as he seeks a landmark first victory in an Epsom Classic.

The winner of the last two renewals of Doncaster’s St Leger, the world’s oldest Classic, Buick appreciates the iconic nature of Epsom’s undulating one-and-a-half mile challenge that is the ultimate test of a thoroughbred – and horsemanship.

“Epsom is Epsom – growing up in Norway, one was always aware of the Derby, the Oaks and their significance,” said Buick, 23, speaking exclusively to the Yorkshire Post.

“They are the races that count and, as a Flat jockey, you want your name on the roll of honour.”

The Fugue, a lightly-raced filly, travels to Epsom on the back of two runs this season. She was fourth in a very rough 1000 Guineas at Newmarket before powering clear to land the Musidora Stakes at York’s Dante meeting.

“She’s done nothing wrong and goes there with every chance,” enthused in-form Buick, who is third in this year’s jockeys’ championship after a prolific start to the 2012 campaign.

“She ran well in the Guineas, given her inexperience. It was only her second run and she didn’t really know what to do. A couple of us got squeezed and unfortunately I was the one who suffered. I certainly would have been third with a clear run.

“I know Aidan O’Brien’s Maybe finished second in the Guineas, and is well-fancied for the Oaks, but The Fugue was very well at York and it was nice to get her confidence back.

“Some say we didn’t beat much, but I thought it was a very good run and she is entitled to improve further. She has come out of the race well. Put it like this, I wouldn’t swap her for anything.”

That view is shared by Gosden, Buick’s boss, who believes the extra half mile at Epsom will benefit The Fugue.

He told British Champions Series TV: “She hadn’t quite come to herself in time for the trials for the Guineas, so it was always the plan to go straight there (Newmarket) if she was in good order.

“She had a rough trip, got run into and lost three lengths but ran on again. She’s tough, she came out of the race well and it’s not normal to go quickly back like that, but she went up to York and I thought she ran a lovely race.

“The mother (Twyla Tharp) was by a stallion more known for his stamina, but Dansili seems to get them to go anything from a mile to a mile and a half, so hopefully that side of the family comes through and she gets the trip well.

“She’s a well-balanced filly but I think it can get rough in the Oaks, particularly if they are all trying to get a position down the hill.”

It is a view shared by Buick. “Getting a clear run around Tattenham Corner will be crucial,” he said.

That said, the jockey believes this year’s Oaks – it is only his third ride in this premier test for fillies – is far more competitive than tomorrow’s Derby where just eight runners will take on the red-hot favourite Camelot.

Buick rides the Gosden-trained Thought Worthy, who prepared for Epsom by beating Noble Mission, a full brother to Sir Henry Cecil’s wonderhorse Frankel, at Newmarket last month.

“He deserves to take his chance. He stays well and I’ll ride him with that in mind.

“I like the Dante winner Bonfire and David Lanigan’s Main Sequence who won the Lingfield trial – I don’t think it is a one-horse race,” he said. “He’ll definitely be in the first five, the question is where. It will be great to win but I think John sees Thought Worthy as more of a St Leger horse at this stage.”

Buick will warm up for the Derby by riding Masked Marvel, last year’s Doncaster hero, in the Coronation Cup – the third Group One race of Epsom’s flagship meeting, and specifically for horses aged four and upwards.

“He’s in good form. The drier the better. I love him,” he said.

“I hope he’s not remembered for winning the St Leger. I hope he can win a Group One over a mile and a half.

“Whether it is tomorrow against St Nicholas Abbey, a Breeders’ Cup winner, or in the King George at Ascot, we’ll see.”

This mantra also applies to William Buick. He is no longer the new kid on the block – his emergence as one of the country’s leading riders is one reason why Dettori’s career is at a crossroads.

But Buick does not want to be judged by St Leger wins. He, too, craves Epsom glory, starting today on The Fugue.