Buick more interested in staying focused on big prize once again

Yet, as Flat racing evolves, Buick and his contemporaries are not motivated by the prestige of riding the most winners each year. To them, the number of big race wins is more important than pursuing Paul Hanagan, the reigning champion and current pacesetter.

“It will be nice to get to 100 winners for the season – but it is the Grade Ones that you remember,” said the 23-year-old with characteristic directness.

Today the fresh-faced rider attempts to become the first jockey since his hero and rival Frankie Dettori five years ago to win successive Ladbrokes St Legers when he partners Masked Marvel in the Doncaster Classic’s 225th renewal.

He has an outstanding chance, even though Buick says his mount “will have to improve” if he is to beat Sir Michael Stoute’s Sea Moon, a heavily-backed favourite after a runaway victory in York’s Great Voltigeur Stakes.

Yet, a year ago, it was assumed that Rewilding only had to turn up to win the St Leger after landing the Great Voltigeur. But the Buick-inspired Arctic Cosmos was a brilliant victor as the rider settled the colt early on before outbattling his rivals up the punishing home straight.

In many respects, Masked Marvel has better form compared to last year’s hero. He beat Mark Johnston’s Namibian at Goodwood in May, a horse that jockey Silvestre de Sousa described as a Leger “certainty” before being tragically struck down with colic. And, on his last outing, the John Gosden-trained colt beat Census – one of today’s leading rivals – at Newmarket.

“He comes to Doncaster a fresh horse, a bit like Arctic Cosmos, but Sea Moon was impressive at York and is probably better than Rewilding,” explained the jockey between races at Doncaster this week.

“The form is rock solid, though, and Masked Marvel, he’s in tip-top shape. He will stay. I’ll try and keep it as uncomplicated as possible.”

Buick followers will be relieved. In the past 10 days, he has won two races after prolonged photo-finishes that were determined by a single pixel on the enlarged print.

At Folkestone on Wednesday last week, his casualness – a rare aberration – nearly saw him throw away a race on the 1-5 odds-on shot Passing Stranger. If he had, he would have inevitably faced a lengthy ban.

Yet, a week ago, Buick was at his brilliant best when steering home Dream Ahead in the Betfred Sprint Group, his third Group One triumph on the classy colt, and limiting the interference in the final strides.

It is a mark of Buick’s composure that he survived these tight finishes – and learned the relevant lessons. After the near-debacle at Folkestone, he telephoned his agent – Yorkshireman Michael Haggas – questioned what went wrong, admitted his error and moved on. “He will only get better because he identifies his mistakes,” said the agent.

After surviving a lengthy stewards’ inquiry at Haydock after Dream Ahead’s narrow defeat of Bated Breath and Mick Easterby’s Hoof It, the relief etched across Buick’s face was palpable. If he had been beaten, some racing scribes would have suggested that Hayley Turner – who won Newmarket’s July Cup on David Simcock’s colt – was better suited to the horse.

Asked how he would celebrate, the jockey was matter-of-fact. “Next week is a big week with the St Leger.”

For, while Dream Ahead has provided Buick with three of his eight big-race triumphs, it is the victory of Arctic Cosmos a year ago that still means the most.

“My first Classic, my first year with John Gosden, co-owned by John’s wife Rachel Hood – it was a special day,” explained the rider who now rides for Godolphin with increasing frequency when Dettori is unavailable.

“That’s what you come into racing for, to win Classics. They’re the races that matter – and it’s always good to get your first one. If I had a chance, I’d like to be champion jockey, but why push yourself to the limit and be knackered for the big races? Now, I get a day off if I need one to recharge. If I have a good start one year, then maybe.”

It is this desire for big race success, coupled with recognition across racing that Buick was a special talent with unbelievable balance, judgment of pace and strength, that prompted Gosden to replace Jimmy Fortune with the young pretender early last year.

The gamble has paid off, though Newmarket-based Gosden insists it was “not a gamble”. A nerveless Buick won the valuable Dubai Sheema Classic – his first race for his new boss – on Dar Re Mi.

One of the richest races in the world, it also offered further proof that Buick’s career would be defined by the quality rather than the quantity of his victories – his win prize money of £1.45m is already the most accrued by any jockey in Britain in 2011.

Yet Gosden and Buick are made for each other. The trainer’s attention for detail and eloquence, such as his careful remarks after the duo’s King George triumph on Nathaniel was overshadowed by the aforementioned Rewilding’s death in front of the Ascot stands, is matched by his stable jockey.

It is also why both state 6am as their favourite part of the day. It is when horses are ridden out, and the time when plans – like the St Leger – are formulated. Six weeks ago, Nathaniel was a deserved St Leger favourite after the King George triumph.

Now they believe he can win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – Europe’s richest race. “He’s only going to get stronger,” says Buick.

Since then, Masked Marvel has been trained with today’s race in mind.

“It is a step up in class, but he’s a big powerful colt and has a good stride,” said Gosden, a three-time St Leger winner, who actually led up Alleged when Vincent O’Brien’s great was beaten by the Queen’s Dunfermline in 1977.

“As for William, he’s very intelligent. What I like is that he’s on the gallops at 6am because he believes that he should ride out the horses, and help earmark races for them. That is a big help and a reason why we are having some success.”

Buick concurred. Though he admits that he is far from being the finished article – he says he still incurs too many suspensions – he added: “You need to get a feel for a horse. Yes, the days are long. Up at 5.30am. Back late. But you get used to it. I can do 8st 6lb fairly easily and the big races, or the prospect of them, makes it worthwhile.

“I’m lucky I have a great team – my agent and my father who rode. Dad always told me ‘don’t think you are a jockey before you are one’. He makes sure I study the form and sent me to, I think, Redcar after a big win last year to keep me grounded. You don’t want to throw it away. Once you’ve won a Classic, you want another.”