It all goes to plan 
for Buick on Hobbs

Runner-up to stablemate Golden Horn in York’s Dante Stakes and the Epsom Derby, the three-year-old colt showed no ill-effects for his lengthy lay-off following his Irish Derby success and will head to Longchamp on October 4 as Britain’s flag-bearer.

Buick edged his mount to the front at the two-furlong pole before Jack Hobbs pulled clear of his opponents in the Group Three September Stakes with effortless ease. In a race with little to gain, and everything to lose, connections were content with the manner of the three-and-a-quarter length success, though a far sterner test of horse and rider awaits in four weeks.

“It all went to plan. There is no such thing as a certainty, it is nice to just get him back again,” said Buick, a graduate of Doncaster’s Northern Racing College after the opening leg of his four-timer at Kempton.

“He doesn’t pull. It was a bit of a racecourse gallop for him. That’s what I wanted, I didn’t want him to come here and have a hard race. He has filled out a lot. I definitely think he is a better horse than when he ran at Epsom.

“He has taken leaps and bounds forwards and is a very exciting horse. We learned nothing about his ability, all we know he is very well and on course for Paris.”

As for Gosden, he was content in more ways than one – his wife Rachel Hood, and some of her university friends, co-own the colt with Sheikh Mohammed.

“I hadn’t done a lot of work with him and he was fresh down to the start, but in the race William managed to switch him off and get him relaxed, and that is important,” he said,

“There’s no reason why we won’t go to France and he has won well. We were happy to get a nice prep race at home, rather than travelling over to France next weekend and then travelling over again.

“He is a lovely horse and is improving all the time and did all that is required of him with hands and heels. He is a very good horse and Golden Horn is an exceptional horse. They are two nice three-year-olds. They could possibly meet in the Arc. We will see, there’s four weeks to go.”

Trainer Henry Candy described Twilight Son as “a natural” after the colt stylishly maintained his unbeaten record in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock – this Grade One success followed an eyecatching victory earlier in the summer in York’s 888Sport Charity Sprint.

The best Yorkshire runner was defending champion G Force who was a creditable fourth for Nawton trainer David O’Meara and jockey Danny Tudhope, The Yorkshire Post’s guest racing columnist every Friday. The meeting saw the Brian Ellison-trained Balty Boys win impressively for champion jockey-elect Silvestre de Sousa.

Afterwards, the Malton handler said the £250,000 Balmoral Handicap on Champions Day at Ascot might be more attainable than the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Retired Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could have a nice prospect in Foundation who won impressively under Frankie Dettori. 
“He’s a very nice horse and Frankie liked him a lot,” said the buoyant owner.

Two-time winner Times Up heads the entries for Friday’s Doncaster Cup.

Ireland’s champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins has entered Galway Festival winner Clondaw Warrior and former Royal Ascot hero Simenon while Marco Botti’s entries include mudlark Tac de Boistron, a Group One winner, and Ebor third Suegioo.