St Leger next for globe-trotter Buick

The victories, which earned Debussy an entry into this autumn's equally prestigious Breeders Cup Turf and then saw Dream Ahead come of age in the Group One Darley Prix Morny at Deauville, completed a meteoric 12 months for the 22-year-old, whose college mentor was Dave Griffiths, who is now a successful trainer near Bawtry.

Buick was adding these top triumphs to his first Group One success aboard Lahaleeb in Canada's EP Taylor Stakes last October, and then his inspired, and winning ride, aboard composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Dar Rei Mi in the Dubai Sheema Classic this Spring.

Dar Re Mi's unexpected win, after one of the rider's now trademark late challenges was, in fact, Buick's first ride for John Gosden – the trainer responsible for Debussy, who is owned by Sheikh Mohammed's wife Princess Haya of Jordan.

The young rider thrives in such exultant company, and 'pressure' appears to be a word that is oblivious to Buick, whether in Canada, America, Dubai, France or on one of Yorkshire's racecourses.

In many respects, it would be fitting if the former champion apprentice capped his breakthrough year with victory in next month's St Leger at Doncaster; the Gosden-trained Arctic Cosmos appears to have an outstanding chance to provide Buick with a first Classic win just a few hundred yards from the college where his globe-trotting journey began and saw him granted his jockey's licence.

Buick joined Andrew Balding's Kingsclere yard in Hampshire aged 15 and weighing just 5st 7lb.

He rode his first winner at Salisbury in September, 2006 and within a year he had landed the Wokingham at Royal Ascot on Dark Missile. Big race successes at York and Doncaster followed.

Yet, while the jockey still needs to curb his exuberance with the whip and, thereby, cut down on his number of meetings that he misses through suspension, this must not detract from his determination and tactical awareness, as exemplified by his result-changing late burst on Debussy to claim the scalp of home hero Gio Pont, the 2009 winner.

Gio Ponti was an odds-on chance to defend his Arlington title but four-year-old Debussy's charge was perfectly-timed run in this Grade One heat.

Debussy's stablemate, Tazeez, who had reared at the start, was prominent and turned into the straight a clear leader.

While Gio Ponti switched wide and launched a seemingly winning run down the centre of the Chicago track, Buick, who had encountered some trouble two furlongs out, got an opening on the rail and made full use of the space.

Debussy responded to his every call and flew in the final yards to win by half-a-length with Tazeez third.

"I thought, 'Oh, no, I have so much horse, but I'm not going to have enough room'," an unflappable Buick said afterwards. "But then the hole opened and we got it."

Gosden added: "He had nowhere to go. I think they just tired the last part and he dashed up the rail and has done it really well.

"I've been trying to win this race for 28 years."

Luca Cumani's Summit Surge, who had won Debussy's prep race at York, finished fifth under Kieren Fallon.

Yet this was Buick's day and it was not lost on him, or Gosden, that the legendary American jockey Bill Shoemaker won the inaugural running of the Arlington Million in 1981, the first race to offer a $1m prize, aboard John Henry.

Since then, winning riders have included Jerry Bailey, Gary Stevens, the jockey turned movie star and the aforementioned Fallon, who won five years ago on Aidan O'Brien's Powerscourt. It is a race that riding legends cherish.

Buick has earned his place in such company. As Gosden said when briefly reunited with his triumphant jockey before the dash to the airport: "He rides cleverly. He doesn't panic in a race. He didn't panic today."

Nor is he likely to panic in the future – whether it be the St Leger or rushing to catch a trans-Atlantic flight.

For William Buick does not need to dream ahead as the name of yesterday's track hero implies; he's already living the dream.