Star jockey William Buick has been handed an eight-day suspension after being found guilty of careless riding that caused another horse to stumble during a race at Windsor on Monday. The Godolphin stable jockey, who is rarely in trouble with stewards, was called to an inquiry following an incident in the fifth race of the evening meeting.
Race Details and Incident
Buick had earlier ridden the winner of the third race, Castlemont, trained by Charlie Appleby, in the 1m2f maiden race at odds of 15-8. In the fifth race, he rode Sunshine Star, a 5-2 chance trained by John and Thady Gosden, in the 1m2f fillies' handicap. The pair finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length by Dream Camp, ridden by Oisin Murphy and trained by Andrew Balding.
However, the stewards focused on Buick's riding of Sunshine Star. According to the Racing Post close-up comment, the filly was "prominent, waiting for room and lost position over 2f out, switched left and hampered rival over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, no extra towards finish, did well in the circumstances." The analysis suggested Sunshine Star "could have won on another day" and was "well up to winning something similar."
Stewards' Inquiry and Ruling
The inquiry examined interference around the one-furlong pole involving Sunshine Star and the unplaced Crystal Pier, ridden by Rossa Ryan. Saffie Osborne was also interviewed but found not to be involved. The stewards concluded: "Buick was suspended for 8 days for careless riding as he angled his mount left-handed to continue his run when insufficiently clear of CRYSTAL PIER (IRE), causing Ryan to clip heels and stumble badly."
Impact on Buick's Schedule
The suspension runs from August 3 to 10 inclusive. Fortunately for Buick, it falls either side of Glorious Goodwood and the York Ebor Festival, meaning he will not miss those major meetings. However, he would have missed the Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot had he been scheduled to ride there.
