William Buick will travel to Australia this weekend and next for some key rides for Godolphin trainer John O'Shea. Godolphin's Australian arm suffered a blow last month when jockey James Doyle fractured a hand and injured a knee in a fall at Randwick on Feb. 13. Doyle, who like Buick is based in Europe and retained by Godolphin, had been riding for O'Shea this season after James McDonald, Godolphin's former retained rider Down Under, was suspended for 18 months in December for betting on the stable's G1 Golden Rose S. winner Astern (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) in the colt's debut race.
Buick has past experience riding in Australia to call on, having won the G2 Skyline S. on Souchez (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) last February and the G3 Queen Elizabeth S. with Francis of Assisi (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) last spring, as well as the G2 Pago Pago S. on Tarquin (Aus) (Hard Spun) in 2015. Buick also rode in the 2015 G1 Golden Slipper, finishing ninth on Ottoman (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), and his rides over the next two weekends will include either Veranillo (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) or Trekking (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the Golden Slipper on Mar. 18. He is also likely to ride Hauraki in the G1 George Ryder S. and Hartnell in the G1 Ranvet S.
“It is an honour to be asked to go to Australia to ride for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, especially in a race such as the Golden Slipper,” said Buick. “I feel sorry for James [Doyle], who is still recovering from his fall. But I will be doing my best to ride winners while I am there. I am relying entirely on John O'Shea to pick the horses I ride, and where I will ride them.”
O'Shea added, “One of the great things about the Godolphin team is that we can call on jockeys who have such wide international experience. We've seen that both William and James are world-class jockeys; they've come here before and fitted in straight away. James showed that when he joined us last year and William has ridden winners for the stable in Australia on a couple of previous visits. He's always been able to make any adjustments without difficulty.”
Doyle is expected to return to riding in Australia for Day 1 of The Championships on Apr. 1.
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