William Buick stormed to 100 winners faster than ever before as he heads towards his first ever Jockeys’ Championship title, with victory aboard Lenormand, trained by Charlie Appleby, at Newmarket on Friday.
Buick is currently 31 winners ahead of nearest rival Hollie Doyle with just over two months of the season remaining, with the winner crowned at QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 15th October.
However, the 34-year-old is under no illusions of the size of the task ahead as he dreams of a first Champion Jockey title.
“It’s always nice to reach 100 winners this early in the season. I am always aiming to ride as many winners as I can but hitting 100 is certainly nice. There is plenty left of the season, and I have to keep looking ahead,” Buick said.
“No matter the size of the margin, it doesn’t change how competitive it is. You have to be focused on what you’re doing, there is plenty of other important things going on and I just need to keep going and stay focused on trying to get more winners.”
At this stage of the season, Buick is comfortably ahead of how many winners he has had in previous years, while also retaining his best ever strike rate.
Appleby said of his stable jockey's milestone: “To get to 100 winners in the speed that he’s done it in is an achievement in itself and I am delighted to be a part of it. Hopefully we’ve got a good bit of the season to go, but if he can keep pressing on the way that he is, he will be the man to beat in the Championship.
“It’s not just his achievements here in the UK, it’s what he does on the global stage as well, and it just shows the horsemanship and the talent that William has. But to be crowned Champion Jockey will be a great achievement by himself, and myself and everyone at Godolphin are very pleased for him.”
Recording 30 winners in the months of both June and July saw Buick pull away from his competitors, with a strike rate of 29% in July particularly impressive, including leading the top jockey standings at the Qatar Goodwood Festival with six wins.
