Ascot’s Champions Day on 21 October is the final day of the flat season for the jockey’s title, and defending champion William Buick looks to have retained his crown.
Following his double at Thirsk on Monday, he has increased his lead over his nearest pursuer Tom Marquand to 22 winners.
Buick leads the jockey’s log with 122 wins from Marquand on 90 and Oisin Murphy is in third position with 80.
William Buick is retained by Godolphin whose principal trainer Charlie Appleby has struggled to defend his UK trainer’s title this season.
William Buick – strong position (Pic – Doncaster Racecourse)
Although he has saddled 76 winners to date, Group 1 success has proved elusive with only Modern Games in the Lockinge doing the business. Currently in 10th position with earnings of £2,124,577, Appleby trails the John & Thady Gosden stable who lead with £5,961,490 in stakes.
The father and son team have recorded 91 wins this season, including the Oaks with Soul Sister and the Juddmonte International with the Shadwell owned Mostahdaf.
The Clarehaven yard lead the trainer’s log with Irish raider, Aidan O’Brien currently in second place, just over a half million pounds behind.
The master of Ballydoyle has narrowed the gap at the top thanks in part to the success of Continuous in the Betfred St Leger on Saturday. O’Brien has amassed £5.4m in earnings in the UK for his Coolmore owners with 19 wins from a mere 96 runners. An amazing strike rate in the Group 1’s including Auguste Rodin at Epsom, and Paddington at Royal Ascot, the Eclipse, and the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Andrew Balding is enjoying another fine season, successful in the 2,000 Guineas with Chaldean, and occupies third position with £3,722,725, a quarter of a million pounds clear of William Haggas in fourth.
The trainers title, determined by stakes, ends on New Year’s Eve so the Gosden’s are likely to have runners all the way past Christmas to ensure they win their first UK flat Trainers title as father and son.
The Gosden’s will be looking over their shoulders over the next month or so as O’Brien has plenty of ammunition in the season’s remaining Group 1’s, with huge prize money on offer.
City Of Troy, Henry Longfellow and River Tiber are just three of the 24 juveniles Ballydoyle have nominated for the various autumn juvenile Group 1’s, whilst Kyprios, who ran a great second on his belated seasonal debut in the Irish St Leger, looks to be targeted at the Long-Distance Cup at Ascot.
Add to that the participation of top three-year-old Paddington in the QE2 Cup, where the winner collects over £730,000, and this season’s trainer’s title is still very much up for grabs.
