Global Weekly Review - 30.03.15

Just 48 hours after winning the world's richest horse race, the US$10-million Dubai World Cup, Godolphin jockey William Buick was finally in a position to fully appreciate the magnitude of the achievement.

Speaking from Dubai, where he stayed on for a few days after the meeting, Buick said: "Immediately after the race, I was in a bit of a daze. I was stunned, big time. But the win is huge, for me, and for all of us at Team Godolphin.

"I said after the race that this is only the beginning. We (Godolphin) are just getting started," Buick added.

Buick's win on Prince Bishop in the World Cup, defeating California Chrome and Lea, was the biggest of his career. It was also the owning highlight of Dubai's Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, who in a generous gesture donated the winning prize to local autism charities.

Prince Bishop is trained by Saeed bin Suroor, the Godolphin trainer who has now sent out seven winners of the Dubai World Cup.

Buick was rightly praised for an excellent ride on Prince Bishop, a horse who dislikes the kick-back on sand, though he seems to act well on the surface itself. He was dropped out early and then circled the entire field.

"I was hoping to draw the outside because of his aversion to kickback. But we ended up in stall 1. I spoke to Saeed beforehand, and we decided to just let him do his own thing, and then work into the race if he could.

"There was no set plan really. He has run much the same as he did in two of the rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge, but the difference this time was that the pace was much stronger, and this enabled him to get there quicker.

"When I got onto the back of California Chrome before the turn, with my horse really travelling, I knew we were in business.

"I cannot praise Prince Bishop enough for what he has done in his career. He has performed with credit in every single race he has run," Buick added.

Prince Bishop has won 11 of his 28 starts. First, he was trained by Andre Fabre at Chantilly for Godolphin. In one of his early outings, five years back, he beat Cirrus des Aigles a short neck in the G2 Prix Conseil De Paris, over a mile and a half at Longchamp.

Prince Bishop was one of two winners for Dubawi, the Darley stallion, on World Cup night. His other, Mubtaahij, was the eight-length winner of the UAE Derby for trainer Mike De Kock, and is now on target for a crack at the Kentucky Derby.

In Australia, Godolphin enjoyed another outstanding day at Rosehill Gardens, with Hartnell winning a solid battle with Japanese raider To The World to take the G1 BMW Stakes. Hartnell has acclimatised well and remains a potential force in all major races beyond 2400 metres.