3 minute read
Charlie Appleby recorded his first Royal Ascot winner with the success of 9/1 shot Space Age in the King George V Handicap.
The son of New Approach overcame a tough draw under an enterprising ride by William Buick. The Godolphin-owned colt broke smartly under Buick who took the horse to the lead. The three-year-old was not to be caught in the home straight, staying on resolutely to deny the Andrew Balding-trained Scottish by a length and a quarter.
Appleby said: "He is a horse I have been looking forward to all week. He did well to win at Newmarket last time and I thought he had a great chance."
Appleby did have reservations about the draw before the race. He remarked: "I was worried about the draw but William Buick did a great job in getting him out and then he was able to get quite an easy lead and dominate the race. He battled all the way to the line and it was a fantastic performance. He was really game and just kept on finding.
"It is a great effort from all the team and they have to take a lot of credit. It is fantastic to have my first Royal Ascot winner."
Appleby reflected on the Royal Meeting. He said: "It has been a big learning curve and when I came to Royal Ascot last year I was a boy amongst men. I have learnt a lot and we went away last year hoping to come back here and win one of these big competitive handicaps. We looked after this horse and he has repaid us."
The Newmarket handler was also effusive in his praise of William Buick, who is in his first season as a retained rider for Godolphin. Appleby said: "It was a fantastic ride by William. The draw was a worry but this horse has done nothing but thrive.
"Coming into the paddock today I said to William he should drop out but he told me he wanted to go forward so he didn't get messed about out at the back and meet traffic problems. This horse gallops and stays well and he rode him brilliantly. That is why he is such a top class jockey."
William Buick rode his second winner of Royal Ascot 2015 when Space Age made all in the King George V Handicap, beating Scottish by a length and a quarter. The New Approach colt was sent off at odds of 9/1.
It was a first Royal Ascot winner for trainer Charlie Appleby, and a 14th in total for Buick.
Buick, who won on Space Age at Newmarket on May 29, said: "He's quite an exuberant horse, but I didn't want to get in his way, I wanted him to really control what he wanted to do. I didn't bring him forward or take him back, I just let him do his thing and he got a relatively uncontested lead round here and he stayed well. It was a good performance - he's a good horse.
"We didn't have to work to get to the front, which is always a help, but it was a good performance because when you are out there there are still 20 [horses], whichever way you look at it it's still hard. He's very progressive.
"I'm very pleased for Charlie [Appleby], it's his first Royal Ascot winner - it means a lot and it's a huge achievement.
"This is always an important meeting and it's always one where you want to perform and go into with good rides, which both James [Doyle] and I have, so it's not much different to how it's been before, but we're working for Godolphin now, which is our priority and we are very pleased to be a part of it."