William Buick’s defence of the Flat jockeys’ championship, which he won for the first time in 2022, seemed to be faltering slightly only a week ago, when he emerged from Royal Ascot having drawn a blank at the biggest meeting of the summer and tied for third place with Hollie Doyle in the title race.
Seven days later, after a run of nine wins from 29 rides, Buick has overtaken both Doyle and Joe Fanning to reach 40 winners, just one behind Oisin Murphy, the champion from 2019 to 2021. Murphy, meanwhile, has had seven wins in the same period, but also received news last week that his ride on Valiant King in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot had earned him an eight-day ban for going one stroke over the new whip limit of six strokes.
