Buick’s warm tribute to York hero Ghaiyyath

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WILLIAM BUICK has led the tributes to Ghaiyyath after this summer’s middle distance champion was retired to stud by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation.

The Charlie Applebytrained colt won three successive Group Ones – the Coronation Cup, Coral- Eclipse and then York’s Juddmonte International.

Beaten in the Irish Champion Stakes in a battle of tactics, it was decided earlier this week not to send the late blossoming five- year- old suffered to the forthcoming Breeders’ Cup meeting in America.

The highest- rated horse in the world earlier this summer, Buick says there was little to separate the horse’s performances in the Coral- Eclipse, where he beat dual Arc heroine Enable, and the Juddmonte where he led from start to finish in one of the most dominant performances witnessed on the Knavesmire in recent times.

“He’s a truly exceptional horse – and obviously this year, he’s the highest- rated in the world,” said the jockey.

“Everything he did was just so flamboyant and so explosive – he really wore his heart on his sleeve, and I’ve been very privileged to have ridden him to some great wins.”

Buick was impressed with Ghaiyyath from his earliest days in the yard, though it was only this year that Ghaiyyath put together a string of consistent performances.

“As a physical specimen, he’s an amazing- looking horse – and everything he did early on was always ahead of everyone else,” he ventured. “He’s just been a fantastic horse, from day one.

“He became renowned for that ability to go the pace he went and keep going, and even then at the end of his races to quicken from that pace and really put the race to bed.

“As he got older, more mature, he managed to channel his energy a little bit better – which we really saw this year.”

Buick nominated Ghaiyyath’s victory in the Eclipse as his finest. “For me, his crowning moment was probably at Sandown when he really confirmed that he was absolute top- drawer,” he concluded.

“Then he backed it up at York so those are the two that stand out. He’s certainly one of the best, if not the best, middledistance horses I’ve ever ridden. He could do things that very few horses can do.

“The ability he had to keep up the pace was just phenomenal, over a mile and a half – that’s just something that you really don’t see.”

This was echoed by the aforementioned Appleby who said: “Ghaiyyath has had a fantastic career, winning nine of his 13 races.

“His high- class cruising speed and relentless style of galloping was a joy to watch. This year he came together both physically and mentally and looked the finished article.

“It is obviously disappointing not to be taking him to the Breeders’ Cup – but the exertions of a long season, which started in Dubai in January, were starting to show.”