Great day for Buick in Oaks
GREAT HEAVENS delivered jockey William Buick the 24th birthday present he was praying for when storming to a three-length win in the Irish Oaks.
So disconsolate after her big brother Nathaniel agonisingly lost out to Danedream in the King George at Ascot 24 hours earlier, Buick was wreathed in smiles as he produced a first win in the race for trainer John Gosden. The emphatic outcome looked unlikely three furlongs out as Johnny Murtagh on Hughie Morrison’s runner-up Shirocco Star struck for home and, for a few strides, Great Heavens floundered.
But, as Shirocco Star and fourth-placed Was did each other no favours tussling on the rail and third Princess Highway struggled in the testing ground, the 5-4 favourite finally found her stride and flew home.
Buick said: ‘ What a filly. That’s certainly one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever had.’
Gosden added: ‘ She’ll be freshened up and then be in races like the Yorkshire Oaks and she could also have an entry in the Leger.
‘There’s no reason that a filly of her class couldn’t do something like that — someone has got to take on Camelot.’
Gosden is threatening an allout assault of his own on Aidan O’Brien’s 1-4 Leger favourite.
Ladbrokes make Great Heavens 6-1 and Gosden also has Michelangelo (8-1), Shantaram (14-1) and Thought Worthy (20-1) in the Doncaster Classic he has won four times.
Juggling his powerful squad looks a pleasant headache for Gosden for the remainder of the season.
Along with Great Heavens, Group One winners Izzi Top, Fallen For You and Elusive Kate plus horses like Joviality, Newfangled and The Fugue mean he is struggling to find a catwalk big enough to parade his team of top-class fillies
He must also ponder an Arc re- match with Danedream and/or a showdown with Frankel, most probably in the Champion Stakes, with Nathaniel.
Missing out on first place by a nose on Saturday, meant a difference of £352,000 to Gosden. He trails O’Brien in the title race by £60,000 less.
Those few millimetres might ultimately cost him the title but there is plenty still to play for.