Jockey William Buick hailed winner Notable Speech as “the fastest miler I’ve ever ridden” after partnering the homebred son of Dubawi to success in Saturday’s 2000 Guineas.
The 35-year-old rider landed the Newmarket feature for the first time at the 14th time of asking having finished second in the first Classic of the season twice, once in 2021 on Master Of The Seas and again in 2022 on Native Trail.
Notable Speech was the fifth 2000 Guineas winner to carry the blue silks of Godolphin following Coroebus (2022), Dawn Approach (2013), Island Sands (1999) and Mark Of Esteem (1996).
It was a second win in the contest for trainer Charlie Appleby following Coroebus and Buick was ecstatic to have recorded a first victory in the marquee event.
Buick said: “It’s amazing. I’ve finished second twice so I know how it feels to go back in having not won it - I’ve never had a ride like him ever before. I’m over the moon.
“Notable Speech is a great horse. He’s a proper miler and he’s certainly the fastest miler I’ve ever ridden - I think he can do things other horses can’t with his turn of foot.
“We’ll see where he goes next. All the top mile races will be on his agenda I would assume.”
“JUST A GREAT HORSE”
Referring to the fact Notable Speech had never even raced on turf before Saturday, he went on: “He took a different route into the Guineas but Charlie, the team and myself had a lot of belief in him and he’s just a great horse. He did everything right today. Not just for myself but for everyone, he looked impressive.
“It was a great performance from the horse. He’s a real jockey’s dream and I’m absolutely delighted.”
Asked if he is a late bloomer, Buick continued: “I would say so. I rode him in February on a cold winter’s night at Kempton. I thought then he was pretty good and he’s done nothing but improve since.
“It just shows you that if a horse has the engine and the will then they can do it and that’s exactly what he has. It’s a great training performance by everybody and he’s a homebred for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed as well, so it’s special.”
WHERE NEXT FOR GUINEAS HERO?
Asked where racing fans might see him next, he added: “I’m not sure if he’d be going to the Irish Guineas but I’m sure they’ll be thinking about the St James’s Palace and those kinds of races. He’s a proper miler.”
Referring to the decision not to run him on turf previously, he added: “Charlie had one eye on the Greenham for him but he was worried about the potentially heavy ground at Newbury, hence he ran at Kempton. So, I thought let’s try and find out something and we found out he has an explosive turn of foot but since then he’s become more of a rounded horse.
“He’s improving all the time. He’s straight into a Guineas off the all-weather – that takes a bit of doing and he was comfortable throughout the race.
“He just dragged me into the race in the hottest part of the race, which is what he did at Kempton in his previous runs. And then he’s pricking his ears at the line – every time you ride him you always feel like there’s more in the tank.”
