Ruling Court rules the roost at Newmarket as he storms to victory in the 2000 Guineas ahead of next month’s Epsom Derby
The vibes were right. All week the whispers from Newmarket revolved around Ruling Court being primed to run for his life — and how he delivered.
It takes a special kind of horse to win the Betfred 2,000 Guineas but Ruling Court, whose sleek, bay coat glistened and muscles rippled as he limbered up, might just be of the highest calibre. His next start is likely to be the Epsom Derby, the race which cements legends.
To see the reaction of Charlie Appleby, the colt’s trainer, and William Buick was to appreciate the joy of a plan coming together and their judgement being vindicated. Buick, after all, had a fiendish choice whether to ride Ruling Court or his high-class stablemate Shadow Of Light.
Every jockey’s worst nightmare is seeing the horse they could have ridden loom up alongside the one they are on but, thankfully for Buick, Ruling Court was strong as he thundered up the Rowley Mile’s final furlong. He is good over this trip — he might be brilliant over a mile-and-a-half.
‘We’ll let the dust settle and enjoy the moment,’ said Appleby, who was winning the 2,000 Guineas for the third year in quick succession after Coroebus (2022) and Notable Speech 12 months ago. ‘Then we can map out the rest of the season. It’s special to win this. You have to enjoy these days.’
Whether John Gosden enjoyed it, however, is a point that can be debated at length. He and his son, Thady, saddled the 7-4 favourite Field Of Gold but despite travelling with power and purpose, he was momentarily caught flat-footed and so Team Gosden’s wait to win this Classic will go into a 36th year.
Ruling Court, ridden by jockey William Buick, won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday
This was the third time in four years that trainer Charlie Appleby won the 2000 Guineas
Ruling Court’s next start is likely to be at the legendary Epsom Derby next month
‘William took a length-and-a-half out of us,’ Gosden said, a statement that will only strengthen the resolve of some that jockey Kieran Shoemark should have set Field Of Gold alight sooner.
‘He has run a superb race and I loved how he finished. But it’s not easy to peg back a horse of that quality.’
Appleby, a man who is widely respected for how he always treats the twin impostors of triumph and disaster with grace, was eager to stress how this success reflected well on his team at Moulton Paddocks as a whole and put others front and centre of the celebrations.
He operates under a high level of pressure, with the expectation on him to produce big-race winners for owners Godolphin, and having first and third in the 2,000 Guineas is a fine start to the summer; the ‘Boys in Blue’, as they are known, also had fourth-placed Tornado Alert.
It might get even better this afternoon. Appleby and Buick will combine again in the Betfred 1,000 Guineas with Desert Flower, who did a piece of work here two weeks ago that needed to be seen to be believed.
She is odds-on favourite for a reason and, in all likelihood, will take some stopping.
‘This is what it is all about,’ said Buick. ‘She is in great nick and we will see what she can do. It is amazing to win these races and this horse (Ruling Court) is a joy to ride. I work for great people and when you get a result like this, it makes it all the more special.
‘Shadow Of Light gave me something to think about but I was riding an exceptional horse. I let him do his thing and he had good momentum when he came down into The Dip (the trickiest part of the straight mile). He has got a huge engine.’
