William Buick steps in for more Frankie Dettori rides on two big Group 1 fancies - including Kinross in July Cup

William Buick will partner Kinross in the Pertemps July Cup and defending champion Prosperous Voyage in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket’s July festival.

The opportunity to ride the Ralph Beckett-trained pair in the two Group 1s this week emerged after regular rider Frankie Dettori was suspended for nine days due to careless riding at Royal Ascot.

Twice a winner at Group 1 level, including the British Champions Sprint at Ascot last year, Kinross is 6-1 fourth favourite with bet365 and Coral for the July Cup on Saturday after finishing seventh in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on his comeback last month.

The six-year-old has been Dettori’s ride since he was purchased by Hong Kong businessman Marc Chan, a friend of the jockey, in 2021 and would have provided the rider with one final chance to gain an elusive success in the July Cup before his retirement at the end of the year.

However, with Dettori unavailable, Buick has been drafted in to take the mount as he seeks his first success in the contest. 

Kinross: a dual Group 1 winner last seasonCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Kinross is unlikely to be joined in the race by last year’s Cheveley Park winner Lezoo, who also races for Chan and US-based owner Andrew Rosen and finished tenth in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on her most recent outing.

The owners are set to be represented by Prosperous Voyage in the Falmouth Stakes as she bids to emulate dual winners Sonic Lady and Soviet Song by winning again on Friday.

Jamie McCalmont, racing manager for Chan, said on Tuesday: “William will ride Kinross in the July Cup and Prosperous Voyage in the Falmouth Stakes. William rode one horse for us last year, which was Lezoo when she won the Cheveley Park Stakes. As such, we felt he had to be the go-to jockey for the horses when Frankie was unavailable. 

“You feel that you owe a jockey the courtesy to give them this sort of ride when they have done you a good turn in the past, so he was always going to be the first choice and it’s brilliant to have him riding both horses. 

“Lezoo is unlikely to run. She came out of Ascot well and we don’t really know what happened, so we’ve put a line through it. She’s been in really good form, which is why Ralph put her in the race to have a look and see, but it hardly looks like it’s going to be a soft race, does it? We’ll see what other options there are for her.”

Prosperous Voyage was steered to her shock victory over 1-7 favourite Inspiral in last year’s Falmouth Stakes by Rob Hornby, who went on to land the July Cup on Alcohol Free the following day.

Rob Hornby: will ride surprise Jubilee winner Khaadem in the July CupCredit: David Davies

This year, Hornby, who secured his fourth Group 1 victory on Westover in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last Saturday, will ride Khaadem in the July Cup with Jamie Spencer banned.

Khaadem was supplemented on Monday for the sprint at a cost of £36,000 having stunned Royal Ascot when winning the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 80-1.

Alex Cole, racing manager for owners Jim and Fitri Hay, said: “The Hays like to leave the choice of jockey to the trainer, and it’s great to see that Charlie [Hills] has booked Rob for the ride.”

Pertemps Network July Cup (4.35 Newmarket, Saturday)

Coral: 15-8 Shaquille, 11-4 Azure Blue, 5 Little Big Bear, 6 Kinross, 9 Khaadem, 16 Lezoo, 18 bar.

Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (3.35 Newmarket, Friday

Coral: 2 Via Sistina, 7-2 Remarquee, 4 Nashwa, 6 Coppice, 8 Prosperous Voyage, 10 Random Harvest, 16 bar

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