'Tough week' ends with Listed success and a treble for champion jockey William Buick

Hand Of God: winner of the Golden Gates Stakes

William Buick: gained one of his two Royal Ascot wins on Hand Of GodCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

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William Buick, who had to make do with two handicap victories at Royal Ascot, headed north to score his first Listed success of the week — by the barest of margins.

The champion jockey hit the front over a furlong out in the Pontefract Castle Fillies' Stakes on even-money favourite River Of Stars and had just enough in reserve to hold on by a nose from late-finishing Ching Shih.

"She's very tough and stays well," Buick said of the Ralph Beckett-trained winner, whom he was riding for the first time.

"It was a good opportunity for her. The second horse came very late but she kept finding all the way to the line. I wasn't sure she had held on but I was hoping. She deserved that."

Buick, who made it a treble with victories on the George Boughey pair Forceful Speed (1m4f handicap) and Lennon (mile handicap), won the Copper Horse Handicap on Belloccio and the Golden Gates Handicap on Hand Of God from 32 rides at Ascot, where he was also in the frame nine times.

"It was a tough week, it always is, but to come away with two winners is okay," said the jockey, who has another northern venture on Wednesday when he rides at Carlisle for the first time.

Loyal backers

On the day that mega-rich Qatar private investment company Qipco announced an end to its support for the Guineas meeting and the King George, there was a ringing endorsement for race sponsorship from a local financial adviser and a bar owner.

Neil and Stuart Woods and their family have been backing the Trevor Woods Memorial Handicap since their father died in 2003 and were among a multitude squeezing into the winner's enclosure to present the prize after Irv scored for Aiden Brookes and Micky Hammond.

The Woods family present the prize for the Trevor Woods Memorial Handicap

Explaining their determination to continue 21 years on, Neil, a financial adviser from Doncaster, said: "It was so good to see everybody the first year and we decided we'd do it again. We sponsor a race, we hire a box and we pitch in and split it four ways.

"There were 70 of us here last year for the 20th anniversary. I'd definitely recommend it. It's in memory of my dad, obviously, but it's a way of all getting together and there are people here we only see once or twice a year."

Castleford-based younger brother Stuart Woods, who runs a bar, added: "Dad used to go racing around the country and it's a nice family day. It's not cheap but it's worth doing. There's no reason not to carry on."

Shane shines

Shane Gray rode a winner for the fifth day in a row when he got Selection up close home in the 6f fillies' novice.

It was a first two-year-old winner of the season for Craig Lidster, who said: "She was a good buy for only 8,000gns but she doesn't know that! She's a tough filly and she'll probably get further in time."

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