Royal Ascot 2017 – Ribchester wins the Queen Anne Stakes under William Buick
Ribchester produced yet another classy performance as William Buick guided him to Royal success in the opening race of the meeting
RIBCHESTER defied a late drift in the market to smash the course record as he landed the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Richard Fahey's miler drifted out from 4-5 to 11-10 on the day, but he stamped his class on the field once again to bag the Group 1 prize.
Mutakayyef ran a solid race in second, while Deauville ran on well for third.
Winning jockey William Buick said: "I said after the Lockinge he's very versatile. He's an exceptional miler, of course he's got lots of quality but he travels so well and sees it out so well.
"You've got to hand it to the horse, he's an absolute jockey's dream.
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"It doesn't get much better than this, it's the biggest week in our sport and to wear the royal blue for Sheikh Mohammed here is absolutely fantastic."
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for Godolphin with chief executive John Ferguson resigning, and Buick added: "We are all working towards one goal, we all want to be in the winner's enclosure and that is what Sheikh Mohammed deserves."
Fahey said: "I'm delighted he won, William said he's got huge gears and said that he was never in trouble. He gets the trip well and that makes him a good horse.
"It was not really the plan to go that quick, but in fairness I did tell Paul (Hanagan) to send his (Toscanini) out and set him alight.
"He's got to be the best I've trained, especially breaking the track record here today, and that is not being disrespectful to the other horses.
"The Sussex Stakes is where he has to go as the French race he won last year (Prix Jacques le Marois) is only 10 days after so it will be one or the other.
"I was hoping that he'd stay further than a mile but we don't need to now.
"It was good pressure to have, he was not odds-on in the end and he was the right horse to have the pressure with as sometimes you get favourites that can't win.
"I'm in a happy place at the minute."