Dubai : Former champion apprentice William Buick scored one of the biggest wins of his burgeoning career with an inspired performance aboard Arctic Cosmos to capture the St Leger, the final Classic of the British season.
Sent off a 12-shot behind the big-money favourite Rewilding, ridden by Frankie Dettori for Godolphin, Arctic Cosmos won by a length and three quarters from Irish raider Midas Touch, while pacemaker and 40/1 outsider Corsica ran the race of his life to finish third.
Godolphin's Rewilding, who dominated the headlines in the build up to the Leger, failed to fire and could only finish sixth of the ten runner field.
It was a third win in the St Leger for trainer John Gosden whose previous successes came courtesy Lucarno in 2007 and Shantou in 1996.
Buick, who was brought up in Norway where his Scottish-born father was champion jockey eight times, was adding to his clutch of international Group One wins that have included the Arlington Million (USA), Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE) and Prix Morny (France).
"It's unbelievable, I just can't believe it. It's a very good buzz — I've won a Leger on a very good horse," he told Channel 4 television. Gosden added: "I expected him to be in the top three, but I didn't think he'd beat the favourite. The Leger is a great race — a great day — and this is a very good horse.
Flat runner
Commenting on Rewilding's performance Dettori said: "I was never at the races. He ran flat — I was beaten at Rose Hill so he underperformed for whatever reason."
However, it was not all gloom for Godolphin whose two-year-old Saamidd scored an impressive win in the Group Two Champagne Stakes earlier in the afternoon.
Meanwhile in Ireland Sans Frontieres, ridden by Olivier Peslier, won the Irish St Leger at the Curragh. The the Melbourne Cup is the next likely target for the winner.
Major wins
Five star Buick
Canada: E.P. Taylor Stakes (Gr 1) - Lahaleeb (2009)
France: Prix Morny (Gr 1)- Dream Ahead (2010)
Great Britain: St Leger (Gr 1) - Arctic Cosmos (2010)
UAE: Dubai Sheema Classic (Gr 1) - Dar Re Mi (2010)
US: Arlington Million (Gr 1) - Debussy (2010)
