After weeks of speculation it’s been confirmed that top jockey William Buick will get the sought-after Field Of Gold ride in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood later this month.
Juddmonte and Gosden Turn To William Buick For Spare Field Of Gold Ride
With Juddmonte retained rider Colin Keane serving a 14-day suspension, the ride on the classy Field Of Gold in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks.
However, it was confirmed on Wednesday – a week before the Sussex Stakes – that top rider William Buick has been handed the reins.
Buick is the main Godolphin pilot, but with their two remaining entries Notable Speech and Ruling Court unlikely runners – then Juddmonte and trainer John Gosden have turned to the ‘boys in blue’ rider.
William Buick was also the former stable jockey at Clarehaven, so it’s no shocker John and Thady Gosden have turned to the 37 year-old.
Gosden and Buick teamed up at Royal Ascot to win the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on Ombudsman last month and the duo will now get the chance to add more Group One glory with Field Of Gold.
This year’s Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner is regarded as one of the best flat horses in training at the moment – so it’s no shock to see horse racing betting sites making Field Of Gold as short as 1/2 in the Sussex Stakes market.
The Sussex Stakes is one of the showcase races at the five-day Glorious Goodwood meeting – which runs from Tues 29th July to Saturday 2nd August.
Field Of Gold Looking The Follow In His Dad’s Footsteps
Field Of Gold’s sire Kingman was also a past winner of the Sussex Stakes in 2014, and he was also trained by a certain John Gosden.
In total Gosden has won the Goodwood Group One just twice – with his only other success in the race coming in 2019 with Too Darn Hot.
William Buick is also the current winning rider in the Sussex Stakes – having won the lucrative prize 12 months ago with Notable Speech.
That win was Buick’s first win in the race, but now he’s been confirmed as the Field Of Gold jockey – it will be a brave person to say he’s not doing to be doubling his tally later this month.
WATCH: Field Of Gold Winning The St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot
Sussex Stakes Race Details 2025
See below the details for the 2025 Sussex Stakes, with the Goodwood Group One being shown live on the ITV Racing schedule on Wednesday 30th July.
📅Date: Wednesday 30th July 2025
⌚Time: 3:05pm
🏃Trip: 1m
🏆Grade: Group One
🏇Racecourse: Glorious Goodwood
💷Winner: £567,100
📺 TV: RTV / ITV Racing
Why Is Regular Field Of Gold Jockey Colin Keane Suspended?
Retained Juddmonte jockey Colin Keane is suspended due to having to serve a 14-day whip ban.
His offense came back at Sandown on 4th July, when Keane was found guilty of using his whip eight times on a horse called Windlord.
The Andrew Balding-trained runner won the race by a nose that day, but the whip rules in the UK state that jockeys can only use it six times for flat racing.
Meaning Coin Keane was two hits over the permitted level and as a result landed a 14-day ban.
The ban runs from July 22nd to August 4th and as a result misses the Field Of Gold Sussex Stakes ride on July 30th.
Keane does a lot of his riding in Ireland, where the whip rules here are eight.
Speaking after his ban Keane said ” I’m so used to eight (strikes) as it is at home, I just have to abide by the rules here.”
“That’s the only way I can put it. I know six is the amount over here but, when I was in a ding-dong battle, I suppose it just went out of my head unfortunately. It’s unfortunate but it’s my own fault.”
Windlord wins by a nose in quite a conclusion to the Davies Insurance Solutions Gala Stakes, bringing up doubles for @ctkjockey, @AndrewBalding2 and @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/XgkgFWEmop
— Sandown Park (@Sandownpark) July 4, 2025
