Buick and Noseda team up for Goodwood double

William Buick and Jeremy Noseda have an impressive record when they join forces at Goodwood - and they improved it further at the penultimate meeting of the season on the Downs.

The duo scored back-to-back victories in the first two races of a rain-affected card at the track which suffered a high number of non-runners as morning rain turned the ground distinctly soft.

Their first success was with 7/2 chance Zamoyski in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Loewe Maiden Stakes as Buick held off the 8/13 favourite Pythagorean, ridden by James Doyle.

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In the next, the R H Hall EBF Maiden Stakes, the same combination tasted more success with 3/1 shot Sweet Deal - and it was for the same owner, Paul Roy, too. Mr Fitzroy was second after going off 7/2.

The wins put Buick clear in second place behind Richard Hughes in the race to be Goodwood’s top jockey of 2012. They were Buick’s seventh and eighth victories, but Hughes has 12 to his name.

The double also put Noseda into fourth place in the Dick Hern Trophy standings with his fourth and fifth successes of the season at Goodwood - but he is six and five wins behind Mark Johnston and Richard Hannon respectively.

The day’s feature race, the listed £35,000 Eve Trakway Foundation Stakes, was taken by Doyle on the Roger Charlton-trained Primevere - one of three winners during the afternoon tipped on this website.

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Primevere (9-2) fought off the favourite Ektihaam by a neck, showing placings in several Group races earlier in the season were no fluke.

Charlton said: “James said when she got in front she just pulled up a little, but it’s hard to hold onto them in this ground.

“She’s been very consistent - she was second in Ireland and second at Windsor, and she deserved this.

“I don’t know where she’ll go now. I was thinking about the EP Taylor Stakes in Canada, but Ed Dunlop says Snow Fairy could go there. We’ll have to see. I should think she’ll be retired at the end of the year.”

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Pulborough trainer Amanda Perrett’s Signed Up (3/1 fav) took division one of the Hildon Natural Mineral Water Handicap under Pat Dobbs.

“He’s a lovely horse,” said Perrett. “He did really well to win at Sandown and the time off has done him no harm. I think a mile-three was the bare minimum and hopefully he’ll become a nice staying horse.”

Jamie Spencer guided home Ghost Protocol as he justified his position as 7/2 favourite for division two of the contest. Ghost Protocol came from nowhere over the final couple of furlongs to thwart Freddy Q by three-quarters of a length.

Goodwood’s top operator Hughes was back in the winner’s enclosure after a triumph on board Eagles Peak (7/2) for Sir Michael Stoute in the Discovery Foods Stakes.

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Up-and-coming Michael J Murphy - who had a couple of notable wins during Glorious - sprange a surprise when he took the 3663 First for Food Service Stakes on 33/1 contender Efistorm, trained by Joseph Tuite.

The last, the Merbury Catering Consultants Apprentice Stakes, went to Stonecrabstomorrow, ridden by Ashley Morgan for Michael Attwater.

The day’s results mean Middleham trainer Johnston goes into the final meeting - on Sunday, October 14 - in pole position to take the Dick Hern Trophy. But Hannon, winner of the prize for each of the past four years, won’t have given up just yet.

STEVE BONE