William Buick was banned for a month by the Chantilly stewards on Sunday after he was judged to have interfered with a rival in the French Oaks and then to have offended the stewards.
One of Godolphin’s two main jockeys in England, Buick is now set to miss Newmarket’s July meeting, the Irish Oaks, Ascot’s King George and all of Glorious Goodwood.
The 27-year-old finished eighth aboard the 17-1 shot Highlands Queen, trained locally by Yohann Gourraud, in a rough renewal of the Classic. The stewards ruled he was principally at fault for interference suffered by Armande, from which Pierre-Charles Boudot was unseated in the home straight. Boudot was reportedly unharmed.
Buick’s agent, Michael Haggas, said on Sunday night that neither he nor the jockey would be offering any immediate comment about the verdict or the possibility of an appeal.
Buick was given 15 days for causing interference and another 15 for offending the stewards with his response. An official indicated the ban might have been longer had Buick not then apologised.
The race was won by La Cressonniere, who now shares fourth place in betting lists on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October. The unbeaten filly, who won the French Guineas last month, capped a fine week for her trainer, Jean-Claude Rouget, who landed the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on Friday for the second year running.
Favourite-backers may have fretted through the first half of Sunday’s race as Cristian Demuro restrained La Cressonniere at the rear of the 16-runner field and she was still no better than 14th at the turn for home.
From there she produced a strong, sustained run down the middle of the track to score by a half-length margin that thoroughly understates her superiority.
Rouget has now won this Classic four times in eight years. Of his three previous winners two went on to run in the Arc while Valyra was prominent in the Arc betting when suffering a fatal injury.
“She can do it all,” Rouget said of La Cressonniere in quotes reported by the Racing Post. “It is an absolute dream because she is just so good.”
There was no immediate word on her likely targets but she is a general 12-1 shot for the Arc, having been 20-1 in the morning. Her stablemate Almanzor, the French Derby winner, is available at 16s.
Swiss Range, the only British raider in the French Oaks, showed up prominently before fading in the straight. John Gosden, her trainer, reported: “She’s uncomfortable on this ground, which was chewed up.”
Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle was fancied despite a wide draw but lost her chance as soon as the stalls opened when Camprock veered right across her.
In the circumstances she did well to be sixth after finishing strongly. O’Brien suggested she might be aimed at next month’s Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.
