Royal Ascot treble for Buick & Gosden

William Buick and John Gosden completed a treble when Gatewood won the Wolferton Handicap.

It was harder work than many had anticipated for the 3-1 favourite who had gone into notebooks up and down the country following his win at the Epsom Derby meeting where he got up close home after a troubled passage.

Buick, who was riding his 50th winner of the season, settled the son of Galileo in midfield before pulling his mount wide to challenge in the home straight.

The response wasn't as instantaneous as it had been on faster ground at Epsom but he gradually wore down the opposition and hit the front in the final strides to score by a neck, completing his own hat-trick and back to back successes in the race for Gosden.

Black Spirit (20-1) came home strongly down the outside to snatch second from Mijhaar (9-2) by a head, finishing closer to the winner than he had at Epsom with Qaraaba just out of the places in fourth for rookie handler Seamus Durack.

Gosden said: "It's been a great day. They've been given great rides and it was lovely to have two fillies on form.

"This horse was always fancied to finish in the first three here.

"Luckily they went pretty strong and he was able to come down the outside and do it.

"The trainer has probably been running over the wrong trip - I think he wants a mile and a half.

"You savour the moment when you win at Royal Ascot and the future is the future.

"To come here and win with him is fantastic and the owner, who bred him, is the last of the great Americans who have horses here, so it's fantastic to have him.

"The horse likes to come with one big run on the outside and William had him in the perfect position."

Buick said: "It's fantastic - these are the days that jockeys dream of.

"Just to have a horse that runs well at Royal Ascot is very good.

"To have a winner is fantastic and to have three winners in one day is really amazing.

"Fortunately everything has gone my way and the horses are in top shape.

"I'm just very happy and very grateful.

"This horse will get a mile and a half in time and he's finished his race off really well.

"He's better than the winning margin and hopefully he's going places."

Strawbridge said: "This is my first Royal Ascot winner. It's the best."