Sir Busker handed international aims for 2023

Dubai and Saudi Arabia pinpointed as early starting points.

William Knight’s Sir Busker has an overseas spell in the diary after his Group-race breakthrough earlier in the season.

The six-year-old has been a consistent presence in high-quality one-mile contests over the past few years and after running with great credit and picking up numerous placings, the gelding was able to land his first Group prize when stepped up to 10 furlongs in the York Stakes in July.

From there he returned to the Knavesmire to contest the Juddmonte International over the same distance, finishing third behind William Haggas’ superstar Baaeed and John and Thady Gosden’s globetrotting Mishriff.

He started this year in Dubai and will follow a similar plan next term, with both Dubai and Saudi Arabia on the horizon before another campaign on home turf gets under way in the spring.

“He’s just coming back now from a bit of a break he had after the Juddmonte International, the plan is to gear him up for another campaign in Dubai and possibly Saudi Arabia in the new year,” said Sam Hoskins of owners Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds.

Sir Busker at Ascot
Sir Busker at Ascot (Edward Whitaker/PA)

“He could possibly go and run and in the Lingfield Winter Derby Trial at the start of February as a prep race to going out to the Neom Cup or maybe the Saudi Cup at the end of February – then hopefully we’ll go back to the Dubai Turf at the end of March.

“That’s the idea, then we’d be really looking forward to the domestic season, hopefully going for the Brigadier Gerard, possibly the Prince of Wales’s or the Queen Anne – we’ll keep options open – but the Juddmonte International, we’d love to go back there again.

“He’s been on the go a fair bit this year, we wanted to do the right thing by him because he owes us nothing, so he’s having a good break now and we’ll be starting off early in the new year.”

Sir Busker is a six-time winner who has amassed over GBP 560,000 in prize-money across his four years in training, but at six he finds himself on a career-high mark and connections are hopeful there is more success ahead of him.

“He’s such an amazing horse, William Knight’s done an amazing job with him,” Hoskins said.

“He’s tough and versatile and we want to get the balance right between campaigning him ambitiously and doing what’s best for the horse.

Sir Busker after winning the York Stakes
Sir Busker after winning the York Stakes (Nick Robson/PA)

“It was great to see him win the York Stakes, he so deserved that and it was really special.

“It was a big doubt as to whether he’d get the trip, but it was a cracking run – it was just so exciting.

“He was obviously never near Baaeed but he wasn’t far from Mishriff, we’re just really lucky to have him.

“He’s six now and if we look after him, he can hopefully go on for a few years and there’ll be more to come.”

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