Buick to partner Dante winner Permian in the Investec Derby

Dante Stakes winner Permian will be ridden by William Buick in next Saturday's Investec Derby at Epsom.

Buick, who has not ridden Permian in a race since winning a Windsor nursery in August last year, travelled to trainer Mark Johnston's Middleham base to partner the colt in a routine piece of exercise on Saturday and declared himself happy with how the horse worked.

Buick said: "I'm very pleased to be riding him in the Derby. He's in good shape and I was very happy with him.

"He's always been a very neat horse physically, very well-balanced. He's improved from two to three, and I feel he has improved again from the spring to now.

"Mentally, he is solid. He has a good mind. In any year, the Dante winner is never far away in the Derby, and I hope that proves true again this time," the jockey added.

Free to ride

Buick became available for the Epsom meeting after succeeding in getting a recent York riding suspension reduced to four days on appeal.

The Godolphin jockey failed to overturn the York stewards' decision to find him guilty of careless riding the Friday before but persuaded the panel in London to issue a four-day suspension, rather than the five days previously imposed, which meant he would not be sidelined on Group 1 racedays.

Permian, who is owned by Sheikh Mohammed's son, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, is a top price of 14-1 to win the Derby. The market is headed at 4-1 by Cracksman, the son of Frankel who narrowly beat Permian in the Derby Trial at Epsom last month.

Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation could be represented by Best Solution, Benbatl and Dubai Thunder.