Buick snaps up Permian in Derby

Godolphin jockey William Buick has been booked to ride the Mark Johnston-trained Permian, the Dante Stakes winner, in the G1 Investec Derby at Epsom on June 3.

Buick travelled to Middleham, North Yorkshire, to partner Permian in a routine piece of work on Saturday and was pleased.

He had not ridden the Teofilo colt since winning a Windsor nursery on him in August last year.

"I'm very pleased to be riding him in the Derby," Buick said. "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.

Buick became available for the Epsom meeting after succeeding in getting a recent York riding suspension reduced to four days on appeal to the British Horseracing Authority. This allows him the flexibility to choose when to take the ban.

Permian has won five of his 10 starts and goes into the Derby one of the most experienced to have run in the Classic in recent years.