WILLIAM Buick was arguably robbed of the opportunity to be champion jockey last year, but made amends when crowned champion for the first time before racing on Saturday.

Buick shared the champion apprentice title in 2008 with David Probert and has been retained rider for Godolphin since 2015. Runner-up in 2015, 2020 and 2021, Buick joked: “18-year-old me would say what’s taken you so long!

“It is great and personally it’s something I’ve really wanted to achieve for quite a long time and obviously it’s taken me a few years, but it’s fantastic.

“My father was an eight-time champion jockey in Scandinavia so it’s great to be able to achieve it and I feel I’ve achieved it in the way that I would like to do it – to balance it with the big races, the big meetings, my main employer Godolphin, making sure that’s at the forefront of my focus.”

“It’s very satisfying and - when every jockey starts out - that’s what you want to achieve – you want to win the Derby and you want to become champion jockey.”

THERE were a couple of listed contests at Kempton on Sunday and both went to odds-on favourites in small fields, with Sceau Royal taking the bet@racingtv.com Hurdle for the second successive year under Daryl Jacob at odds of 4/9.

Boombawn landed the novice event at 4/6, but was made to work harder by the promising Teddy Blue, having to rally to score by three-parts of a length after being headed on the flat.

Emmet’s Scottish raid

EMMET Mullins is always a man to fear when sending runners over to Britain, and he struck at Carlisle on Thursday with So Scottish, who won the opening novice chase with much more in hand than the narrow margin under a typically patient Richie McLernon ride.

He’s a horse who might turn up in a handicap on these shores later in the season.

Mullins will hope the handicapper will take this form at face value.