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Arabian Crown posted an impressive performance to land the Group 2 bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown on Friday and was considerably shortened in the market for the Derby.

Winner of his maiden at Sandown back in July, Arabian Crown made the transition to Group company with an easy five-and-a-half length success in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes at Newmarket in October. The Dubawi colt, out of multiple Black Type producer Dubai Rose, was always in control on his seasonal reappearance in the ten furlong contest, dictating the pace under a confident ride from William Buick. He remained unchallenged all the way to the line, beating Macduff by three-and-a-quarter lengths.

Jockey William Buick said: ""He is very straightforward and he showed that last year. He just kept on improving last year, so let's hope he can keep doing the same.

"Certainly, as a trial goes, I was very happy with that and there is plenty of improvement left in him I felt, and it is quite testing out there. It's early on in the season and naturally he is going to progress.

"Charlie was very keen to go forward today but we were also very happy to sit off the pace if there was a strong pace. As it turns out, he has a big stride and he likes to use it and he changed gear two and a half out and attacked the hill, so it was a very nice performance.

"I would be as confident as you can be with a three-year-old at this time of year that he would stay a mile and a half. Charlie and the team will decide if he needs more experience, but he's a very straightforward horse and he does not lack for experience.

"Yes, he does like to use his stride, but he also has a nice cruising speed and he travels well, which is exactly what you need in a Derby, if he gets that far."

"Will gave him a nice ride on the front end and I thought he did it quite impressively in the end, he's galloped all the way through the line," added Alex Merriam, assistant to Charlie Appleby.

"His racecourse gallop helped him and Charlie has been really pleased with him the last two weeks, he's really started to come to himself and it (the gallop) didn't do him any harm anyway.

"He has got to be in the Derby mix now and obviously there are a few other irons in the fire, but I suppose he has to be the main one at the minute.

"I was just talking to Will and it's going to be tight to get another run into him, he's had a hard-enough race there on soft enough ground.

"We'll see how he comes out of the race and if he goes anywhere, it will probably be Chester – the Dante is a bit close to Epsom. I think experience-wise, as you can see there, he's quite professional already.

"We've not had a Dubawi win the Derby yet, but fingers crossed we will get there eventually."

Paddy Power shortened Arabian Crown from 12/1 to 6/1 for the Derby.