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SARATOGA SPRINGS – Top European jockey William Buick said he felt “privileged” to ride on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course for the first time.

He earned a Grade I win on his first mount at the Spa. Buick guided 2-1 favorite Nations Pride to a 1 3/4-length victory in the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds on the Mellon Turf at the Spa.

Buick has been to the United States for races before, including the Breeders’ Cup, but had never ridden at Saratoga.

“Listen, I’m very privileged to be able to travel over here and come ride these horses and I’ve been riding a lot in the States for the last few years and I love it,” Buick said. “The jockey colony here is something really special and to be in that jocks’ room today with all the superstars is fantastic. It’s great to be a part of and I really enjoy it.”

Also making his first trip to Saratoga, British trainer Charlie Appleby called on Buick to ride Irish-bred Nations Pride, who finished second by three-quarters of a length in the Belmont Derby on July 9 despite breaking last under jockey Frankie Dettori.

Buick, who is British-Norwegian, said he got a “perfect” trip on Saturday.

“Kind of the main job was get him out and get him into a good forward position,” Buick said. “He jumped OK, but we managed to get him into a good start, so after that, he did the rest, really.”

Nations Pride angled four wide in the upper stretch, rallied near the eighth pole and edged clear under a drive from Buick to win the 1 3/16-mile race in 1 minute, 54.72 seconds. Annapolis came in second, followed by Belmont Derby winner Classic Causeway in third.

Appleby said he had no concerns about Buick navigating the Saratoga course for the first time.

“Wasn’t too bad for a rookie,” Appleby joked about the 34-year-old Buick. “Look, William’s a rider at the top of his game. He’s leading the championship back at home. We’ve seen him at Breeders’ Cups. We’ve seen him all around the world riding on the big occasion and like any elite sportsman like they are, they bring their ‘A’ game and they know what they’re doing. Coming here and not riding the track was the least of my worries.”

Buick will remain in town on Sunday to ride With The Moonlight for Appleby in the Saratoga Oaks.

Appleby also won a Grade I at Saratoga last year when Althiqa took The Diana, but Appleby wasn’t in attendance. This time, Appleby flew seven hours into Boston and then caught another flight to Saratoga.

“I can see why horses are doing so well here because it’s such a nice, relaxed environment,” Appleby said. “Obviously, got two lovely tracks there to train on. Haven’t been around that much, but you get a very good feel from the place. I can see why everyone enjoys coming.”

Todd Pletcher, who trains Annapolis, said jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. told him the horse was compromised by the soft ground. The course was still listed as firm after a brief, heavy downpour.

“He likes hard ground,” Pletcher said. “He kept trying at the end. It was just hard to accelerate on that ground.”

Classic Causeway, who finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby, made just his second start on turf after being transferred to trainer Ken McPeek from Brian Lynch. 

After his front-running victory in the Belmont Derby, Classic Causeway went right to the lead again on Saturday but was overtaken in the final furlong.

“He was happy on the lead and he ran his race,” said Julien Leparoux, who rode Classic Causeway. “We just got beat today. That’s it. No excuse.”

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