Frankie Dettori faces anxious wait over clearance for Derby

Frankie Dettori faces an anxious wait to see if he will be cleared to ride in time for the Epsom Derby meeting.

The 42-year-old has served a six-month ban from French racing's governing body, France Galop, after testing positive for cocaine.

But he is still awaiting clearance to ride from France Galop.

Dettori's French agent, Herve Naggar, said he has been told Dettori could receive clearance "by the end of the week".

Naggar told BBC Sport he was with Dettori and the jockey's solicitor, Christopher Stewart-Moore, at a France Galop medical committee meeting in France on Tuesday.

"Frankie has requested four further tests to prove there is no issue. Two of those have come back negative, and the committee are happy for him to ride once the two other tests come back clean," he said.

The British Horseracing Authority will only reissue Dettori's licence once he has been given clearance by France Galop.

With 48-hour declarations, the timeframe might ordinarily mean Dettori misses the two-day meeting, which culminates with the Derby on Saturday.

But because he has an established link with a leading trainer - he has been riding out for Aidan O'Brien in Ireland - he could be given special dispensation to replace a booked jockey in extenuating circumstances.

O'Brien could field up to six candidates in the Derby against the favourite Dawn Approach, owned by Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation.

Dettori rode for Godolphin for 18 years until a split in the autumn of 2012.

The Dubai-based team is regrouping after one of its Newmarket trainers, Mahmood Al Zarooni, was banned for eight years for doping racehorses.