BC-RAC--English Derby, 2nd Ld-Writethru,0612
Jan Vermeer is O'Brien top Derby hope
EPSOM, England (AP) -- With longtime favorite St. Nicholas Abbey injured, jockey Johnny Murtagh has switched to stablemate Jan Vermeer as he chases his fourth triumph in Saturday's English Derby.
Although Jan Vermeer is the new 2-1 favorite to win British horseracing's richest race, Murtagh will have to guide the colt around the left-handed turns from the outside of the field of 12 at Epsom and try to get into the best position for the sprint to the finish line.
No horse has won the race from the outside stall since Royal Palace in 1967.
Murtagh won the race with Sinndar in 2000, High Chaparral two years later and Motivator in 2005.
"I think he's the ideal horse for Epsom as he seems to have everything," Murtagh said of Jan Vermeer. "He has speed, stamina and good balance, so I'm quietly confident he's going to run a huge race.
"He's a very straightforward horse and has a good temperament, I think he'd go on most ground. He's never run over a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) yet so we don't quite know (if he stays). But the way he travels and relaxes in his races will give him every chance."
The field chasing the top prize in the 1.36 million pound (euro1.97 million; euro1.64 million) race for 3-year-olds should have included St. Nicholas Abbey.
An outstanding racer as a 2-year-old, the colt was pulled out with a stiff muscle in its hind quarters on Tuesday having also finished a disappointing sixth in last month's 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Like Jan Vermeer, he is trained by Aidan O'Brien and would have been ridden by Murtagh. Although his absence should have left the race wide open, so much money was put on Jan Vermeer that bookmakers made him the clear favorite in the race to succeed last year's dominant winner, Sea The Stars.
O'Brien, who won back-to-back Derbys with Galileo and High Chaparral, has three horses in the field with Jan Vermeer his best hope ahead of 6-1 shot Midas Touch. O'Brien's third colt, At First Sight, is set to be the pacemaker for his other two.
Second favorite at 9-2 is Workforce, trained by Michael Stoute, who is chasing his fifth Derby triumph. But Stoute fears his colt is a little under-raced this season.
"He's a bit short of experience and is workmanlike at home," the trainer said. "I'm sorry that we've not managed to give him two races before the Derby as that was the plan."
Henry Cecil is also chasing his fifth Derby triumph but first since Oath in 1999 and has Bullet Train in the race. Winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial, the high-quality colt is a 7-1 shot and should be close at the end.
Another leading contender is Rewilding, which switched from Andre Fabre's French stable in April and, with Frankie Dettori in the saddle, now gives Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni a chance of winning his first Derby.
"I'm very excited about having my first runner in the Derby," Al Zarooni said. "It is the race everyone wants to win so for me to have a runner in my first year as a trainer is fantastic.
"I think this horse has a lot going for him, he's relaxed, he's focused and he's a professional. It's the Derby so you can't be confident, but I'll be trying my best and we just need luck."
