Murtagh delays Derby decision Johnny Murtagh is to delay his decision on which horse he will ride in the Investec Derby after St Nicholas Abbey disappointed him in a spin on Friday. The Irish jockey reported to trainer Aidan O'Brien that he was not entirely satisfied with the ante-post favourite in the workout. Murtagh is spoilt for choice in the premier Classic at Epsom on Saturday week as O'Brien is responsible for the first four in the betting - St Nicholas Abbey, Jan Vermeer, Midas Touch and Cape Blanco. St Nicholas Abbey was undefeated as last season's champion two-year-old but could finish only sixth behind Makfi in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket while the other three have all won their Derby trials in impressive fashion. "Johnny Murtagh rode St Nicholas Abbey this morning and thought he might not have shown the same sparkle he showed last Tuesday morning, therefore he won't make up his mind what horse he rides in the Investec Derby until the middle of next week," O'Brien told www.coolmore.com. While the news on St Nicholas Abbey may have been downbeat, it co-incided with a major gamble on his Ballydoyle stablemate Jan Vermeer. Sky Bet spokesman Richard Horner said: "We have seen strong money for two of Aidan O'Brien's horses this morning from good sources- Jan Vermeer 10/3 from 9/2 and Cape Blanco 8/1 from 10/1. This coupled with the downbeat comments coming from Ballydoyle about the work St Nicholas Abbey did recently has resulted in a drift from 7/4 to 9/4."
