EPSOM, England (AP) -With longtime favorite St. Nicholas Abbey injured, jockey Johnny Murtagh has switched to stablemate Jan Vermeer as he chases his fourth win 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.

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 yet, so we don't quite know. But the way he travels and relaxes in his races will give him every chance.''

The field chasing the top prize in the $1.97 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. The horse 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.

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.

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.