Racing: Johnny Murtagh sat on all of Aidan O'Brien's Vodafone Derby runners before electing to ride King Of Rome at Epson this Saturday.
The jockey chose to ride the son of Montjeu ahead of his Lingfield Derby Trial conqueror Alessandro Volta, Dante runner-up Frozen Fire and Washington Irving, second in the Derrinstown Stud Trial.
"Aidan was kind enough to let me sit on them all the other day and after that I made my decision to ride King Of Rome. It was my decision, I can't blame anyone else," said the jockey.
"All of the horses came back from their trials and are very well and in good form but King Of Rome stands out for me as having made the most progress."
O'Brien is set to have five runners in the Premier Classic with Murtagh, in his first season as retained jockey at Ballydoyle, aboard the Lingfield Derby Trial runner-up.
Odds have be slashed from 20-1 to 12-1 with some bookmakers with news that Murtagh will aim for a fourth Derby triumph on board King Of Rome.
Mick Kinane will be aboard Dante runner-up Frozen Fire in other confirmed jockey plans from the Ballydoyle camp.
"Johnny will be on King Of Rome. Mick rides Frozen Fire and David McCabe will be on Bashkirov," said O'Brien.
"Seamie Heffernan and Colm O'Donoghue will be our other Derby jockeys but it will be tomorrow before we decide which of them rides which - Washington Irving or Alessandro Volta."
Tajaaweed is all set to take his chance after the Dee Stakes winner pulled off a shoe earlier in the week.
"As far as I know he's fine. I gather they've now got a shoe back on him and it's so far so good," said Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Hamdan Al Maktoum.
"As long as everything is all right in the next 24 hours he'll run."
Bronze Cannon has virtually been ruled out of the race due to the current easy ground, with connections preferring to save him for the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.
"There's a good chance he's not going to run in the Derby and will wait for the King Edward," said Hugo Lascelles, racing advisor to owner Anthony Oppenheimer.
"It's due to the ground conditions, I think.