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Authorized (IRE)

Montjeu - Funsie, by Saumarez
Bay, foaled 2004.
Breeder: Marengo Investments, Knighton House & M Kinane.
Other sons of Montjeu at stud: Hurricane Run, Motivator, Scorpion, Walk In The Park

Thrilling change of gear form Derby-winning son of Montjeu

An emphatic winner of the Dante Stakes at York in May, Authorized was sent off a warm favourite for the Derby in June and duly made the front pages as the mount that finally gave jockey Frankie Dettori a hitherto elusive first win in the race.

That win, by five lengths over Eagle Mountain, one of Aidan O’Brien’s eight runners, was visually extremely impressive as Authorized cruised past his rivals with ease, but questions about the quality of the opposition remained, as did the fact that High Chaparral, the 2002 laureate, was the last Derby winner ever to win a subsequent race.

The omens were not good at Sandown in July. Trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam concluded that Authorized had shown the best form in the book over a mile and a half and had elected to take on older horses over 10f in the Eclipse, rather than run in the Irish Derby. Come the day, Authorized was second, having tracked George Washington and burst clear to ‘win’ on the far rail – allowing Ryan Moore, who had walked the track, to take advantage of a strip of decent ground on the stands side on Notnowcato, winning by a length and a half.

The pressure was on to deliver in the Juddmonte International at York the following month and Authorized put in an imperious display, travelling well under a confident Dettori, boxing in Dylan Thomas at a crucial stage for that long-striding colt, and sprinting for home to win by a length, with Notnowcato well beaten in third.

His final start in the Arc saw a return to a mile and a half, but Authorized, sent off favourite, never raced freely and finished tenth of the 13 runners, well adrift of the winner Dylan Thomas.

Authorized had first shown the ability to cruise through a race and deliver a crushing change of gear, so reminiscent of his sire Montjeu, as a two-year-old in the Group One Racing Post Trophy, on only his second start.

Montjeu has now sired two Derby winners in Motivator and Authorized, and his St Leger and Coronation Cup winner Scorpion also joins the stallion ranks this year.

Authorized’s dam Funsie was unraced, by the Arc winner Saumarez, who although indifferent as a sire is having some success as a broodmare sire, with Italian Derby winner Gentlewave and Group Three winner Maroussies Wings amongst his stock.

The second dam Vallee Dansante is a prolific producer of winners, herself out of a prolific dam of winners in Green Valley, whose progeny include the dam of Alhaarth and French Guineas winner Green Dancer.

Race record

At 2
1st Racing Post Trophy, G1, 8f, Newbury

At 3
1st Derby, G1, 12f, Epsom
1st International Stakes, G1, 10f, York
1st Dante Stakes, G2, 10f, York
2nd Eclipse Stakes, G1, 10f, Sandown

Pedigree of AUTHORIZED (IRE), 2004

Stud details

Stud: Darley, Dalham Hall.

Fee: £25,000.

Amadeus Wolf | Arcadio | Authorized | Baltic King | Cockney Rebel | Common World | Dark Angel | Dutch Art | Dylan Thomas | Echo Of Light | Excellent Art | Heliostatic | Jeremy | Lawman | Manduro | Milk It Mick | Misu Bond | Moss Vale | Notnowcato | Orientor | Primary | Rail Link | Red Clubs | Scorpion | Sir Percy | Strategic Prince | Teofilo | Three Valleys | Vital Equine | Windsor Knot |