Authorized analysis leaves much to be desired

By Ian Carnaby

As I tried to indicate last week, Authorized was a very poor price for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the first place and there was no need for anyone to be sucked in at 11 to 10 on the day. He was an impressive winner of a decidedly ordinary Derby, there was a question mark over his Eclipse performance and he beat Dylan Thomas at York on ground that was a shade too easy for the subsequent Longchamp hero, on top of which Frankie Dettori managed to keep his rival held in at the vital stage.

Of course, in finishing tenth of 12 in the Arc, Authorized ran a long way below his best. For a start, he finished behind the overrated Soldier Of Fortune, whom he’d murdered for speed at Epsom. But some of the reasons put forward for his defeat do not truly add up. ‘A few hard races’, as Peter Chapple-Hyam suggests? Hardly. If the modern thoroughbred cannot handle a Derby trial, the Derby itself, the Eclipse, then miss the King George before going to York and Longchamp, it’s a pretty poor reflection on the breed. Pilot error? Oh, come on. Dettori was hardly likely to agree to sit fourth or fifth and then drop the horse out. The fact is, Authorized could not go with them and was never travelling. Very sensibly, Chapple-Hyam retracted any implicit criticism.

For what it’s worth, I think going right-handed was a contributory factor. Authorized’s only previous try that way round was at Sandown, where there were other problems, including Ryan Moore’s tactics on Notnowcato, though I doubt they made much difference to the result. At Sandown, there is a long time, upon straightening for home, to get balanced and mount a challenge. Longchamp is a broad, sweeping track but on the turn for much of the way, with relatively little time to put things right on the run for home. Or maybe the favourite simply had an off day. It happens.

One of the columnists for whom I have the most respect wrote: “Authorized should be remembered as a brilliantly talented colt who was one of the best Derby winners for years”. Sorry, I just can’t see it. He beat very little in the Dante and you would struggle to make any sort of case for the Derby, unless you want to clutch at Lucarno’s St Leger victory, subsequently devalued anyway by Honolulu’s failure at Ascot. Authorized was beaten in the Eclipse and Dylan Thomas, conceding weight, needless to say, was coming back at him quite strongly in the final hundred yards of the International. Authorized is a very good horse but by no means a great one, and if people were really honest with themselves they’d admit they just wanted to be with Dettori on the big day and feel part of the experience.

As I wrote last time, the ‘feelgood factor’ was very much in evidence, and crossing the Channel jacked it up even more. The bookmakers sit back quietly and take it all in their stride. For the fourth weekend in a row they fielded bets at wholly unattractive prices - Honolulu, Borderlescott and Knot In Wood, Balthazaar’s Gift and Honolulu again, Authorized. In each and every case, punters would have been saved by adopting a prosaic approach rather than an emotional, media-fired one.

Still, as the man said, it’s always easy afterwards. And, if the truth be known, I made Authorized the likely winner of the Arc, if only by default. Which is never, never a good enough reason.