Derby winner Authorized retired to Darley at the end of his three-year-old season, after a glorious summer that saw him bowling down the hill at Epsom, pulling away from his rivals to win by five lengths in the hands of Frankie Dettori.
The handsome dark bay's latest challenge comes in the sales ring as 2010 marks his first yearlings on offer in Europe. Already he has had yearlings sell for up to £94,000, with top French trainers Jean Claude-Rouget and Francois Doumen both adding sons of Authorized to their team for 2011 at the recent Arqana August Sale. The coming month sees another 53 go under the hammer at Tattersalls plus two at the Goffs Orby sale in Ireland.
The favourable impression made by his first foals already suggests that Authorized is on course to make as big an impact as a stallion as he did as a racehorse. A total of 16 changed hands at last year's breeding stock sales for an average price of £68,414, including a grey colt out of Scarlet Empire, who sold for 135,000gns and is a half-brother to another grey, Shamardal's G3-winning son Arctic.
Another to have sold well last year was a colt out of Zuleika Dobson (Cadeaux Genereux), who was bought by Paddy Twomey for 130,000gns and returns to the sales ring this October as lot 34 in Tattersalls' Book 1, consigned by Twomey's Hawthorn Villa Stud.
Winning the Derby was far from the full extent of Authorized's achievements, even if it was naturally his crowning glory. He established himself as a prime Derby contender eight months in advance of the race when landing a G1 victory as a two-year-old, registering an emphatic success in the 2006 Racing Post Trophy. He confirmed himself well on course for Epsom in the spring of his three-year-old career with an impressive four-length victory in the Dante Stakes at York, and then returned to the Knavesmire later in the season to land his third G1, winning the Juddmonte International Stakes over ten furlongs at the Ebor Meeting, defeating a high-class field with Dylan Thomas, Notnowcato and Duke Of Marmalade following him home. He thus became the first horse since Nashwan - 18 years previously - to end his three-year-old season with British G1 wins at eight, ten and twelve furlongs to his name.
As a son of Montjeu from the family of the likes of Green Dancer, Okawango, Quijano and Dubawi's Classic-winning son Makfi, Authorized has the pedigree to match his outstanding racecourse form and his impressive physique. Unsurprisingly, his first book of mares at Dalham Hall Stud in 2008 was a cracker. Six of his mates had themselves won G1 races, eight of them had bred a G1 winner, 24 were full- or half-sisters to G1 winners, and eight were daughters of G1 winners. In total, 26 of his mares had been Stakes winners in their racing days, while 29 were already the dams of Stakes winners.
It is the offspring of these mares that stand Authorized in good stead, not just at the current yearlings sales but also when looking ahead next flat season to his first runners. They will have much to live up to if they are to prove themselves to be two-year-olds in the same class as their own outstanding sire but emanating from such a classy book they have had a wonderful head start.
