Authorized team look ahead
Peter Chapple-Hyam is confident Authorized can break the recent trend of Derby winners never winning another race.
The 2002 Epsom hero High Chaparral was the last horse who managed to go on to further success, as Kris Kin, North Light and Motivator all failed to get back on the scoresheet, while last year’s hero Sir Percy is still looking to add to his C.V.
But Chapple-Hyam, whose other Derby winner Dr Devious went on to win the Irish Champion Stakes, is confident Authorized can strike again.
“I’m sure he can win again. I believe he can take these races in his stride,” said Chapple-Hyam.
“I would really like to go to the Eclipse next but Frankie (Dettori) has got his heart set on the Irish Derby. At the end of the day it is our decision but we’ll see.
“If it was firm ground I would be slightly worried but I wouldn’t be worried about good to firm, not at all.
“He’s in great shape, he’s come out of the race in top form and he’s just had a little canter this morning.”
With Dettori winning the Derby on his 15th attempt and Henry Cecil back in the big time thanks to Light Shift’s victory in the Oaks, racing hit the headlines for all the right reasons again, and Chapple-Hyam was as thrilled as anyone.
The Newmarket handler added: “It was a fantastic weekend. No one was more pleased than I was after Henry won the Oaks but once he won I thought ’well I can’t win now’.
“He’s a superb horse. It was Frankie’s day to be honest but take nothing away from the horse. I was delighted with both of them, they both did everything spot on.
“Everyone was talking about the fact that Aidan (O’Brien) had eight runners and what they might do but Aidan is not that sort of person. He wanted to win. I knew there was never going to be any monkey business or anything like that.
“I was surprised how easy it went because they were decent horses but my horse was just superb,” he told At The Races.
“If something had got past him when he hit the front then I would have just held my hands up and said ’too good’.”
