Authaal (17 May 1983 – after 1999) was an American-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse and sire. He was probably the best horse sired by the ill-fated

Shergar Shergar (3 March 1978 – ) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom ...

, winning at the highest level in both Ireland and Australia. He was unraced as a two-year-old but won four of his five races as a three-year-old in 1986, culminating in an emphatic victory in the Irish St. Leger. After failing to reproduce his best form in 1987, he was set to race in Australia where he recorded major wins in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and

Underwood Stakes The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions, held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September each year. Total prize money for the r ...

. After his retirement from racing he stood as a breeding stallion in Japan but had little success as a sire of winners.

Background

Authaal was a bay stallion with a broad white blaze and three white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the lat ...

bred in Kentucky by the

Swettenham Stud Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

. He came from the first and only crop of foals sired by

who won The Derby,

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distanc ...

and the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

in 1981. Shergar was kidnapped from his owner's

stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word " stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation ...

in 1983 and never seen again: it is generally believed that he was killed by his captors who were members of the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reunif ...

. Authaal's dam Galletto was a successful racemare who won the Galtres Stakes in 1977 and was a daughter of the

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it i ...

winner Gaia. Authaal was the only one of his sire's first crop to be put up for auction as a foal in 1983 and was sold for 325,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where ...

. A year later at the Goffs sale, he broke the European record for a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

when he was bought for 3.1 million guineas by the bloodstock agent Tote Cherry-Downes on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed. The colt was sent into training with David O'Brien.

Racing career

1986: three-year-old season

Authaal did not race as a two-year-old and did not appear as a three-year-old in 1986 until July, when he won a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

over one and a half miles at

Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is an Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. The cours ...

. He followed up despite being dropped in distance in early August when he won a minor race over nine

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

. Later that month, he was stepped up in class and sent to England for the

Group Two A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 1 ...

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350, ...

. Ridden by

Christy Roche Christy Roche (born 3 December 1949 in Bansha, County Tipperary) is a retired Irish flat racing Champion Jockey and racehorse trainer. Over his thirty-year career between 1968 and 1998 he won the Irish Derby three times, in 1982, 1992 and 19 ...

, he led for most of the way but was outpaced in the closing stages and finished last of the seven runners behind the

Paul Cole Paul F. I. Cole (born 11 September 1941) is a British racehorse trainer. Since 1987 he has been based at Whatcombe Estate in Berkshire, the former stables of Dick Dawson and Arthur Budgett. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer in 1991 ...

-trained Nisnas. He returned to Ireland for a minor race over one and a half miles at

Naas Racecourse Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there. The Naas Races Company ...

in September and won by four

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the In ...

from Bank Step. Christy Roche was again in the saddle when Authaal contested the Irish St. Leger over one and three quarter miles at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

on 12 October. The 1985 winner

Leading Counsel Leading Counsel (12 March 1982 – after 2006) was an American-bred Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed great promise when winning the Leopardstown Stakes on his only start as a two-year-old in 1984 and was regarded a ...

started 6/4 joint-favourite alongside the British-trained filly I Want To Be (winner of the

Meld Stakes The Meld Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres), and it is ...

), with the French mare Faburola (

Prix Kergorlay The Prix Kergorlay is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 3,000 metres (about 1⅞ miles), and it is schedule ...

) next in the betting and Authaal the 8/1 fourth choice. The other two runners went off at odds of 50/1. With the other six jockeys apparently intent on restraining their mounts, Roche sent Authaal into the lead and opened up a lead of fifteen lengths. Although his pursuers steadily reduced his margin of superiority in the straight, the colt never looked in any danger of defeat and won by five lengths from Faburola. In the official International Classification for 1986, Authaal was given a rating of 125, making him the top-rated three-year-old in Europe over 14 furlongs and beyond. The Independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

organisation gave him a rating of 118?, with the "?" indicating that the rating was based on "inadequate or unsatisfactory data". In their annual ''Racehorses of 1986'' Timeform explained that they could not be sure of the extent to which the wide margin of Authaal's win in the Irish St. Leger was the result of Roche's bold tactics.

1987: four-year-old season

On his first appearance as a four-year-old, Authaal finished unplaced over ten furlongs and was then sent to

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

to contest the

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,01 ...

over two and a half miles on 18 June. He went off at odds of 9/1 and finished tailed-off last of the eight runners behind

Paean A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice (monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also πα� ...

1988: five-year-old season

In 1988, Authaal was sent to race in Australia where he was trained by

Colin Hayes Colin Sidney Hayes (16 February 1924 – 21 May 1999) was an Australian champion trainer of thoroughbred racehorses based in Adelaide, South Australia. During his career he trained 5,333 winners including 524 individual Group or Listed ...

. He finished third to Ostensible in the Neville Sellwood Stakes in March and then contested the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 1800 metres at

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarte ...

on 4 April. Ridden by Darren Beadman he started at odds of 3.25/1 and won from Ostensible. After the winter break, Authaal returned in the Underwood Stakes at

Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse Reserve is located nine kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs. The Reserve was set aside for three purposes, racing, recreation and a publ ...

in which he was partnered by

Brent Thomson Brent Thomson (born 1958 in Wanganui) is a New Zealand jockey, who is best known for winning the Cox Plate on four occasions and his association with the champion horse Dulcify. The son of a leading trainer Kevin Thomson, Brent became the ...

. He won his second Australian Group 1 as he came home three lengths clear of Fair Sir. In October, he finished fourth to Sky Chase in the Caulfield Stakes and third under top weight in the Caulfield Cup.

Stud career

In 1989, Authaal was retired from racing and sent to Japan to become a breeding stallion. He spent ten seasons at stud in Japan but attracted little interest from breeders after 1995 and covered his last mares in 1999. The best of his offspring was the Grade III winner Ibuki Rajo Mon.

Pedigree

*Authaal was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction Human reproduction is sexual reproduction that result ...

3 × 4 to Charlottesville, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

References

{{Reflist, 2 1983 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in Australia Thoroughbred family 1-a Irish Classic Race winners