Dettori has his day of days as Authorized oozes authority

In this magical, unique setting, the fairytales that everyone wanted have come to pass. The afternoon after Henry Cecil, battling cancer, regained his place at the top table by winning the Oaks, Frankie Dettori completed the star-blessed two days by - finally - winning the Derby. On his 15th ride in the race of races, he came home in front on the hot favourite, Authorized. And the result was the right one in every possible way; both the story and the performance were top-class.

The winning trainer, Peter Chapple-Hyam, who has been reclimbing his own career mountain and yesterday stood again on the summit, summed it up pretty well. "I told him to ride it like he owned it," he said. "Perfect ride, prefect race, perfect horse." Dettori is, delightfully, ever the showman, and justifiably the racegoers' darling.

A crowd-pleasing flying dismount in the winner's enclosure was inevitable, but before that the jockey, remembering his public elsewhere, broke ranks as he was led back to the hallowed circle and cantered Authorized nearly a furlong down the course. In contrast to his restive demeanour in the preliminaries, the dark bay colt behaved with aplomb, pointing his toe like a park hack, and the gesture was much appreciated by those in the cheaper seats. The winning distance in a victory that cost the bookmaking industry an alleged [pound]30 million was a completely authoritative five lengths. Authorized, who lengthened to 5-4 from odds-on during yesterday's trading, was simply a different class to his 16 rivals. As the locally trained Kid Mambo dashed to the front from the stalls, Dettori reined back and settled his mount in the pack. At halfway he began his forward move, at Tattenham Corner he had the leaders - Kid Mambo was still there, attended by Anton Chekhov and Acapulco - in his sights, and inside the two-furlong marker he went for home.

Authorized responded immediately, quickening and lengthening in the style that marks a high-class athlete. Eagle Mountain, the 6-1 second market choice, came from off the pace to prove the best of Aidan O'Brien's unprecedented octet of runners, two-and-a-half lengths in front of Aqaleem (9-1). Lucarno was a head fourth.

"I knew I had the leaders covered," said Dettori. "Half a mile out I peeped under my arm to see if anyone was stalking me, and they weren't. Two-and-ahalf out I got the horse balanced and running. As I passed the furlong marker the whole world seemed to stop, and with it my heart. With that number of runners, I was expecting a dogfight. Instead it was as smooth as an oil painting. But it was the longest two-and-a-half minutes of my life." When Dettori's father, Gianfranco, was beaten on an equally hot favourite, Wollow, 31 years ago, he wept salt tears. Yesterday they were of joy and genuine emotion, and from all parties.

Dettori, 36, was released from duty by Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation to partner Authorized, and one of the first of the wet-eyed to embrace the Italian in the weighing room was their trainer, Saeed Bin Suroor. Dettori Snr was on the rostrum to enjoy his son's success.

The moment was almost too much for the self-effacing Chapple- Hyam, once the golden boy of the Robert Sangster empire at Manton. Fifteen years ago the 44-year-old greengrocer's son sent out Dr Devious to win a Derby; since then he has endured a sacking, divorce and a low-key spell training in Hong Kong, to him an unsympathetic milieu. Now based in Newmarket, he has reinstated himself to some effect, starting with cheap horses and moving on to the likes of Authorized. The son of Montjeu, owned by the Kuwaiti businessmen Saleh Al Homaizi and Imid Al Sagar, had a price tag of 400,000 guineas at auction as a yearling.

Chapple-Hyam watched the race on his own, as a talisman against the disappointment of defeat. "Winning second time around is definitely better," he said. "For a moment I thought Frankie might have been too far back, but then I told myself not to worry. The horse has so much class; that tremendous turn of foot is the difference between a good horse and a very, very good one."

The trainer is an avid West Bromwich Albion fan, and ironically the week that began with a Derby defeat (at Wembley) ended with a Derby triumph. "This more than makes up for the Baggies not making the Premiership," he said. "The last few years, having to start again, have been good for me. I'm more relaxed now, with my feet on the ground. And I think I've become a better trainer for it."

Whether Authorized, the shortest-priced winning favourite since Nashwan in 1989, steps over the line to greatness will be revealed in time, particularly when he takes on older horses in his next scheduled outing, the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown next month. But the verdict of those behind yesterday was that he well might. "Mine ran a great race from a bit too far off the pace," said Eagle Mountain's rider, Johnny Murtagh, "but I wouldn't have beaten that winner, whatever. He looked exceptional."