Timeform Side With Authorized In Genuine Clash Of Champions

TIMEFORM today narrowly sided with Authorized in the Eclipse match-up against George Washington on Saturday. Peter Chapple-Hyam's three-year-old is rated 133p after his imperious Derby performance, making him the best Derby winner of the last decade.

This accolade makes the race with George Washington all the more mouth-watering, given that Aidan O'Brien's colt recorded, according to the Halifax number-crunchers, the best performance by a three-year-old over a mile in the last decade when winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot last autumn.

So, in the opinion of the Timeform handicappers, Saturday's duel pitches the best recent Derby winner against the best recent three-year-old miler, over the intermediate distance of ten furlongs. Because of the weight-for-age scale, Authorized emerges 2 lb ahead of his Irish rival on Timeform ratings.

Timeform also revealed that Sunday's Irish Derby winner, Soldier Of Fortune, had recorded a figure of 132 in his nine-length victory. This firmly ensconces him in the top ten European Derby winners of the last decade and puts him just a pound behind Authorized.

Top Ten European Derby performances of last decade

• Authorized, Epsom 2007 ? 133
• Galileo, Epsom 2001 ? 132
• Sinndar, Curragh 2000 ? 132
• Soldier Of Fortune, Curragh 2007 ? 132
• Motivator, Epsom 2005 ? 131
• Alamshar, Curragh 2003 ? 130
• Galileo, Curragh 2001 ? 130
• High Chaparral, Epsom 2002 ? 130
• Montjeu, Curragh 1999 ? 129
• Sinndar, Epsom 2000 - 129

Top Ten 3yo Winning Performances over 1m of last decade

• George Washington, QE II Ascot 2006 ? 133
• Observatory, QE II Ascot 2000 ? 131
• King's Best, 2000G Newmarket 2000 ? 130
• George Washington, 2000G Newmarket 2006 - 129
• Haafhd, 2000G Newmarket 2004 ? 129
• Rock of Gibraltar, St James's Palace Ascot 2002 ? 129
• Sendawar, Prix du Moulin Longchamp 1999 ? 129
• Shamardal, St James's Palace York 2005 ? 129
• Giant's Causeway, Sussex Goodwood 2000 ? 126
• Dubawi, Irish 2000G Curragh 2005 ? 126

Timeform Ratings for Eclipse

• Admiralofthefleet 126
• Archipenko 123
• Authorized 142p
• Champery 115
• Duke Of Marmalade 132
• Dylan Thomas 136
• George Washington 140
• Kandidate 126
• Lucarno 127
• Mashaahed 123
• Notnowcato 135
• Pressing 126
• Yellowstone 121