Darley adds Epsom winner

Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley organization, which earlier this week announced it had privately purchased 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and runner-up Hard Spun, has now bought this year's Epsom Derby winner, Authorized.

Darley, which purchased Authorized, a Montjeu colt, to stand him at stud, has leased the horse back to the owners who have been racing him, Saleh al-Homaizi and Imad al-Sagar. Peter Chapple-Hyam will continue to train the colt and is pointing him for the July 7 Coral Eclipse Stakes in England.

Darley provided no additional details of the colt's future, but Homaizi and Sagar had already told the British press that the colt would stand in Britain at the end of his 3-year-old season.

This purchase has given Maktoum a way to secure bloodstock by Coolmore Stud sires without breaking his sales-ring boycott of the Irish-based conglomerate. In September 2005, Maktoum announced he would sharply reduce his auction purchases of horses by Coolmore stallions, saying that the Irish conglomerate had not supported Darley stallions in return. Montjeu stands at Coolmore.

Authorized is out of the Saumarez mare Funsie.