Another Derby winner beaten and with it more dreams of greatness left behind on the climb to the winning post. A packed crowd swarmed Sandown in the hope of witnessing something memorable and they did – but not what they expected.

In the protracted build-up to the Eclipse, the attention switched from Frankie Dettori to the beast beneath, the horse-power. The extrovert Italian claimed the attention on Derby day but yesterday interest switched to the horse rated the best Derby winner of the past decade, the horse that had won that most famous of races by the biggest margin since Slip Anchor in 1985. This was supposed to be about Authorized.

Instead two jockeys claimed the attention. Ryan Moore was to be the hero of the hour with a ride that owed as much to professionalism as any divine inspiration. As Notnowcato swung for home, Moore alone had the courage to take his horse across to the stands rail and with the better ground he was able to stay on strongly to win by a comfortable length and a half.

The plan to grab the stands rail, according to Moore, was hatched “at about one o’clock” when he walked the course with John Francome. The former jumps champion expressed surprise that Moore was the only jockey to choose what both men regarded as clearly better ground. Sir Michael Stoute, Notnowcato’s trainer, was delayed by traffic but his jockey made the decision that was to break the hearts of odds-on backers.

The celebrated Dettori was left to win the race between the others. “The horse thinks he’s won. Unfortunately there was another one on the other side,” Dettori said. The common view was that champion jockey Moore, on 7-1 shot Notnowcato, had less to lose, whereas no jockey would expose himself to the racing world’s wrath by pulling the favourite into such splendid isolation. Maybe so, but Authorized’s trainer seemed less than impressed by the ride.

“The winner shot across for the rail; it was hard to get it back. I feel sorry for the horse,” was Peter Chapple-Hyam’s terse summary. Sorry for the horse but less so for his jockey. Official explanations aside, he retreated from the winners’ enclosure, head drooped nearly as much as his Derby winner, who came home exhausted.

Dettori received yet another ban for careless riding, which means he will be out of the saddle from July 13 for three weeks. The only day on which he will be eligible to ride is King George day at Ascot, a race for which Paddy Power priced Authorized up as 6-4 favourite from 10-11. Chapple-Hyam was asked about his star’s likely participation: “The King George, why not, we’ll give it a go and see what happens.”

Why not? Because the jockey gave his horse the hardest of rides – and, it must be said, the most puzzling of ones. While all the attention focused on Moore’s winning ploy, Dettori’s tactics from the break were inexplicable. Here is a horse that stayed the one and a half miles of the Derby, now being dropped back two furlongs in trip. Many astute critics expected Authorized to race prominently and take the race by the scruff of the neck, using his stamina to winning, if not flashy effect. Yet Dettori dropped him out as he had in the mile-and-a-half race, with George Washington, the stable star of Aidan O’Brien’s yard in 2006, alongside him at the back. The two superstars let the pace-maker, Champery, head off towards the sunset.

Seamus Heffernan had little option as he attempted to settle the headstrong George Washington. Once again last season’s 2,000 Guineas winner allowed his temperament to test his supporters. The eventual winner travelled serenely down to post while George Washington went into equine contortions. Heffernan took the horse away from the field under the trees on the bend to escape, although the temperamental talent did not fully settle until Archipenko, one of four O’Brien runners, tracked across for familiar company.

George Washington is a magical miler on his day, but the trip was always a worry. Only by settling could he put his tempestuous Royal Ascot fourth behind him. Heffernan, so assured on Soldier Of Fortune in last Sunday’s Irish Derby, rode just about as good a race as could have been expected. In finishing a mere head behind the Derby winner, George Washington went a considerable distance towards restoring his once towering reputation. Certainly there were few complaints from his connections.

Whether the same can be said for those connected with Authorized is another matter. Dettori will be available for the mount should the colt recover for the King George but after yesterday it might be as much a shock for him to keep the ride as it would be for an exhausted three-year-old who went to post a potential superstar to line up in the event. His ride was not as obvious a headline disaster as that on Swain in the Breeders’ Cup, but Moore’s cool professionalism further emphasised that all the balance, poise and panache in the world sometimes is no match for that dull old virtue: preparation.

So often when discussing Dettori we have been told to concentrate on the genius of the jockey on the horse and forget the theatrics off it. To do so yesterday was to see one of the sport’s most colourful men in the least glowing of lights. Rather the prescient words of England’s foremost writer stand as a reminder of even Frankie’s mortality: “Wisdom is consumed in confidence.”

What a difference from that historic 2,509-1 seven-timer at Ascot. Instead it was Moore who delivered a 2,375-1 four-timer, adding wins on Ordnance Row, Selinka and Danehillsundance. In the race after the Eclipse he repeated his rail trick on Selinka and won again, even though this time the rest of the field followed his lead.

We came to praise Authorized and ended the day hailing Ryan Moore. Authorized may yet have another day, Moore most definitely will.