AGE CERTAINLY doesn’t seem to have any wearying impact on the remarkable Yeats who scored a historic four-in-a-row in yesterday’s Ascot Gold Cup to confirm himself one of the all-time great stayers.
Inter-generational arguments of superiority are as pointless as they are inevitable and there is no way of knowing how Aidan O’Brien’s magnificent veteran compares with previous winners of the two-and-a-half mile marathon over the last 200 years.
But after yesterday’s emphatic two and a half length defeat of Patkai, with a further 15 lengths back to his old rival Geordieland, there is no arguing with Yeats’ statistical position at the top of the Gold Cup tree.
Nothing, not even champions like Sagaro, Ardross and Le Moss, could get close to a four-in-a-row which puts the Irish horse out on his own: just as he dominated yesterday’s gruelling race while putting to bed any doubts he had gone past his best.
Aidan O’Brien couldn’t quite believe he’d do it but they turned out to be singular doubts as Yeats was smashed into 6 to 4 favourite. Rarely has a Group One gamble been so comprehensively landed.
Johnny Murtagh was always in control and pinched a decisive advantage early in the straight as Patkai tried to negotiate his way through the chasing pack.
“Johnny had so much pressure on his shoulders but the way he handled it was something else,” O’Brien said afterwards. “He is an unbelievable horse. I was so sick this morning as I couldn’t believe this would happen. We knew we had a wonderful horse but usually fairytales don’t come true.”
Murtagh himself said he never had any doubts after a poor seasonal debut at Navan – “I looked at Aidan after Navan and he just said “he’ll be grand for Ascot.” The jockey added: “He loves fast ground, he loves Royal Ascot and he comes alive here. It’s great for racing because Yeats is everything that is positive about racing.
“Muhammad Ali said he was the greatest, and he was, and Yeats has now shown everyone he is the ultimate heavyweight champion.”
Like Ali, career longevity is a feature of Yeats who is now the oldest Gold Cup winner in over a century. No doubt the pressure now will be a for a ‘famous five.’
A lot of Irish money made on Yeats was lost on his stable companion Freemantle in the subsequent Hampton Court Stakes. Murtagh’s aim to overcome a low draw resulted in the Dante runner-up being in the van of a furious pace and although he kept on well for fourth, Glass Harmonium came from the back to open Ryan Moore’s account for the meeting.
Jamie Spencer hit the scoresheet for a second time this week as his Norfolk Stakes mount Radiohead overcame a hefty bump from the American horse Yogaroo to win well and earn 25 to 1 quotes for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.
“I thought we had no chance. When you get a bang like that at the furlong pole in a five furlong race it’s curtains,” the Irishman enthused. “I couldn’t believe he got going again. It’s just surreal.”
Godolphin’s big-race drought came to at least a temporary halt as Flying Cloud secured a Group Two success in the Ribblesdale Stakes under Frankie Dettori.
“She surprised me a little. She should be a candidate for the Irish Oaks,” Dettori said. “The first two days have been frustrating but this filly had a good chance.”
John Oxx’s Zarinski was a well- backed favourite for the King George V Stakes but couldn’t quicken in the straight behind the Paul Hanagan-ridden winner Cosmic Sun.
