Yeats joins elite band of stayers

Yeats completed the

rare back-to-back Ascot

Gold Cup double yesterday

when seeing off the

late thrust of Geordieland

to win by one-and-a-half-lengths.

Aidan O'Brien's 8-13 favourite joins

a select group who have achieved the

feat, famous racing names like

Ardross, Drum Taps, Gildoran, Le

Moss, Sadeem and Royal Rebel.

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Six-year-old Yeats, named not after

the celebrated Irish poet but the

lesser-known artist Jack Yeats, will

now attempt to match Sagaro's unique

treble of Gold Cup wins from 1975-7.

He was favourite for the 2004 Derby

until picking up an injury shortly

before the race. Now he has matured

into a fabulous stayer who is quick

enough to win at distances from a

mile and a half upwards. The ideal

type, you would think, for Australia's Melbourne Cup in

which he finished seventh

last year.

O'Brien will consider

the long-distance tilt

but jockey Mick Kinane

will advise against it.

The rider, winner of

the race Down Under in

1993 on Vintage Crop,

said: "The thing with the

Melbourne Cup is that

he will have a big problem

with weight. They

will put as much as they

can on him. Going all

that way you would

want a bit up your

sleeve.

"He is very classy for a

horse who gets this twoand-

a-half-mile trip. He

was only idling when

Geordieland came to him

inside the final furlong."

Winning trainer Aidan

O'Brien has a particular

affection for Yeats, who

is now part of the furniture

at his Ballydoyle

stable where they tend

not to keep too many

older horses.

O'Brien said: "All the

big staying races will be

considered for him. He

is definitely going

quicker this year which

is why Mick rode him so

patiently. So far, in contrast

to last year, we

have had a clear run

with him and he'll probably

go for the Goodwood

Cup next."

That is bad news for

Geordieland, who ran the

race of his life to be runner-

up, and could also

head to Goodwood.

German runner Le

Miracle was third while

well-backed French

mare Montare was fifth

with jockey Olivier Peslier finding

himself blocked.

However, she would have

been third at best while the

disappointing people's

favourite Sergeant Cecil, who

jockey Jimmy Fortune said ran

"flat", eventually finished last.

Fortune had much better

luck on Norfolk Stakes winner

Winker Watson, who gave him

a fifth success of the meeting.

He is virtually assured of being

the top rider of the week but

still has some way to go to

match the record of eight winners

shared by Lester Piggott

(1975) and Pat Eddery (1989),

both achieved when Royal

Ascot spanned four days.

Peter Chapple-Hyam will aim

Winker Watson at the Prix

Morny at Deauville in August.

Sheik Mohammed enjoyed

his second victory of the week

(following Ramonti's Queen

Anne Stakes win on Tuesday)

when Silkwood outclassed a

strong field for the Ribblesdale

Stakes, beating Oaks third All

My Loving by five lengths.

Silkwood was taken out of

the Oaks when the going at

Epsom turned soft.

Winning trainer Michael

Jarvis said: "I thought she'd

win if she got the trip. She has

always shown enormous

talent."

Now Silkwood, who must

surely have won at Epsom on

this display, will probably get

the chance to tackle Henry

Cecil's Epsom heroine Light

Shift in the Irish Oaks or,

later still, in the Yorkshire

Oaks.