Yeats wins record fourth Gold Cup at Royal Ascot
Yeats made racing history today at Royal Ascot when he won the Gold Cup for the fourth year in a row — the only horse ever to do so.
Eight-year-old Yeats, a son of Sadler’s Wells, put up a brilliant performance under Johnny Murtagh, who went for home off the final bend and powered away from his rivals in the 2 1/2-mile Group One.
Patkai, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore, did his best to reel him in, but the magnificent Yeats never looked like being beaten.
Yeats’ trainer, Aidan O’Brien, said: “”Unbelievable — that’s all I can say. I was so sick this morning as I really believed this couldn’t happen.”
Listen to full interview with Aidan O’Brien
It was Yeats’ 14th career win from 23 starts, and seven of them have come in Group Ones.
Racegoers will be hoping he comes back for a fifth attempt next year, but there is a possibility he will be retired to stand at his owners’ Coolmore Stud in Co Tipperary.
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Listen to interview with Johnny Murtagh
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A St Andrews’ graduate, Catherine joined Horse & Hound in 2002 and stayed for 11 years in a variety of roles until she went freelance in June 2013. She rejoined the team part-time in November 2016 as hunting editor. She pretty much lives on the hunting field or at the racecourse, but also loves eventing, as a journalist, press officer and competitor. She was H&H’s sole accredited journalist at the London Olympic Games and has reported from major race meetings and eventing, showjumping and dressage championships and shows round the world, and has hunted all over Britain and Ireland.