Yeats (horse)

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Yeats was foaled on April 23, 2001 at Derrinstown Stud, and is owned by Ballydoyle and Coolmore Stud boss John Magnier. By Sadler's Wells, out of Lyndonville, he was unbeaten in 3 starts, including the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial in May 2004, and was hot favourite for the Epsom Derby, but met with a setback just days before the race and missed the rest of the season, returning almost 1 year later, finishing 2nd in a Group 3 in Ireland on heavy ground.

Contents 1 4-Year-Old Career 2 5-Year-Old Career 3 Future Plans 4 Pedigree

[edit] 4-Year-Old Career

His next start came at Epsom in the Coronation Cup, taking on subsequent Japan Cup winner Alkaased, Bandari and dual Coronation Cup winner Warrsan. Jockey Kieren Fallon adopted front-running tactics on the colt, and pulled away in the final quarter-mile to win by more than 2 lengths. The win made Yeats the first Irish-based horse to win the Coronation Cup since Roberto in 1973. Yeats attempted to follow up in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud over the same distance, with new jockey Jimmy Fortune adopting hold-up tactics, but they failed to pay off, and Yeats trailed in 9th, 20 lengths behind the winner Alkaased.

The Irish St. Leger came next, reunited with Kieren Fallon, adopting similar hold-up tactics as Fortune in Yeats' previous start, and was staying-on towards the finish to come 4th, just a length and a half behind the winner Collier Hill. His final start of the season was to be the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Canada over 12 furlongs, but he missed the break and could never recover, finishing 12 lengths behind the victor.

[edit] 5-Year-Old Career

Yeats' first start of the 2006 season was to come at Royal Ascot in the Ascot Gold Cup, some 247 days after the Woodbine Canadian International Stakes. Fallon adopted a prominent position towards the start, and got to the front 4 furlongs out, and was only pulling away towards the end, winning by 4 lengths from Prix du Cadran winner Reefscape.

He attempted a rare double with the Goodwood Cup at the Glorious Goodwood meeting, carrying top weight and easing to victory by 5 lengths under new jockey Michael Kinane, since Fallon is currently banned from riding in the UK.

Yeats finished a disappointing 7th in the Melbourne Cup, with Kieren Fallon stating that his mount just lacked his usual finishing kick and was not suited by the stop-start pace of the race. He was forced to make a big move a mile out to get to the front, ensuring that he maintained his speed for the finishing straight.

Yeats will stay in training, but his season has now finished. He was voted the 2006 Cartier Racing Award as Top Stayer.

[edit] Future Plans

Aidan O'Brien has said that Yeats will continue racing for the next couple of seasons, a move which has earned him and Ballydoyle plenty of plaudits, as as a 5-year-old and already such an exciting prospect, he will only improve with age, and since he has been lightly raced, with only 11 starts, he still has plenty of miles left in him.

Yeats' likely targets for next season will be the 'Cup races', notably the Yorkshire Cup, Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Lonsdale Cup, Cadran Cup and possibly the Melbourne Cup.

[edit] Pedigree

Pedigree of Yeats
Sire Sadler's Wells	Northern Dancer	Nearctic	Nearco
			Lady Angela
		Natalma	Native Dancer
			Almahmoud
	Fairy Bridge	Bold Reason	Hail To Reason
			Lalun
		Special	Forli
			Thong
Dam Lyndonville	Top Ville	High Top	Derring-Do
			Camenae
		Sega Ville	Charlottesville
			La Sega
	Diamond Land	Sparker	Hard Tack
			Diamond Spur
		Canaan	Santa Claus
			Rustic Bridge