Yeats takes Goodwood Cup

Aidan O’Brien scored another major victory at the Goodwood festival yesterday when Yeats secured his second consecutive Goodwood Cup title, ridden by Johnny Murtagh. The win was Johnny Murtagh and Aidan O’Brien’s fifth of the 2008 Goodwood Festival

Yeats won the race in emphatic fashion, coming home seven lengths clear of the field, trailing two 33-1 outsiders. Yeats’ victory pushed his career prize money over the £1 million mark and saw him installed as a popular selection in the Melbourne Cup betting markets.

“He’s a great horse and a true warrior,” Murtagh said after the race. “He was a little fresh at Ascot and today was much better. He’s got a very high cruising speed - when he gets into top gear he can maintain it constantly. He’s truly a great stayer.”

Tungsten Strike led the race in the early stages, but couldn’t maintain the pace as Yeats surged into the lead 6 furlongs out. Darryl Holland’s runner was forced to settle for second place, while Sagara came home in third place.

“He often does more than that on the gallops,” Murtagh continued. “When he hit top gear at the two-furlong marker, he picked up the leader in a matter of strides. He is better than any stayer I’ve ridden in that he just has that bit of class.”