On the same day that one of his star off-spring, the point-to-point graduate and former Cheltenham Festival winner, Shattered Love, bolstered her Cheltenham Gold Cup claims by finishing a close second in the Grade 1 John Durkan Chase at Punchestown, it was all about the progeny of Yeats in the four-year-old division on Sunday.
The winner of an unprecedented four consecutive Ascot Gold Cup’s during his racing career, four is certainly the number for the Castlehyde Stud resident, as he sired a total of four four-year-old maiden winners on Sunday.
Beginning at Tatteresalls Farm, the 17-year-old’s first success came with the very impressive Mount Ida in the opening division of the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
Bred by Philip Hore, the bay mare, who is a half-sister to recent Ladbrokes Trophy winner Sizing Tennessee, had been purchased by James Gillespie at the 2017 Derby sale, and after finishing an eye-catching fourth at Moig South on her debut last month, she came out and defeated Dime A Dozen by four lengths in the hands of Mark O’Hare for the Jerry Cograve yard.
It was a clean sweep of the four-year-old mares’ maiden at Tattersalls for Yeats, as his The Cull Bank came home in front in division two.
The Christopher Maye-bred bay, who had been bought for €5,000 by her handler Brian Jordan at the Tattersalls August sale, ultimately prevailed by four lengths under Mark Scallan.
Yeats’ third four-year-old winner on the Tattersalls card came with Chantry House, after his impressive display to take division two of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
A €26,000 purchase out of the August Sale at the same venue in 2017 by his owner Eric Elliott, the sibling of track winners On The Shannon and Linnel, produced a big performance in the hands of Jamie Codd to get the better of the well-touted French-bred Envol Pierji by three-quarters of a length.
The front pair pulled a considerable 12 lengths clear of the remainder in the big field contest, which saw 15 horses going to post.
The Yeats four-timer within the four-year-old division on Sunday was completed at Boulta, where West Cork Wildway justified market support prior to the off, to make a winning debut in division two of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Bred by Jonathan Deacon and costing €10,000 out of the 2017 August sale, the Paul O’Flynn-handled youngster, picked-up strongly from the back of the last under Gary Noonan to defeat Game Present by four lengths.
Yeats stands for a fee of €5000 at Castlehyde Stud. The 17 year-old son of Sadler’s Wells, won 15 races under rules, seven at Group 1 level, including the afore mentioned four Ascot Gold Cups.
Having won races from 8f – 20f, John Magnier was high in his praise of the popular stallion:
"He's one of the greatest stayers I can remember, the last one [like him] was probably Sagaro. We have had great fun with him.”
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Yeats showed incredible soundness, racing from the age of two until he was eight-years of age, before retiring to stud in 2009.
The Coolmore stallion has sired some very smart performers since, including:
Shattered Love: multiple winner including the Grade 1 JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase, for Gordon Elliott & Gigginstown House Stud.
Augusta Kate: winner of a Grade 1 hurdle, two Listed bumpers & runner-up in the Grade 1 Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown for Willie Mullins.
Capivari: won a Grade 1 around Auteuil, beating Footpad for trainer Francois Cottin.
Some Neck: won the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown for the Willie Mullins/Rich Ricci team.
Thomas Campbell: Listed hurdle winner for Nicky Henderson.
Tintangle: winner of a Listed Mares Bumper at Fairyhouse for Gordon Elliott & Gigginstown House Stud.
Burbank: 4th in the Grade 1 Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham for Nicky Henderson.
Mega Yeats: P2P winner, runner-up in a Listed mares bumper at Cheltenham for Ruth Jefferson.
See more here: coolmore.com/farms/nationalhunt/stallions/yeats/profile
