Aidan O’Brien on Wednesday suggested that YEATS (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) could
take his chance in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) following
his historic fourth success in last week’s Gold Cup (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot.
While the eight-year-old has the alternative option of the Goodwood Cup
(Eng-G2) five days after Ascot’s July 25 highlight, the Ballydoyle conditioner
believes Yeats could hold his own over a mile and a half.
“Obviously, it’s up to the boss (John Magnier) and Sue (Magnier) and David
and Diane Nagle, but all the options are open to him and I suppose the first one
is the King George,” O’Brien said. “After that is the (September 12) Irish Leger
(Ire-G1), the (October 4) Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) and (October 4) Prix
du Cadran (Fr-G1), so we’ll just see what happens and after this weekend, we’ll
probably all sit down and have a good chat about it.
“Everyone must not forget he was a very impressive winner of the Coronation
Cup (Eng-G1), and look at the way he travels through his races and the way he
accelerates. At this time of year, when he’s up into full steam he’s a very,
very classy horse.”
Yeats has a more immediate social engagement, as he will be paraded before
the fans at The Curragh on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Johnny Murtagh will be back on FAME AND GLORY (Montjeu [Ire]) in
Sunday’s Irish Derby (Ire-G1), the rider announced. Runner-up to Sea the Stars
(Cape Cross [Ire]) under Seamus Heffernan in the June 6 Epsom Derby (Eng-G1),
the previously unbeaten colt could be joined by a host of stable companions,
including MASTEROFTHEHORSE (Sadler’s Wells).
“I’m not going to give up on our horses yet, as we’ve got two horses with
massive chances in Fame and Glory and Masterofthehorse and they have definitely
improved,” Murtagh commented. “I think The Curragh will suit them, as it’s a
big, galloping track and it will be a good test, so hopefully we can put it up
to Sea the Stars. I’m going to stick with Fame and Glory, as I think he’s
definitely improved at home from Epsom and he’s very solid.”
“The horses came out of Epsom very well and we’ve been happy with them all
since,” O’Brien had earlier said on At the Races. “Obviously, they all ran great
races and we were delighted with them. It looks like it is going to be beautiful
ground and that will suit everybody, so we’re looking forward to it.”
O’Brien has also confirmed that RIP VAN WINKLE (Galileo
[Ire]) will head to the July 4 Eclipse S. (Eng-G1) at Sandown. The Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Epsom Derby
fourth is set to drop back in trip for the 10-furlong contest after he was
scratched from the Irish Derby.
“The plan with him is to run in the Eclipse and, if everything is well,
hopefully that’s where we’ll go,” O’Brien said.