O'Brien Waits On Melbourne Decision

Plans to run Yeats in the Emirates Melbourne Cup are on hold after he suffered a shock defeat in the Irish Field St Leger on Saturday.

Aidan O'Brien's star was a 2-7 chance for the Curragh Classic following his wins in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and the Goodwood Cup.

But after being sent to the front fully five furlongs out by Kieren Fallon, Yeats was caught close home and beaten half a length by Kastoria.

Last week the five-year-old was backed from 12-1 into half the odds with Australian firms for the ?race that stops a nation'.

However, O'Brien will assess the horse's condition over the next few days before making a decision about running at Flemington on November 7.

'He was a little bit stiff this morning but in good form,' he said yesterday. 'He was just led out today so we'll see how he is over the next few days.

'Probably the reality of it was Yeats was trained for high summer ? the middle of Ascot and two and a half miles ? and basically that was his Derby this year and maybe he's gone back a bit.

'Yesterday it was a slow enough pace early. Kieren went early and tried to drag it and he kept going well and they pulled well clear of the third.

'The mare is good, there is no doubt about that, but maybe Yeats just wants a little bit of a break and we'll know over the next few days.

'I think we have about 10 days or two weeks to go into quarantine for Australia. We had planned on arriving in Australia two weeks before the race.

'Obviously if he had won impressively with all the sparkle that he had before we'd have been very bullish and going that way, but Kieren just thought the kick that was there before just wasn't there.'

Yeats is 7-1 with Ladbrokes for the Melbourne Cup.

(C) PA Sport