Yeats Heading For Irish Leger

Yeats will drop back in trip for his next start after he confirmed himself the new dominant force in the staying division with a sumptuous success in the ABN Amro Goodwood Cup.

But Aidan O'Brien's star is far from certain to head Down Under for a crack at the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November.

Last year's Coronation Cup winner has excelled at marathon distances on his last two starts and followed up his Ascot Gold Cup win by putting his rivals to the sword in the two-mile heat.

Mick Kinane sent the 10-11 favourite to the front two furlongs out and O'Brien's charge romped home five lengths ahead of the Frankie Dettori-ridden Geordieland, while Tungsten Strike was a further three and a half lengths back in third.

The Irish St Leger over a mile and three-quarters at the Curragh on September 16 now beckons, where he would be reunited with Kieren Fallon.

O'Brien said: 'Mick was very impressed with him and he's a Coronation Cup winner so obviously he isn't short of class.

'We decided early in the year to go down this route and train him for the Cup races, and it is lucky we went that way.

'He is a class horse and when you get a horse like him that stays the trip it makes a difference.

'We would hope to look at the Irish Leger and we will have to see after that. He is in the Melbourne Cup but we don't want to take too many risks this early with him.

'We would love to keep this fellow around for the next couple of years so he might not go there this year.'

Kinane said: 'He's definitely a very classy individual ? probably the best stayer I have ridden.

'Ground would be everything (if he were to go for the Melbourne Cup). Firm is firm in Melbourne and that would be a shade worrying.

'Weight wouldn't be a worry. He's a big strapping horse, he carried plenty of weight and broke the track record so it's not an inconvenience to him.'

Jamie Osborne was thrilled with Geordieland, who only joined his stable less than eight weeks ago.

'He hasn't run beyond a mile and a half in France. It was a big risk coming here first time out but he's finished second to probably one of the great staying performances,' he said

'He is in the Ebor off 108 and has run above that here. He travelled with a lot of class and if you take Yeats out he would have won it decisively.

'We want to go for the Melbourne Cup and take in the Caulfield Cup on the way.'

Stan James and Paddy Power cut him to 14 from 33s from the Melbourne Cup, while the latter left Yeats unchanged at 10-1 for the same race.

Tungsten Strike's trainer Amanda Perrett said: 'He didn't get trip in the Gold Cup. He might go for the Lonsdale at York but there aren't many options for him.'

Sergeant Cecil took fourth and his Rod Millman said: 'He's cut his leg so we'll see how he is when we get him home,' he said.

'I suppose he'll go to York for the Lonsdale then the Doncaster Cup or we could drop him back in trip for the Geoffrey Freer at Newbury.'

? PA Sport