Dry eyes will be few and far between if Flat racing’s Duracell Bunny Yeats wins the Ascot Gold Cup on Ladies’ Day for the fourth consecutive year.
It’ll be no cakewalk for the Aidan O’Brien trained superstar and we assess those who might put it up to the seemingly invincible stayer in this race.
Centennial John Gosden’s colt has never raced beyond 1m 6f and this step up against one of the game’s greatest stayers is not the place to do it. The four year old made absolutely no impression in the Yorkshire Cup when sixth behind the ever-improving Ask and we’re struggling to find anything nice to say about him.
Eastern Anthem Godolphin continue to fire blanks when it comes to the big races in the UK and, had it not been for a successful three timer at home in Nad Al Sheba, Saeed Bin Suroor’s five year old would probably be on his way to sire another crop of flops.
Geordieland After 15 attempts, Jamie Osborne’s eight year old finally got his head out in front in last year’s Yorkshire Cup. He followed that up with respectable display finishing second behind Yeats in this race last year by five lengths. His preparations have been good this term and will give O’Brien’s favourite a run for his money again.
Hindu Kush Dandy Nicholls is probably better known for bringing sprinters to their peak, but in Hindu Kush, he has a horse with class, temperament and ability to push the Irish Champion. It’s putting them together that’s the problem. Made all to win a lucrative contest at Leopardstown last time out, but this will definitely test his stamina to the limit.
Patkai Finished five lengths behind Geordieland in the Henry II Stakes, but was a bit unlucky on that occasion and stamina seems to be in abundance. Will the Michael Stoute horse stay the 2m 4f though?
Sagara Hasn’t won since his maiden victory in ’07 and while the potential has been there, Saeed Bin Suroor’s five year old is another that just can’t go up the gears when facing top quality opposition.
Tastahil Question marks remain about whether Barry Hills’ charge would stay the trip and a shot at the Hardwicke Stakes would probably be the preferred choice for the stable.
Veracity Conquered stable-mate Sagara in Newmarket’s Jockey Club Cup last year that the latter should have won had he not hung badly right. Godolphin’s third runner in the race suggests they’re trying their hardest to prevent Coolmore landing an unprecedented feat in the race.
Washington Irving An interesting acquisition for the Howard Johnson yard, but the four year old gelding (that explains why Coolmore let him go) didn’t make any impression on debut for his current trainer. Impeccably bred, but clearly has a questionable appetite for racing and this seems like a pointless exercise in this arena.
Yeats Three time winner of the race, the eight year old is a supreme stayer. His seasonal reappearance at Leopardstown in the Vintage Crop Stakes was extremely disappointing, but it gave an indication that age might be finally creeping up on him. Or perhaps he wasn’t fully fit. Either way, he’s sure to be fired up for another crack at will soon be dubbed the ‘Yeats’ Gold Cup’.
