MORE than a hour after Sea The Stars wrote another chapter in his glorious year, another modern great Yeats came home in third on his final racecourse appearance.
The four-time Ascot Gold Cup hero couldn’t make it a winning end to a wonderful career as the John Oxx-Mick Kinane combination who had landed the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe also won the Qatar Prix du Cadran to give the Aga Khan a fourth Group One victory of the afternoon.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien was pleased to see Yeats return unscathed from his farewell outing.
He said: “It’s a big relief as there was always a danger he might get hurt or something. We will never find another like him – he’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”
Joint-owner John Magnier added: “He’s one of the greatest stayers I can remember – the last one was probably Sagaro.”
On the winner Oxx said: “He is a good horse and is very versatile regarding the ground.
“I hope he can be a Cup horse for next year.”
