I published my first article on
Bits N’ Bunny on the night of February 13, 2011. A list of subjects to cover began to grow as
I looked over my blog with a certain degree of excitement. One of my first thoughts upon Bits N’ Bunny’s
creation was ‘When will I write about Yeats?”
This horse exudes brilliance and has held a special place in my heart
due to his sheer superiority. His 2009
Ascot Gold Cup triumph was the first ever European race I watched on
television, and though I would have relished the chance to watch his previous
starts in real time, I consider it a gift that Yeats introduced me to European
racing with this monumental achievement.
The quest
for perfection is the most intimidating endeavor on this planet. In this gallant attempt at racing
immortality, a horse can set our hearts ablaze with hope, ardor, and the
greatest of jollity. Many horses’
pursuits will eventually come to a poignant end, forever an unfortunate nose
away from an unblemished record.
There is
no word in the dictionary more daunting than perfection. Day after day, year after year, we
optimistically send our horses on a mission to define this word – to retire to
the pristine pastures of our breeding farms unbeaten.
The
sport’s greatest athletes reached for a perfect record, but all retired in
defeat. Man O’ War was essentially
peerless in his time, losing only one start due to an unfortunate trip. Native Dancer retired with a record of
twenty-two starts, and twenty-one wins.
His only loss came in the 1953 Kentucky Derby for similar reasons that
the original Big Red lost the Sanford.
Nijinsky nearly achieved a flawless record during his two year
career. 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle
Slew maintained a perfect record through the Triple Crown, but faced several
defeats later in his career. Zenyatta, the
queen of modern-day racing, nearly captured perfection when she lost the 2010
Breeders’ Cup Classic to Claiborne Farm’s Blame by a nose.
Yeats
attained a certain level of perfection. Named
for the Irish artist, Jack Butler Yeats, he maintained a winning streak which
no horse has rivaled and showed relentless consistency throughout his extensive
campaign. Although speed is the soup du jour of current-day racing, it
is the marathoners such as Yeats that symbolize the Thoroughbred breed. Yeats is a blast from the past; reminiscent
of the sport’s first great athletes.
Yeats’ aristocratic
tale of glory began in the Irish countryside, poetically nicknamed the Emerald
Isle for its lush landscape. He is the
son of noble heritage, being by the great stallion Sadler’s Wells, and out of
the consistent producer, Lyndonville. He
is a result of the same sire/broodmare sire cross that gave us the late
outstanding sire, Montjeu. Foaled in April of 2001, Yeats was nurtured
at David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud.
Yeats stood out as a dignified individual even as a youngster and David
Nagle was hesitant to sell to Sue Magnier of the famed Coolmore Stud. However, Diane Nagle wisely retained a piece of
Yeats and was listed as his co-owner.
THE
PROUD GALLOPER*:
He
became a four length winner at first asking in his lone start as a juvenile and
went unvanquished at three. Yeats won a
Group II and Group III event during his three year old career and was
established as the favorite for the Epsom Derby. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury three
days prior to this English classic and was consequently withdrawn. In the latter of his two starts as a three
year old, he defeated two others in the Ballysax Stakes by ten lengths.
Yeats
was said to have some issues arise in the spring of his four year old season,
but raced five times throughout the year.
Cairdeas served Yeats his first loss in the Mooresbridge Stakes, which was
his first start at four. He then went on
to win his first Group I event in Epsom’s Coronation Cup. In a solid pacemaking effort, Yeats
accomplished a series of firsts, becoming the first Irish-based horse to win
the race since 1973 Coronation Cup victor Roberto. Yeats also handed Aidan O’Brien his first of
five Coronation Cup triumphs.
Jack
Butler Yeats’ brother and famed poet, William Butler Yeats, once wrote a poem
titled: “Men Improve with the Years”. Most people declare unbeaten favorites for the
Epsom Derby are at their best as three year olds. However, it is unanimously agreed across the
globe that Yeats aged like fine wine, reaching his full potential as an older horse.
In June
of his five year old season, Yeats made his debut at Royal Ascot in the Gold
Cup. He settled into fourth place for
the early portions of the race, but began to quicken under Kieren Fallon three
furlongs out from the wire. He attained
the lead with a quarter mile left to run and drew away to win by a decisive
four lengths. Yeats once again showed
his unbelievable stamina over the 2 ½ mile distance with a time of 4:20.45 –
which was 0.55 seconds faster than the course record. This effort was proceeded by a course
record-setting triumph of the two mile Goodwood Cup. Yeats won by five lengths in commanding
fashion, becoming the first in eleven years to win not only the Ascot Gold Cup,
but also the Goodwood Cup.
His
connections made the astute decision to continue racing the accomplished Yeats
at the ripe age of six. In return, he bestowed Aidan O’Brien with his first
Irish St. Leger victory and joined the small group of elite athletes that have
two Ascot Gold Cups to their credit.
In 2008,
Yeats picked up his racing career for Coolmore and Ballydoyle. He carried on the legacy of his incredible
sire, Sadler’s Wells, who was retired from stud duties that year. Yeats won the Ascot Gold Cup in a five length
procession against Geordieland, who he had defeated by the same margin in the
Goodwood Cup as a five year old. “I
don’t know what we could have done to beat him – except maybe tying his legs
together.” Stated Shane Kelly, the rider of Geordieland, who had finished 1 ½
lengths behind the dominant Yeats in the previous renewal of the Gold Cup. (famousracehorses.co.uk)
Described
to be a “happy horse” by O’Brien, Yeats stood on the threshold of impossibility
at the start of his eight year old campaign.
Only he and the remarkable French stayer, Sagaro, had captured three Gold
Cup triumphs in the race’s 205 year history, while none had four wins on their
résumé. Yeats possessed downright
greatness, and if there was ever a horse that could take the race for four
consecutive years, it would be him.
No doubt Vincent O’Brien, the winner of 25 races at Royal Ascot, was on the minds of many as Yeats approached the gates at Ascot as the last to load for the Gold Cup. Just
over two weeks prior to the 2009 Ascot Gold Cup, the horse racing world was
devastated by the death of Vincent O’Brien, who built Ballydoyle and was
influential in the creation of Coolmore Stud.
A man of legendary brilliance, Vincent O’Brien passed at the age of 92
years and will always be considered one of the best – if not the best – trainer
in the history of the sport. His extreme
success was rooted in his love for the horses and his constant goal to improve
upon their care and well-being. His
career cannot be justly summarized in a simple paragraph or even a few pages,
but it must be mentioned that Vincent O’Brien’s impact on racing will forever
be felt through the way he revolutionized the sport and through the presence of
Coolmore.
Proudly carrying the torch for Coolmore and Ballydoyle, Yeats stood squarely in the gates, prepared to stand alone in the record books as the only four-time victor of the Ascot Gold Cup. His arresting build advocated for
his natural ability and top conditioning, but as he waited for the break,
the race was left in the hands of fate and jockey Johnny Murtagh.
He got
away from the start cleanly and settled into second easily on the grandstand
side. The field was closely-knit into
the first turn, where Yeats would contest for third behind an ambitious
pacemaker and a Godolphin rival. As the
field progressed, Yeats and Murtagh maintained fourth place only two paths wide.
Murtagh
directed Yeats three paths from the rail as the pace began to quicken. Yeats effortlessly took third place and came
onto the leaders with a dominant rush.
Around the final turn, Yeats overtook the leader so quickly that it
should be considered theft. Though
Patkai distantly trailed in a formidable effort, Yeats drew away from his
opponents with unimaginable command. Yeats was indisputably the champion of the
day, cruising under the wire with perfection in hand.
THE
MAKING OF A CHAMPION:
As mentioned above, Yeats introduced me to European racing in the
2009 Gold Cup. The Royal Ascot meeting,
plastered in English tradition, served as the ideal backdrop for Yeats’
beauty. Perhaps the painter
for whom Yeats was named would have been inspired by this fabulous spectacle.
Through the television, I could tell Yeats was an extraordinary specimen. He has been gifted with elite physicality not only externally, but also
internally. Yeats possesses overall
sound conformation with a strong shoulder at the ideal angle for a distance
horse. Additionally, his assets include
powerful hindquarters to propel him down the track. His cannon bones and joints exhibit vital
durability and his pasterns are at a textbook length and angle, allowing for
sufficient shock absorption.
Yeats ranks as one of my favorite young sires due to not just his
talent and external build, but also his internal efficiency that played a
massive role in his success on the racetrack.
The respiratory and circulatory systems are essential to any horse’s
success, as they are entwined with the horse’s overall proficiency.
Many have claimed their top racehorse has a great heart, meaning their
horse has determination and other similar traits that make an exceptional
athlete. However, this takes on a
literal meaning with Yeats. Aidan
O’Brien couldn’t have explained Yeats’ tremendous heart better when he stated,
“We have never had a horse with as big a pair of lungs, as big a heart. These are physical things, and not things you
believe in.” O’Brien, who regularly
measures his horses’ heart rates, also said, “With most horses when you get up
to a mile and a half, they are coming to an end, but this fellow is just
getting up to 180 beats (per minute), which is unbelievable.” (mirror.co.uk) The fact that his heart rate is at a
comfortable 180 bpm when most horses’ heart rates hover around 230 bpm is
utterly fascinating and undoubtedly contributes to why he can quicken so
remarkably in the homestretch. Quite
obviously, his lung capacity is equally tremendous because horses must inspire
about 10,000 liters of air while running the Gold Cup. To put this enormous number into perspective,
it takes humans an entire day to consume this amount of air. Harkening back to his external conformation,
Yeats has a sizeable head with nostrils capable of sufficient dilation, making
it easier for him to inspire a greater volume of air.
Yeats garners an abundant worth as a stallion active in the
breeding shed. Speed attracts all the
attention in this current day and age.
Any gifted horse must possess a great deal of speed to prosper. However, it is equally important for the
breed to preserve stamina. Centuries ago
in the “Stone Age” of the Thoroughbred, breeders imported the Middle Eastern
foundation sires to breed to their mares with the hopes that the result would
be a horse with staying power.
In this time when beauty is a massive selling point at auctions,
it is vital for breeders and buyers to consider internal conformation in
addition to the horse’s external appearance.
It is essential for breeders to preserve the internal soundness of the
Thoroughbred rather than simply breeding for what is currently fashionable on
the market.
Having timeless qualities able to outlast any trend, Yeats is the
‘little black dress’ of Thoroughbred breeding.
Yeats’ stamina, class, and internal build make him a shining opportunity
for breeders. He has the potential to
stand amongst the top sires on a global stage due to his solid foundation and
proven ability. Yeats is easily the
horse that most-fittingly defines “The Iron Horse”. He embodies all that owners and breeders
strive for in their racehorses: durability, consistency, beauty, and of course,
the God-given gift of sheer ability.
I was hesitant to include Yeats
in this series due to his outstanding racing career, pedigree, and
conformation. The combination of these
factors along with his age makes him come off as a convincing Varsity
stallion. However, his stud fee of only €9,000
(U.S. equivalent is about $11,300) makes him the discount of the century. A big part of what drives the criteria for
being included on the Bits N’ Bunny’s Junior Varsity Stallion Roster is the economical
stud fee that typically accompanies a new sire. I am
astonished a horse of such class and accomplishments could have such an
inexpensive stud fee. Breeders who send
their mares to Yeats early in his career as a sire will surely be rewarded for
their meager investment.
Part One: 2012 Junior Varsity Stallion Roster: Made in the U.S.A the Old Fashioned Way
Famousracehorses.co.uk
Mirror.co.uk
