Pure gold Yeats rides into history

Yeats races into the record books by claiming the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot for a fourth time.

Yeats, ridden by Johnny Murtagh, romps home to win a record fourth Gold Cup at Royal Ascot today.

ASCOT // Yeats made history yesterday by becoming the first horse to win the coveted Gold Cup four years in a row. Aidan O'Brien's eight-year-old was favourite to cross the line first once again in the highlight of the annual Royal Ascot festival and the old campaigner did not disappoint. Yeats, displaying the spirit that won him his previous record of three Gold Cups during the festival, was never caught, finishing ahead of Sir Michael Stoute's Patkai, ridden by Ryan Moore, by three-and-a-half lengths. "You dream and dream and dream, we were in this position and we never would be again - great things can happen," said O'Brien. The jockey Johnny Murtagh said it was one of the best days of his career. "He's the greatest. Muhammed Ali said he was the greatest and he was and Yeats has shown everybody that he is the ultimate heavyweight champion," he said. The Godolphin horse Veracity, ridden by Frankie Dettori, led the pack for the opening part of the race but faded and pulled up lame before the final straight. But Dettori had provided better news for the Dubai stables earlier in the day as he rode the filly Flying Cloud to success in the Group Two Eibblesdale Stakes. "It couldn't have gone better, she did everything right," said Dettori, who celebrated with his traditional flying dismount.