Sporting Life - Racing | Result, Ascot 18-06-2009 Gold Cup (group 1)

Thursday June 18 2009

Ascot 15:45 - Result

Gold Cup (group 1)

£250000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1, £141925 penalty, 9 ran

Going: Good to Firm

Surface: Turf

Race Report »

Winning Time: 4m 20.73s

Pos.	Draw	Dist.	Horse	Wt	Jockey	Trainer	Age	SP
1	6		Yeats (IRE)	9-2	J P Murtagh	A P O'Brien	8	6/4 f
		tracked leaders in 3rd, challenged from 4f out, pushed along to lead over 3f out, ridden over 4 lengths clear and in command 2f out, stayed on strongly opened 7/4 touched 7/4 £50000-£25000 £20000-£10000 £4000-£2000 £2000-£1000 (x4) £37500-£20000 (x2) £11250-£6000 £7500-£4000 (x3) £3750-£2000 (x2) £3000-£1600 (x3) £87500-£50000 £17500-£10000 £7000-£4000 (x6) £5250-£3000 £3500-£2000 (x5) £1750-£1000 £6500-£4000 £3250-£2000 (x4)
2	8	3½	Patkai (IRE)	9-0	R L Moore	Sir Michael Stoute	4	9/2
		took keen hold, held up in 6th, steady heaway over 3f out, went 4 lengths 2nd and hung right over 2f out, driven and no impression on winner over 1f out opened 7/2 touched 9/2 £5000-£1000 £9000-£2000 Each Way £9000-£2000 £4500-£1000 (x2) £8000-£2000 Each Way £8000-£2000 £4000-£1000 (x3)
3	3	15	Geordieland (FR)	9-2	S W Kelly	J A Osborne	8	11/4
		held up in last trio, headway and switched left to outside 2f out, went modest 3rd over 1f out, well beaten when hung right final furlong opened 10/3 touched 10/3 £28000-£8000 £14000-£4000 £10500-£3000 £7000-£2000 Each Way £7000-£2000 £4200-£1200 £3500-£1000 (x5) £5000-£1500 £12000-£4000 £6000-£2000 (x3) £3000-£1000
4	5	3¼	Sagara (USA)	9-2	T E Durcan	Saeed bin Suroor	5	50/1
		held up in 5th, headway on wide outside over 3f out, went modest 3rd well over 1f out until over 1f out opened 50/1 touched 50/1
5	1	1¾	Eastern Anthem (IRE)	9-2	Ahmed Ajtebi	Saeed bin Suroor	5	25/1
		held up in rear, pushed along 4f out, ran wide into straight, well beaten when driven and hung left 2f out opened 20/1 touched 25/1
6	7	4	Hindu Kush (IRE)	9-0	Jim Crowley	D Nicholls	4	40/1
		led, ridden and headed over 4f out, losing place when not much room on rail 3f out, struggling after opened 33/1 touched 40/1 £40000-£1000 Each Way
7	9	12	Centennial (IRE)	9-0	J Fortune	J H M Gosden	4	33/1
		disputed close 3rd, tracked leading pair over 3f out, driven and weakened over 2f out opened 28/1 touched 33/1 £33000-£1000 Each Way
PU	2		Washington Irving (IRE)	9-0	P Mulrennan	J Howard Johnson	4	50/1
		took keen hold, held up in last trio, dropped to rear over 6f out, soon lost touch, pulled up approaching 2f out opened 33/1 touched 50/1
PU	4		Veracity	9-2	L Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor	5	13/2
		soon tracked leader, pushed along to lead over 4f out, headed over 3f out, pulled up approaching 2f out and dismounted, lame opened 6/1 touched 13/2 £10000-£1400 Each Way (x2) £26000-£4000 Each Way £20000-£3000 Each Way £5000-£750 Each Way

Tote Win: Ł2.40 Tote Place: Ł1.30,Ł1.80,Ł1.20
Straight Forecast: Ł7.78 Tricast: Ł15.49 Exacta: Ł9.10 Trifecta: Ł22.20
Swingers:1&2:Ł2.10, 2&3:Ł2.30, 1&3:Ł1.20

Jackpot: £95,995.03 carried forward to Ascot, 19th Jun Placepot: £3,521.10 Pool:£447,711.72 92.82 winning tickets Quadpot: £134.20 Pool:£34,234.41 188.73 winning tickets

Analysis: History was made as YEATS became the first horse ever to win a fourth Gold Cup. They didn't go a serious gallop and Johnny Murtagh had to scrub his mount along rounding the turn into the straight. Once he got to the front, though, he took the race by the scruff of the neck and galloped to victory with only Patkai offering a moderate challenge. The sight of Yeats thundering four lengths clear at the top of the straight was symbolic of all his earlier victories, power was the key, and there are few more powerful horses about. The next question is whether Aidan O'Brien keeps him in training for a possible fifth attempt, or whether he retires to the sheds. He could become one serious National Hunt stallion. Patkai did all he could to get within four lengths but he was always going to be second best. He has youth on his side and could return to win this race one day. The same cannot be said of Geordieland who is the same age of Yeats but was placed once again. He somehow found trouble in the straight and was left with far too much to do.