Yeats, only the second horse in history to win the Ascot Gold Cup three times, gave no encouragement that a record fourth victory is within his grasp when he trailed in eighth of the 10 runners behind Alandi in yesterday’s Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan. Hill’s pushed his Gold Cup odds out to 3-1 from 7-4.
The ground may have been softer than ideal for Aidan O’Brien’s horse and, as an eight-year-old entire, he may be harder to get fit at home these days. But Yeats was under pressure before the home turn and, after two cracks of the whip from jockey Seamus Heffernan, he found nothing for pressure in a race he had won first time out the previous two seasons.
Heffernan, while admitting to being “disappointed” with Yeats, who blew very hard after the race, remained confident that Yeats would be back in business for the Gold Cup. “He just got tired in the ground,” he said. “Getting him right for the big day is what matters.”
Alandi was a notable winner of the Vintage Crop on just his second start. “We had plenty looking to buy him at the end of last season as a hurdler but he is very well bred and we decided to hold on to him,” said his trainer, John Oxx. “He should improve from the run and will go for the Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown next month.”
Kasbah Bliss, a possible rival for Yeats in the Gold Cup, did not cover himself in glory either in yesterday’s Prix de Barbeville at Longchamp. Having his first run since finishing fourth in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham, Kasbah Bliss trailed in last behind Pointilliste, who made all the running at just a steady pace.
“He’s in the Gold Cup at Ascot, but we’ll have to wait and see,” said Elie Lellouche, the trainer of Pointilliste. Half an hour earlier, Lellouche went close in the first Group One race of the season in Europe when Loup Breton flashed home to take second spot behind Vision d’Etat in the Prix Ganay.
Thewayyouare, prominent for a long way on his first start since being switched from André Fabre to Aidan O’Brien, ran well to finish fourth but Sir Michael Stoute’s Tajaaweed was a major disappointment, dropping away in the home straight to finish last of the nine runners.
Vision d’Etat, last year’s French Derby winner, is trained by Eric Libaud, who could bring the colt to Royal Ascot in June. “He seems a lot stronger than he was last year,” said Libaud. “I’d like to keep him at 10 furlongs and the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot is a possibility.”
Presvis, trained by Luca Cumani, is also entered for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, but it appears the five-year-old will now steer clear of the top British races in midsummer to chase greater riches abroad. Presvis scooped a first prize of £700,000 when successful in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup in Hong Kong yesterday morning.
Ryan Moore, who arrived at Sha Tin with just a few hours to spare after scoring on Tartan Bearer at Sandown, brought Presvis with a well-timed run to collar the local favourite, Viva Pataca, and win by a length.
Presvis, who had run second to Gladiatorus from a poor draw in the Dubai Duty Free, will now be aimed at next month’s Singapore International Airlines Cup before being rested with a view to returning to Hong Kong in December for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup.
“He is now a legitimate Group One horse,” said Cumani. “He is progressive and has improved physically over the last six months. Mentally he has got calmer and the two things have come together to make him a better horse.”