by Myra Lewyn

Susan Magnier’s and Diane Nagle’s brilliant stayer Yeats secured a place in racing history on Thursday at Royal Ascot when he equaled Sagaro’s feat of three straight victories in the Gold Cup (Eng-G) in a stirring finish under Johnny Murtagh.

Sagaro accomplished the feat in 1975, ’76, and ’77 with legendary jockey Lester Piggott at the reins. Yeats captured the 2006 Gold Cup by four lengths with Kieren Fallon aboard and ’07 edition by 1 1/2 lengths under Mick Kinane.

Murtagh piloted Yeats, the 11-to-8 favorite, in masterful style on Thursday as the seven-year-old Sadler’s Wells horse first appeared hard-pressed while battling Coastal Path and Geordieland around the home turn but then easily dispatched their determined challenges in the final furlong and powered clear win by five lengths, his widest margin yet in the 2 1/2-mile race.

Geordieland briefly appeared poised for an upset early in the straight as he drew alongside Yeats, but his opponent had more stamina in reserve and surged clear to the victory in 4:21.14 on turf rated as good to firm.

Mountgrange Stud’s Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup (Eng-G1) victor Geordieland hung on for second, 4 1/2 lengths in front of third-place finisher Juddmonte Farms’ homebred  multiple French group winner Coastal Path, who did not appear to stay the trip.

Murtagh was elated with the victory.

“He stays the trip well; He has the heart of a lion and I knew that,” Murtagh told Racing Post. “He has big lungs and I knew that if we got there at the four marker it would take something special to beat him.”

Yeats’s victory gave the team of Murtagh and trainer Aidan O’Brien four Group 1 wins at the meeting following triumphs on Wednesday in the Prince of Wales' Stakes (Eng-G1) with Duke of Marmalade and on Tuesday with  Henrythenavigator in the St. James's Palace (Eng-G1) Stakes and Haradasun in the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-G1).

O’Brien was uncertain about a record-breaking fourth win in 2009 for Yeats.

“I don’t know when the time will come to preserve his genes, and that is the reality as we’ve never had a horse with as big a pair of lungs and as big a heart as he has—they are physical things.”

Michita wins Ribblesdale Stakes

Stonerside Stable’s homebred Michita made amends for a disappointing run in the Juddmonte Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1) earlier this month with a resounding victory earlier on the card in the Ribblesdale Stakes (Eng-G2).

  The 100-to-30 favorite under Jimmy Fortune, the Dynaformer filly settled off the early pace, seized command with more than a furlong to run, and pulled away to a convincing 3 1/2-length victory in 2:31.87 for the 1 1/4-mile race.

Michita did not handle the course at Epsom and lost a good position before finishing seventh in the Oaks on June 6 in her previous start.

Trainer John Gosden said Kentucky-bred Michita would receive a break then be pointed to the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1) on August 21.

South Central leads the way in Norfold Stakes

South Central, who scored by a visually impressive 13 lengths in his maiden debut on June 2, lived up to his billing as the 11-to-4 favorite when he made all the pace and prevailed by a head from Spin Cycle in the Norfolk Stakes (Eng-G2).

The Kentucky-bred Forest Camp colt covered the five furlongs in 1:01.83 under Robert Winston.

Myra Lewyn is a Thoroughbred Times daily editor