No Fairytale comeback for Yeats

Aidan O’Brien was far from downhearted after Yeats lost his unbeaten record to Cairdeas in the High Chaparral EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh today.

The son of Sadler’s Wells was sent off the 4-6 favourite on his first run since before last year’s Derby, for which he had also been market leader until injury ruled him out.

However, he was no match for the Dermot Weld-trained Cairdeas (15-8), ridden by Pat Smullen, in the 10-furlong Group Three contest run on heavy ground.

Cairdeas held second spot behind Yeats’s stablemate Wolfe Tone before moving to dispute the lead three furlongs out.

He quickened clear of his rivals and maintained the advantage to the line, six lengths ahead of Yeats, who had been bustled along by Kieren Fallon for quite a long way and did not appear to relish the testing conditions.

“It was tough to give him his first race of the season in that ground and he just got tired,” reported O’Brien.

“He’s in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and also the Coronation Cup and one of those will be his next run.”

Should Yeats return to the Curragh in three weeks’ time he could face a remarkably strong field which might include Bago, Doyen, North Light and Azamour.

Weld could run his Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow in the same Group One contest, and he did not rule out running Cairdeas, too.

“That was a lovely performance and Pat gave him a lovely ride and rode him with great confidence,” he said.

“He has a lot of entries and will have a lot of opportunities as the season progresses.

“He is in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and a Group One in Italy. No decision has been made as to where he will run, but I think you’ll find that was a good race.”

Indesatchel put up the performance of the day to land the Group Three Rock Of Gibraltar EBF Tetrarch Stakes.

Sent off the 4-6 favourite, David Wachman’s colt was always cruising along for Jamie Spencer behind Mick Channon’s representative Obe Gold.

Indesatchel, who won the Greenham Stakes at Newbury last month, hit the front with two furlongs to run and quickened away without needing any encouragement to score by an easy six lengths from Emerald Cat.

Wachman said: “He’s a grand horse and he did it very easily today. The ground is the key to him.

“We’ll see what the ground is like and we might supplement him for the French 2000 Guineas. But I wouldn’t be sure if he’ll get a mile at a fast pace.”

Channon struck a victory for Britain with BA Foxtrot, who claimed the Choisir European Breeders Fund Race after a tooth and nail fight to the line.

Tony Culhane quickly took the lead on the juvenile in the five-furlong contest but found himself headed on either side by Waterways and Key Rose.

However, BA Foxtrot (5-1) rallied bravely and regained the lead just before the line, holding Waterways by a short head.