Yeats thriving Down Under

Yeats’ preparatory work moved up the gears for the first time on Tuesday ahead of his tilt at the Emirates Melbourne Cup.

The top-class stayer is vying for favouritism in the Flemington feature on November 7 and cantered over 10 furlongs at Sandown in Australia under Kieren Fallon.

Yeats, winner of the Gold Cup at Ascot and the Goodwood Cup in August, arrived at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport last Tuesday and has already made a complete recovery from the draining journey.

Aidan O’Brien is in daily contact with the Australian-based Ballydoyle team, who are likely to keep Yeats to the same work routine he had grown accustomed to in Ireland.

“He is eating and drinking normally and he only lost two kilograms on the flight – which is nothing – and he’s already put that back on,” O’Brien’s assistant Andrew Murphy told www.theage.com.au.

“I tell him (O’Brien) how he (Yeats) is going and he tells me what to do with him each day.”

Yeats is currently VC Bet’s joint 4-1 favourite for the two-mile Melbourne Cup along with Caulfield Cup winner and former John Dunlop inmate Tawqeet.