Yeats, I was wrong

It will be a while before a race can top this year's Gold Cup. More than a week later and I'm still in complete awe of the great Yeats and beating myself up for doubting that he would be good enough to come back and do it again this year. And to think I put Coastal Path and Mahler in my 12-to-follow and not Yeats. Shame on me.

Although he's won one more Gold Cup and is an absolute stunner of a horse, I'm not sure Yeats can ever quite surpass Kayf Tara in my affections. I saw him recently at Overbury Stud and was impressed by what a fantastic temperament he has, especially in the middle of what has become a very busy covering season for him. I'm self-appointed president of the KT fan club so when Simon Sweeting asked if I could do some work for the Overbury website, promoting his many virtues, it wasn't too hard a decision to make. He doesn't really need promoting. He was a great racehorse and he's looking like he's going to be up there with the best jumps stallions in this country. Nuff said. Oh, except Desiree has just tested in foal to him.

The last time I saw Yeats in person was at the Melbourne Cup in 2006. Our host Joff took us along to watch trackwork each morning in the build-up to the race and it was such a treat to see Yeats take a spin under Kieren Fallon. Joff's arriving in the UK next week to take a couple of weeks out from managing the burgeoning Empire bloodstock and racing agency and to inspect his European interests, aka Jenny Dawson.

Panto's potential return to the racecourse hangs in the balance. He's put in two good gallops recently but then seemed very below par the day after the second one. Perhaps he, like me, has got it into his head that he is the official stable hack. We'll see but I think a life of happy semi-retirement as lead horse probably will be his permanent role. In this capacity, he heads to the Newmarket show, which kicks off July Week, to lay down his challenge in the trainers' hacks' class. Promises to be a mixed day, with Panto's showing debut at 8.45am followed by Neil Young live at the Hop Garden later on. Keep on rocking in the free world.