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MELBOURNE - A divine blessing and a leisurely gallop completed the most elaborate Irish Melbourne Cup preparation that has been mounted.
Yeats, the champion stayer of Europe and the first cup runner for the Aidan O'Brien stable, the strongest in the world, is expected to challenge for favouritism for today's $A5 million ($5.8 million) race.
The horse has enjoyed a trouble-free three weeks getting ready in Melbourne under the guidance of Kieren Fallon, the champion jockey of Ireland and England.
He has trained well, he has been in spectacular good health and he's happy, Fallon said.
"There's nothing I would have changed, nothing I could have asked for that he hasn't had," Fallon said. "We're ready to go and run our race."
Yeats and the team from trainer O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable and the Coolmore Stud in Ireland will be attempting to repeat the deeds of their countryman, trainer Dermot Weld, when they step out at Flemington.
Weld has won the cup twice and is largely responsible for the rejuvenation of Australia's greatest race thanks to his carefully chosen and immaculately prepared horses Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle.
Weld's horses have started eight times in the cup, but none has had a preparation on the same scale as Yeats.
Where Weld sent his horses to Australia with a lad to look after them, Yeats arrived with two handlers, a vet, a security man, an assistant trainer, and Fallon.
The entourage has since grown to include people who make the jockey cups of tea with five sugars, the sons of his owners, the wife of his breeder and a priest.
Yesterday at Sandown racetrack, which doubles as a quarantine centre for the northern hemisphere visitors, Yeats completed his final piece of work, a 1600m canter, in smooth and easy style.
He then had a walk, a play in his sandpit and was brushed down.
By which time he was ready to be blessed.
A man of God referred to only as Father Dan wished the horse all good fortune and then sought out his jockey.
"Father Dan wants to give you a blessing too," said the team's ecclesiastic organiser.
Fallon duly presented himself and retreated with Father Dan into a private place.
As blessings occurred on one side of the Sandown track, a horse owned by a man who is big in strip clubs in England completed its work on the other side.
Geordieland worked for longer than the Irish horse and cruised smoothly through his final exercise.
The Geordieland camp is of a different style to the Yeats crew.
After Geordieland's worked yesterday, trainer Jamie Osborne said: "That's him then. We can do no more."
Geordieland finished second to Yeats in the Goodwood Cup in England in August.
Osborne believes a combination of natural improvement and a 3kg pull in the weights will help him turn the tables.
- NZPA
