28-1 Le Miracle led the field for the first two miles while being stalked by Coastal Path and Yeats. With a half mile remaining, jockey John Murtagh asked Yeats to challenge for the lead, as pacesetter Lr Miracle tired and faded out of contention. 15-2 Geordieland put in a strong rally into the stretch, but at the quarter pole Yeats found another gear, drawing off to win by 5 lengths in 4:21.14 over the good-to-firm course. It was another 4 1/2 lengths back to Coastal Path third. Yeats is only the second horse in the Gold Cup's long history to have won it 3 consecutive years, the other being Sagaro in 1975-1977.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien said, "I didn't really think it could happen. It's incredible, it's marvelous. To come here and win it a second year and then a third is just beyond belief. Whether he comes back next year depends on (owner John Magnier) because there will come a time when we need to preserve his genes. He really is the horse with the largest heart and lungs I have ever been associated with, and I mean physically."
Jockey John Murtagh added, "He has the heart of a lion. I knew he would kill them. This horse is different, he has that touch of class that sets him apart."
