Racing:Aidan O'Brien may have been narrowly out of luck with his four-strong challenge in the Doncaster St Leger, but the trainer was able to correct one glaring omission from his glittering record as Yeats took the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.
Having chosen to saddle his runners in South Yorkshire rather than remain on home soil, the master of Ballydoyle will have been sorry not to have witnessed a memorable battle between two of his stable stars.
Dual Ascot Gold Cup hero Yeats was righting his own wrong in this Irish Field-sponsored Classic as he had been beaten in two previous renewals and was again given a mighty scare, this time by O'Brien's second-string Scorpion.
Scorpion (7-2) won the English Leger himself two years ago and his rider Seamie Heffernan elected to take up the running before the field compacted again with a mile to run.
But suddenly he pulled a further advantage out of the bag and Kieren Fallon, who had 4-7 favourite Yeats tucked in the perfect position hovering in fourth, suddenly looked under pressure.
Fallon needed all his craft and persuasion to keep their challenge afloat but some must have rubbed off on the six-year-old as he began to pull himself back into it.
Inside the final furlong these two perfect examples of the equine form were together but while Scorpion began to lug towards the rail, Yeats seemed to know the race was his and he pulled away to win by half a length.
O'Brien has now collected every British and Irish Classic, while Fallon, who is not far behind, said: "I thought I had no chance but he got me back in it. Seamie rode a great race and rode his own race, but they didn't go very quick and when Seamie kicked four lengths clear at the top of the straight my heart was in my mouth.
"It's third time lucky for me in this Leger and it's great to finally win it. He's just very tough and very good. Perhaps he just wanted it more than the other fellow."
Representing the ranks of the pair's owners in the Coolmore partnership was John Magnier, who said: "It's unbelievable to win at the third attempt (with Yeats), and the perfect result.
"Aidan has been training them differently this year and this race has always been in mind for Yeats. He was probably a better horse today than the last two times but he's getting to the end of it now, and it was a relief.
"Scorpion is a serious horse in his own right, he's tough and it says a lot for the two of them."
With Friday's impressive Doncaster Cup winner Septimus now also in the shake-up for the long-distance events, connections will struggle to keep them apart again.