Generations have come and gone since the inaugural running of the Gold Cup in 1807, but few will have seen anything as special as the record-equalling victory of Yeats.
Johnny Murtagh's mount was sent off the 11-8 favourite to add to his wins of 2006 and 2007 in the Royal Ascot highlight, and having been settled in mid-division he swung for home matching strides with market rival Coastal Path, just ahead of last year's runner-up Geordieland.
French raider Coastal Path was the first to break, leaving Yeats and Geordieland to fight out an enthralling finish to the two-and-a-half-mile marathon.
The pair raced upsides throughout the final two furlongs, but when push came to shove Yeats' brilliance shone through and he quickened away to a five-length success.
Aidan O'Brien, winning his fourth Group One of the week, was stunned after Yeats became just the second horse to capture three Gold Cups, emulating Sagaro's achievements between 1975 and 1977.
"I can't put into words what this means," he said.
"The lads at home did a great job to get him here for one Gold Cup and then he came back for a second one and now a third one - it's unbelievable."
"I can't see any horse staying with him on the bridle and staring him in the face. It's unbelievable and I didn't really think it would happen."
"He's a great mover with massive lungs and a massive heart."
"You ask most horses to go a mile and a half and that is the limit, but with this fellow his heart is only getting up to 180 beats at that stage."
"But he is not just a staying horse, he had the class to win a Coronation Cup."
"This is very special for everybody involved. I am very privileged to have these special horses to train."
O'Brien was not without worry in the build-up, with the one-time Derby favourite not having raced since April.
"We decided last year that he would only have the one run beforehand and in the last three weeks I have been sure I have made the wrong decision," he said.
"He has been putting on weight and only doing enough, but the lads have been happy so we have to give them credit."
British betting agency William Hill makes Yeats a 3-1 chance to record a record-breaking fourth success in 2009, but his future has yet to be decided.
"I don't know when the time will come to preserve his genes and that is the reality as we've never had a horse with as big a pair of lungs and as big a heart as he has - they are physical things," said O'Brien.
"There is a chance he could go back to Australia for the Melbourne Cup this year. We'll have to discuss the options, but all of the staying races are open to him."