The best stayer in Europe this year, Justify stallion Scandinavia kept his record perfect for 2026 in the Group I Goodwood Cup (2m), while the 2024 Golden Eagle hero Lake Forest was also back in the winning groove and seems likely to be given the chance to make history this week with a quick back up.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Scandinavia won the Goodwood Cup last year before then adding the Group I St Leger to his record and has not been defeated since.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, Scandinavia ran out a dominant eight and a half length winner over Trawlerman, who was hampered by a riderless horse when building up his revs to challenge.
The video is well worth watching.
“Scandinavia is a great horse. He's a real, real top stayer. He's a big cruiser, he relaxes and finds his momentum. What can I say?” said Aidan O’Brien.
“It's a great race to win and it was great Trawlerman came. We thought Trawlerman would make it, we were hoping he would and the plan was Ryan would follow him like he did at Ascot and that's how it played out. It was one of those eventful races.
“A great track and a great spectacle. He's very sound, he loves what he's doing and the lads love to have a horse like that. It's very hard to find them - nearly impossible.”
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Scandinavia has the overall record of eight wins and two placings from 12 starts with seven of those wins coming in succession.
He is a half-brother to Group I winner Above the Curve and is the second Group I winner among three winners from blueblood Galileo mare Fabulous, an unraced half-sister to champion racehorse and sire Giant’s Causeway.
Fabulous is also a half-sister to Group II winning blue hen You’resothrilling, the dam of Group I winners Gleneagles, Happily, Joan of Arc and Marvellous.
Scandinavia is one of 11 Group I winners for Justify, who is available for Southern Hemisphere covers at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
Justify has two sons on the roster in Australia this spring with 2024 Champion European 3YO Colt and Horse of the Year, City of Troy standing at a fee of $49,500, while Storm Boy is priced more affordably at $16,500.
