Royal Century For O'Brien As Scandinavia Strikes Gold In Epic

In one of the very finest of Gold Cups, Scandinavia (Justify) ousted Trawlerman (Golden Horn) to provide a fitting crowning moment for Aidan O'Brien as the Ballydoyle maestro reached 100 Royal Ascot winners.

Coming of age in the race that draws unusual sentiment, the 11-8 favourite needed every yard of the two-and-a-half mile trip to wear down the Gosdens' gallant title-holder and for most of it looked unlikely to do so. But, with Ryan Moore at his formidable best, Scandinavia got it done very late to add suitable drama and gravitas to his handler's momentous landmark.

Typically, O'Brien was deflecting praise elsewhere in the aftermath. “This is a very special day for myself and everybody in Ballydoyle. There are so many people involved to help a horse get this far,” he said, struggling to comprehend the historic achievement. “It's just incredible really. It is something that we wouldn't dream of thinking about, because for that to happen you could not believe. Even this week, it's literally one race at a time and you don't even think what it could be or whether it could happen because it's so competitive, so hard to win races here.”

This was a home straight battle that will be reflected upon for many years, much like the renowned 1975 Grundy-Bustino King George fight or the Le Moss-Ardross encounters of 1980. At the culmination of the marathon and its climactic finale, last year's St Leger hero had a head to spare over Godolphin's warrior supreme, with a yawning nine-length gap back to Sweet William (Sea The Stars) in third.

At the other end of the spectrum, it could have been the raw two-year-old Aix La Chapelle who gave O'Brien his big moment in the opener so maybe it was a case of fate playing its hand as the colt was withdrawn at the start. That left the trainer's inevitable milestone delayed to this race, which he has made his own more than any other of the features at the meeting with his specialist tendency to turn middle-distance heavyweights into staying powerhouses.

“It is an honour and a privilege for me to be involved with the team and be the small part that I am with everybody,” he added. “The reality is everyone puts in the work, we watch it going on and I can't tell you how grateful we are to everybody. We love the competitive nature of everything and we like everybody to build up the race, because that's what everyone has to feel. When he went to the front, the sound of the crowd went up–I was very surprised at that and the noise got louder and louder and that's what it's all about. What can I say? It was just an incredible feeling.”

“We know when we go to bed tonight that tomorrow is another day and what happened yesterday is not going to be any good to us going forward, but we try not to get complacent in any way. We always think forward and don't think back no matter what. We will make sure to appreciate and celebrate this and then look forward to tomorrow.”

To provide the cherry on top of the cake, this was also the trainer's 10th Gold Cup and Moore, who was enjoying a fifth, was doing his own deflecting afterwards. “Aidan had him in a great place. He identifies these horses and brings them here absolutely jumping out of their skin and I'm lucky to ride them,” he said. “The answer with Aidan is he won't care, he'll probably be thinking about the next 100, that's what separates him.”

While Trawlerman, who is twice the age of the winner, was always going to be a tough nut to crack in the race he was threatening to make his own following the retirement of Kyprios, Moore was always happy he was going to prevail. “He should have won easier! Oisin [Murphy] came up around me early and took me out of the race and I've had to work to get to Trawlerman,” he explained. “I thought I had it and then had to go again and Trawlerman is a brave horse and kept coming, but Scandinavia keeps finding a way to win.”

Like Stradivarius, Scandinavia is already a Goodwood Cup winner before conquering this but with the Doncaster Classic also in the bag is a rarity who could dominate for years to come. Now that this monster distance has been conquered, O'Brien was able to reflect on the blueblood's feat. “You don't know until you go past that two-furlong marker what's really going to happen, but we felt he was very brave,” he said. “He always showed that in every race–he's relentless, he cruises.”

“Ryan was incredible on him–he nursed him and nursed him and got him into a position where he wanted him for one last surge,” the Ballydoyle handler added. “He had to manoeuvre around and, at the same time he minded him and didn't waste any gas. I don't think anyone else could have done what he did, but we know that about Ryan day-in day-out. We knew the second horse was a great horse and very brave and Scandinavia is only a baby stayer. It is tough on a young horse, but he is an incredible horse.”

“It has always been an incredibly special race for the lads, as horses have to have class. He is by Justify and we think Justify is going to change the world,” he concluded. “They are unique. They are just a bit quicker than Galileos. We think, and hope, he is going to be the way forward for us.”

John Gosden is a fan of the sport as well as a trainer and was able to pay tribute to the stirring finale as well as be magnanimous in defeat. “It was the most exciting race to watch, a phenomenal finish between two magnificent stayers,” he said. “The staying division, when it's like that, is beyond exciting.”

“To do that as an eight-year-old off no prep race and limited preparation time-wise, it was an unbelievable run,” he added. “He just got caught in the last 10 yards–just there, the lack of a prep run cost him. Going a mile and a quarter on the July Course is not the same as having a two-mile prep run around Sandown, I can tell you!”

“Trawlerman is like his father, Golden Horn, he has that kind of guts and courage. In the last 20 yards, he had given all and then he had the lead and then it went back again. You can have nothing but enormous pride. It is great work by all the team, both the vets and all at Clarehaven, to produce him like this for the day. It's an honour to be around a horse like that. A phenomenal race–this is what racing needs and it's great for the crowd.”

Of Trawlerman's well-documented sight issues, Gosden added, “Having been sick, having looked like he would never race again, it's quite extraordinary. We thought, 'What are we going to do with him?' He was in agony at Easter, we were unable to train him, so we left him alone and only managed to train him in the last short period of time. He was in some pain with the eye trouble, but these goggles have helped and the vets have done a brilliant job.”

WHAT A FIGHT! SCANDIVANIA BEATS TRAWLERMAN IN A BRILLIANT GOLD CUP BATTLE! pic.twitter.com/aRhcoXrp7L

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 18, 2026

Pedigree Notes
Scandinavia is the sixth foal out of the unraced Fabulous (Galileo), a daughter of the renowned Mariah's Storm (Rahy) and it is fair to say that he was channelling his inner Giant's Causeway here as he won with clear echoes of his relative the Iron Horse. Mariah's Storm's other Storm Cat of note was the Cherry Hinton winner You'resothrilling, who was to establish herself as one of Coolmore's leading broodmares.

Producing top-class progeny of Galileo year upon year, she was responsible for the Classic winners Gleneagles, Marvellous and Joan Of Arc, as well as the fellow Group 1 performers Happily, Taj Mahal, Coolmore and Toy. Mariah's Storm's Butterflies, who is also by Galileo, is responsible for War Front's Balanchine Stakes runner-up Yet who showcases the versatility of this illustrious family as the dam of the yard's sensation Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett) who goes to post in the big sprint on Friday.

Also connected to Galileo's Irish Champion-winning sire Decorated Knight, Fabulous already had a Group 1 winner to her name in Above The Curve (American Pharoah) who took the Prix Saint-Alary before it was demoted. Also responsible for another smart daughter of American Pharoah in the dual Group 3-placed Thinking Of You, she has the two-year-old colt Charleston (No Nay Never),a yearling daughter of Siyouni and a filly foal by Wootton Bassett.

Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
GOLD CUP-G1, £700,000, Ascot, 6-18, 4yo/up, 19f 210yT, 4:18.53, g/f.
1–SCANDINAVIA, 129, c, 4, by Justify
                1st Dam: Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Mariah's Storm, by Rahy
                3rd Dam: Immense, by Roberto
O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £396,970. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 11-7-1-1, $1,705,104. *1/2 to Above The Curve (American Pharoah), G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ire, G1SP-Eng; and Thinking Of You (American Pharoah), MGSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Trawlerman (Ire), 130, g, 8, Golden Horn (GB)–Tidespring (Ire), by Monsun (Ger). O/B-Godolphin; T-John & Thady Gosden. £150,500.
3–Sweet William (Ire), 130, g, 7, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Gale Force (GB), by Shirocco (Ger). O/B-Normandie Stud Ltd; T-John & Thady Gosden. £75,320.
Margins: HD, 9, 1HF. Odds: 1.38, 3.33, 11.00.
Also Ran: Al Riffa (Fr), Miss Alpilles (GB), Carmers (Ire), Al Nayyir (GB), Rahiebb (GB), Dubai Future (GB), Furthur (Ire), Caballo De Mar (Ire).