By Tom Frary
In a renewal of the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup marred by a fatal injury sustained by the veteran stayer Trueshan (Planteur), Ballydoyle finished on top with the one-two led home by the three-year-old Scandinavia (Justify). While the race heralded the arrival of a new staying star, it was the loss of the 2021 winner of this prize, Trueshan, who suffered a fractured pastern six out that echoes out of this sad renewal.
In terms of the end result, the illustrious homebred Scandinavia who had burst onto the scene with an 8 1/2-length success in Newmarket's G3 Bahrain Trophy earlier this month had the advantage of the weight-for-age allowance gained from stablemate and 7-4 favourite Illinois (Galileo) to edge it in the last half furlong for a 3/4-of-a-length verdict under Wayne Lordan.
“He's a typical Justify–they will not lie down, no matter where they are or how tired they get and that big open stride keeps going and their heads keep down. That pure genuineness that Galileo had is there, but they have that little more class,” Aidan O'Brien said. “The lads backed him for the Derby a long time ago, so he's probably very classy and always has been. He looks Leger-made, he's very straightforward and he handled an ease in the ground today.”
Scandinavia, who took part in the Frankel/Motivator Newmarket maiden in August of his two-year-old campaign, will renew rivalry with his Queen's Vase conqueror Carmers at Doncaster in September having made great strides since his close-up fifth in that Royal Ascot contest. Whether the half-brother to American Pharoah's G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Above The Curve supplants the yard's dual Derby winner Lambourn in that Classic remains to be seen, but high-class problems continue to abound in this stable and here is another.
O'Brien sees Illinois as holding potential still, despite two misses now in the Gold Cup and here. “We went to the Gold Cup with Illinois without a preparation and I know we haven't seen the best of him,” he added. “The Gold Cup was a little bit hard on him, so there is more to come from him next year–he's not finished yet but I'd say the winner is just very classy. Illinois could go to the Irish Leger with Jan Brueghel.”
A new staying kid on the block
becomes the first horse from the Classic generation to win the @Goodwood_Races Cup since Stradivarius
Unfortunately, this race has been marred by the injury to Trueshan. @AlShaqabRacing | @Qatar_Racing pic.twitter.com/AQZp4SZL2c
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 29, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Scandinavia is the sixth foal out of the unraced Fabulous (Galileo), a daughter of the renowned Mariah's Storm (Rahy) who needs no introduction as the dam of the stable's Iron Horse Giant's Causeway. His full-sister You'resothrilling also scored at Newmarket's July meeting in the G2 Cherry Hinton Stakes before going on 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. Another of Mariah's Storm's daughters, another Galileo in Butterflies, is responsible for War Front's G2 Balanchine Stakes runner-up Yet who is the dam of the yard's juvenile sensation Albert Einstein (Wootton Bassett).
Also connected to Galileo's Irish Champion-winning sire Decorated Knight, Fabulous who along with the aforementioned Above The Curve is also responsible for another smart daughter of American Pharoah in the dual Group 3-placed Thinking Of You has a yearling colt by No Nay Never to come.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
