By Tom Frary
Following the example of stablemate Charles Darwin in the preceding race at Navan on Saturday, Scandinavia (Justify) kept to the script when making a winning return in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes.
Sent off the 11-10 favourite for the 14-furlong contest used by Ballydoyle for many years for their star stayers such as Kyprios, Order Of St George and Yeats, last year's St Leger and Goodwood Cup hero waited behind the leading duo early.
Sent forward by Ryan Moore to gain the edge approaching the furlong pole, the leading player from the operation for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot had 1 1/2 lengths to spare over Dallas Star (Cloth Of Stars) at the line.
“Ryan was delighted with him–he always went like a Cup horse and Ryan thought the same there, so we're delighted really,” Aidan O'Brien said. “The Saval Beg is the plan, that is what we are thinking and then the Gold Cup. He's a big horse, very relentless and he's always coming home.”
🇮🇪Vintage Crop Stakes @NavanRacecourse
Navan – Listed – 4 ans et plus – 2815m – 7 Pts – 52 499 €🏆Scandinavia (m4) (Usa) 🏇R L Moore
📖(Justify (Usa) @coolmoreamerica – Fabulous (Ire) par Galileo (Ire))🕶️A P O'Brien
🎩Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs… pic.twitter.com/DRRrKsWYPD— French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) April 25, 2026
Scandinavia's unraced dam Fabulous (Galileo) is also responsible for the high-class Above The Curve (American Pharoah) who captured the Prix Saint-Alary as a Group 1 and her dual Group-placed full-sister Thinking Of You. The second dam is the legendary Mariah's Storm (Rahy), responsible for the champion and leading sire Giant's Causeway and his Cherry Hinton-winning full-sister You'resothrilling whose comprehensive list of Group 1 performers by Galileo include Gleneagles, Marvellous, Happily and Joan Of Arc. Fabulous's two-year-old colt is by No Nay Never, while she also has a yearling filly by Siyouni.
BAR 1 BETTING VINTAGE CROP STAKES-Listed, €52,500, Navan, 4-25, 4yo/up, 14fT, 3:03.28, g/y.
1–SCANDINAVIA, 136, c, 4, Justify–Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €31,500. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, 9-5-1-1, $1,129,916. *1/2 to Above The Curve (American Pharoah), G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ire, G1SP-Eng.
2–Dallas Star (Fr), 131, g, 5, Cloth Of Stars (Ire)–Agathe Rare (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. (€30,000 Wlg '21 ARQDEC; 50,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT; 180,000gns RNA 2yo '23 TATBRE). O-Amo Racing Limited; B-Mme Eliane Dieuaide & SAS Domaine Billard Pere et Fils; T-Robson De Aguiar. €10,500.
3–Emit (Ire), 131, g, 4, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Light Of Joy, by Kitten's Joy. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd; T-Joseph O'Brien. €5,250.
Margins: 1HF, 3/4, HF. Odds: 1.10, 33.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Leinster (Ire), Carmers (Ire), Layfayette (Ire), Sunchart (GB).
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