Scandinavia

The King must by now be on pretty friendly terms with Aidan O'Brien, the trainer who has spent more time than any in his counting house. On Tuesday he handed him the trainer's prize for the five-furlong sprint named in His Majesty's honour and 48 hours later another was dished out for the longest Group 1 race run in Britain. The Gold Cup, with its 219-year history, is also one of the most cherished races of the week. In these eyes it ranks above all others, and a huge portion...

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...

Thursday's G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot will see 11 stayers line up, with Ballydoyle's Scandinavia (Justify) set to tackle last year's hero Trawlerman (Golden Horn) in a clash to savour. Last year's St Leger hero will be the sole runner for Aidan O'Brien as the trainer seeks a record-extending 10th renewal, with Godolphin's Trawlerman one of two for the Gosdens alongside Normandie Stud's stalwart Sweet William (Sea The Stars). Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Leger runner-up and Yorkshire Cup winner Rahiebb (Frankel), Victorious Forever's Prix du Cadran and Prix Vicomtesse Vigier hero Caballo...

Coolmore's Scandinavia (Justify) has undertaken Ballydoyle's tried-and-trusted route towards next month's G1 Gold Cup and last term's G1 St Leger and G1 Goodwood Cup hero backed up his win in last month's Listed Vintage Crop Stakes on seasonal return with a workmanlike performance in Friday's G3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown. "This was the perfect race to bridge the gap [to Royal Ascot] and we'll get more serious as we go along," said Aidan O'Brien. "He's a big, relaxed horse and we couldn't be happier really. Ryan [Moore] was...

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...

3.05 Navan, Listed, 4yo/up, 14fT SCANDINAVIA (Justify) is the day's big news as he returns for Ballydoyle in a race used for several of their leading stayers such as Kyprios, Order Of St George and Yeats. Last year's St Leger and Goodwood Cup hero meets the Leger fifth Carmers (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Fiona Carmichael's Queen's Vase winner who remains unexposed over these staying trips.   1.55 Navan, Mdn, 2yo, 5f 180yT WEST OF EDEN (IRE) (No Nay Never) is the chosen representative from Ballydoyle in a maiden that has...

Tattersalls has announced the appointment of trainer and stallion master Knut Arnesen as its Scandinavian representative. "Knut Arnesen is a great addition to the Tattersalls team of overseas representatives, we place huge emphasis on promoting all Tattersalls sales to as wide an international audience as possible and we are delighted that he has joined us. Well-known and hugely respected in the Scandinavian racing and bloodstock industry, Knut brings a wealth of experience to the role and his knowledge and extensive contacts in Scandinavia will be invaluable," said Tattersalls managing director...

Scandinavia, removed from G1 Melbourne Cup contention last month by connections, failed to pass the required Australian veterinary scans leading up to the Race that Stops the Nation, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. The son of Justify won the Goodwood Cup and the G1 St Leger and will instead target the G1 Gold Cup next June. "He didn't pass the scans," O'Brien told Matt Chapman of At The Races. "That's the long and short of it. He is a three-year-old and obviously three-year-olds do have different bone structures than four-year-olds...

The majority of the season's stars have held their ground after the latest acceptance stage for Britain's richest race day, the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on October 18. In the £1.3-million QIPCO Champion Stakes, the 2024 winner Anmaat (Awtaad) will lock horns with the G1 Princes Of Wales's Stakes/G1 Juddmonte International Stakes hero Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) and G1 Eclipse Stakes winner Delacroix (Dubawi). Also entered in that contest is the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Calandagan (Gleneagles), 2024 G1 Irish Champion Stakes scorer...

Classic winner Scandinavia will not travel Down Under for a G1 Melbourne Cup engagement in November, trainer Aidan O'Brien revealed. The son of Justify, fresh off consecutive victories in the G1 Goodwood Cup and the G1 St Leger, will head to winter quarters instead with an eye to Royal Ascot's G1 Gold Cup in June. O'Brien told the PA news agency of the Coolmore partners' runner, "He's not going [to Australia], he's finished for the year and will be trained for the Gold Cup next year." Placed twice from three...

There was much consternation when only three new Flat stallions retired to stand in Britain for the 2025 season. It remains to be seen whether this was a blip, but if it becomes a trend then obviously it is cause for concern. It is easy to understand why, in an increasingly commercial sphere, breeders would either flock to the proven elite (for those with mares good enough and pockets deep enough) or to the next first-season sire on the block who may be forgiven for a year or two until...

There was a moment in the closing stages of Doncaster's G1 St Leger on Saturday that summed up the state of affairs at Coolmore in this pivotal era. As Galileo's final Classic runner Stay True loomed to Justify's Scandinavia, the Classic briefly looked in the balance but it was ultimately the son of the operation's heir apparent and not of the departed giant who earned the statement win. At the line, Tom Marquand had secured a neck success for Aidan O'Brien's third in succession and ninth overall in this prize...