Kentucky-bred Scandinavia won a thrilling renewal of the 2 ½-mile Gold Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot on Day 3 of the prestigious race meet.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, Scandinavia defeated Trawlerman (IRE), the defending Gold Cup champ, after a prolonged duel to the finish. With the impressive victory, Scandinavia is now a three-time Group 1 winner. The son of Justify won last year’s Goodwood Cup S. (G1) at Goodwood and the St. Leger (G1) at Doncaster. He is perfect in three starts in 2026 and is a winner of six consecutive races.
Owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Mrs. John Magnier, Scandinavia was bred in Kentucky by Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt. Scandinavia gave trainer Aidan O’Brien an unprecedented 100th career winner at Royal Ascot.
“It’s very special for me, Annemarie, and everybody at Ballydoyle,” O’Brien said in Racing Post. “It’s a big team thing as you know and Ryan gave him a peach of a ride. [Reaching 100 winners] is something we never think about. It’s literally one race at a time.
“The second horse is a great horse, very brave,” he added. “We felt our horse was very brave, relentless, and cruises. It’s an honor and a privilege to be involved in the team and he’s a small part with everybody. I can’t tell you how grateful we are to everybody. What can I say? It was an incredible feeling.”
Scandinavia is produced from the Galileo (IRE) mare Fabulous (IRE). His lifetime record now stands at 11-7-1-1 with earnings of $1,705,104.