Kentucky-bred Scandinavia made it back-to-back Group 1 wins with a determined victory in the prestigious Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster. The victory came on the heels of a score in the Goodwood Cup (G1) in his previous start. The St Leger win gave Kentucky-breds a pair of impressive scores in this year’s British Classics with Godolphin’s Kentucky-bred Ruling Court taking the 2000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket earlier in the year.
Ridden by Tom Marquand, Scandinavia was sent off as the race favorite. “He has got the most beautiful temperament,” Marquand told ITV Sport after the win. “He is just so straightforward and was so tough here. The [soft] ground was hard work, but he fended them all off. He’s an extra special horse.”
Owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Mrs. John Magnier, Scandinavia is trained by Aidan O’Brien. Bred in Kentucky by Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt, Scandinavia is by Triple Crown winner Justify and is produced from the Galileo (IRE) mare Fabulous (IRE). All told, Scandinavia has won 4-of-8 lifetime starts and banked $1,093,001.
“He’s hardy and Tom gave him a great ride,” O’Brien said to Racing Post. “He stays very well but we were a little bit worried when the ground got on the softer side. He’s a lovely horse. He’s a typical Justify; he’s very, very genuine. The better the ground, the better you’ll see from him, and I’d say there’s plenty to come from him. Scandinavia is in the Melbourne Cup. It’s a possibility. He’ll have to go and get scanned and see whether he is eligible to go or not, but there’s a very good chance the lads might want to go down there with him.”