Europe
Scandinavia routs luckless Trawlerman for second Goodwood Cup success
Coolmore's G1 St Leger hero Scandinavia (Justify) collected a first elite-level victory in last year's renewal of Goodwood's G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and repeated the dose, at the expense of the unlucky-in-running Trawlerman (Golden Horn), to become Aidan O'Brien's third dual winner of the two-mile marathon.
The 6-5 favourite, who outbattled Trawlerman in a pulsating finish to last month's G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, occupied a stalking role in third after Amiloc (Postponed) had unshipped Hector Crouch leaving the stalls. Improving into second nearing halfway as Trawlerman set the tempo up front, he was bustled along with a half-mile remaining.
With Trawlerman's impetus halted by the loose Amiloc in the straight, Scandinavia surged ahead approaching the quarter-mile pole and extended clear in style to defeat his old foe by eight and a half lengths, with Rahiebb (Frankel) faring best of the remainder three quarters-of-a-length back in third.
“Scandinavia is a great horse and a real, real top stayer,” said O'Brien after the 4-year-old added to the dual wins of Yeats and Kyprios. “He has a big cruising speed and relaxes when he finds his rhythm. Ryan (Moore) said that the minute he started asking, he felt him coming alive underneath him. We felt he was really going the right way after (Royal) Ascot and the Goodwood Cup is a very prestigious race to win.
"Ryan (Moore) said that the minute he started asking, he felt him (Scandinavia) coming alive underneath him." - Aidan O'Brien
"It is great that Trawlerman came and all the horses were there. It is what we always want to see, win, lose or draw. The plan was that we thought Trawlerman would make the running and Ryan was just going to follow him, like he did at Ascot. That is what we thought and that is the way it played out. There was a little bit of drama, I think Trawlerman was a little slowly away and there was a loose horse. It was one of those eventful races.
"It was great though, Goodwood is a great track and I think it was a great spectacle to watch. There was so much happening in a race like that and, over two miles, you get a great chance to look at it and take it all in.”
Looking ahead, the trainer continued, “He is very sound, he loves what he is doing and I think the lads love having a horse like that. When you get a horse who can race year-in-year-out, with the ability he has, that is what makes it very special. They are very hard to find, nearly impossible, but when they come along the lads love it and I would imagine he will race for as long as he is able to stay safe and sound.
"When you get a horse who can race year-in-year-out, with the ability he (Scandinavia) has, that is what makes it very special." - Aidan O'Brien
"He is a very high cruiser, very natural and easy to train. He has a great rhythm and loves what he does. He has a great mind and he is by Justify, so he has that big rhythm.”
Moore added, “I spoke to Aidan and he said it is probably as good a staying performance as he has ever seen. I never asked him for everything either and it was nice for him to have a horse to follow all the way. His stride never shortened, he just kept galloping all the way to the line and he has an unbelievable race record now. He could not have done any more than he did today. He likes fast ground, he is a high-class horse and hopefully there are a few more good days to come.”
Pedigree notes: Scandinavia, one of his sire's 11 Group/Grade 1 winners, is the sixth of nine foals and one of three winners out of an unraced sibling of eight black-type performers headed by multiple Group 1-winning sire Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat).
He is a half-brother to G1 Prix Saint-Alary victrix Above The Curve (American Pharoah), the dual Group 3-placed Thinking Of You (American Pharoah), a 2-year-old colt by No Nay Never, a yearling filly by Siyouni and a weanling filly by Wootton Bassett. His dam Fabulous (Galileo) was bred back to Justify this year.
Galileo-sired descendants of his second dam Mariah's Storm (Rahy), herself kin to Group 1-placed sire Panoramic (Rainbow Quest), include sires Gleneagles, Decorated Knight and Taj Mahal, Classic heroines Marvellous and Joan Of Arc, multiple Group 1-winning distaffer Happily and elite-level performers Vatican City, Coolmore and Toy.
No Nay Never's Lake Forest swoops for Lennox triumph
Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Lake Forest (No Nay Never) was doing his best work at the business end of last month's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and, faced with an easier task in Tuesday's G2 HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood, bettered his runner-up finish in last year's renewal to secure a second win at Group 2 level.
The 2023 G2 Gimcrack and 2024 $10 million Golden Eagle hero was help up behind a moderate tempo in seventh until beyond halfway. Coming under pressure approaching the quarter-mile marker, he quickened into second entering the final furlong and kept on rolling to subdue last year's winner Witness Stand (Expert Eye) and withstand the late surge of Royal Hunt Cup winner Rogue Diplomat (Calyx) by neck.
“We thought there would be lots of pace and there was not, so I thought Lake Forest ran really well,” said Maureen Haggas.
“He is a totally different horse since being gelded and it is extraordinary what a difference that can make. He has always been a talented horse, but you could never have called him consistent because he was absolutely brilliant one day, whereas the next day he just could not be bothered. It seems to have made him more consistent and that is great.”
"He (Lake Forest) is a totally different horse since being gelded and it is extraordinary what a difference that can make." - Maureen Haggas
Looking ahead to having a pop at Wednesday's G1 Sussex Stakes, she added, “The owners are up for it and we have plenty of time to decide. He has got nothing until York and does not have to do any travelling. He is pretty laid back, so unless something happens overnight, I would imagine that is the plan.
"If he is okay, why not? We have done it once or twice a year and we did it with a filly the other night. She was second on both runs, but definitely ran better the second night. Martin Pipe always said if you run them on consecutive days, they always run better the second time. If you have a day in between, not so much.”
"Martin Pipe always said if you run them on consecutive days, they always run better the second time." - Maureen Haggas
Winning rider Cieren Fallon reflected, “The expected pace did not happen, so it was Plan B. It is not ideal, but when you are riding a horse of this calibre, you can change your tactics just like that. They did not go much of a gallop and he was in a position where I had to commit a long way out, which was not ideal. He is a horse that likes to be covered up and get there as late as possible, but in a race of this stature, with it being so tricky, I could not sit there and wait for a gap because it can just close like that.
"I had to peel him out down the middle of the track and, as you can see, he does not really do a stroke, which I suppose is not a bad thing with tomorrow in mind. Things did not go according to plan, but he got the job done, which is pleasing.”
Pedigree notes: Lake Forest is one of 10 scorers from as many runners for G3 Sirenia Stakes third Lady Aquitaine (El Prado), herself a half-sister to the stakes-winning dam of four black-type performers headed by dual Group 1-winning sire Roderic O'Connor (Galileo).
The winner, one of his sire's 82 stakes scorers, is a half-brother to GIII Cardinal Stakes winner Star Fortress (Sea The Stars), the dual Group-placed Listed Derby du Languedoc victrix Lady Of Kyushu (Smart Strike), stakes winner Clint Maroon (Oasis Dream) and a 2-year-old colt by Ghaiyyath.
Descendants of his dam also include G3 Prix Fille de l'Air victrix Higher Leaves (Golden Horn), GIII Honeymoon Stakes winner Selenaia (Sea The Moon) and the four-time Group 2-placed Do Or Do Not (Space Blues).
