UK: Scandinavia scores thrilling St Leger win
Justify (Scat Daddy) sired his second Classic winner of the season when Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) entrant Scandinavia (3 c Justify – Fabulous by Galileo) showed tenacity in spades to win the St Leger Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 6.5f) at Doncaster on Saturday, providing his trainer Aidan O’Brien a ninth win in the Group 1.
An impressive winner of the Bahrain Trophy Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 5f) in July, the colt followed up that win with a Group 1 breakthrough in the Goodwood Cup (Gr 1, 2m) later on that month.
Ridden by Tom Marquand on Saturday, the colt had no issues with the drop back in trip, finishing strongly to beat the rallying Rahiebb (Frankel) by a neck. The winner’s stablemate Stay True (Galileo) came home a further length away in third.
O’Brien, winning the race for the third year running, watched on from day one of the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown and shared his delight after the race.
“He’s hardy and Tom gave him a great ride,” said O’Brien. “He stays very well but 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.”
Marquand was winning a second Leger after scoring on Galileo Chrome (Australia) in 2020 and he said it was a straightforward race.
“He’s got the most beautiful temperament. Speaking to Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore and Wayne Lordan, the thing they all said was just how straightforward he was,” he said.
“The ground is hard work and they all came to have a go at him, but he covered them all. To be aboard for Ballydoyle is something special.”
Marquand, who rode the winner as a maiden last year, said he could see the potential then but never envisaged winning the Leger on him.
He added: “I thought he’d be a lovely staying type but I managed to get beat on him that day. He’s an extremely special horse and one I’m privileged to be sat aboard today.”
Raced by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier, Scandinavia is a half-brother to fellow Group 1 scorer Above The Curve (American Pharoah) being out of the unraced Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Fabulous, herself a half-sister Group 1 winner turned sire Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat).
Being out of a Galileo mare, Scandinavia is bred on the same cross as eight other stakes winners including multiple Group 1 winner City Of Troy, who is covering his first book of mares at Coolmore’s Jerry Plains base this spring.
Justify, who shuttled to Coolmore Australia between 2019-2021 and again in 2023, enjoyed Classic glory earlier in the season when the Charlie Appleby-trained Ruling Court landed the 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) at Newmarket. Sadly, it was announced last month the Godolphin-owned colt had to be put down following complications arising from the hoof disease laminitis.
The Triple Crown winner stood the 2025 northern hemisphere breeding season at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud for a fee of US$250,000 (approx. AU$384,720).