Scandinavia Gives Justify Third British Classic Winner

It was a historic win for Justify on Saturday when his son Scandinavia (3c Justify x Fabulous, by Galileo) won the Group I St Leger at Doncaster to give Justify the winners of all three British classics.

Winning his first Group I in the Goodwood Cup Stakes over older horses last out, he cut back in distance in his return to his own age group here. Breaking well from an outside gate, Scandinavia went to the front early before letting dual Derby-winning stablemate Lambourn take over the running and stuck to that one’s hip.

The pair had a few lengths on the rest of the field as they relaxed in the top two spots through the middle stages of the race.

Entering the final half mile, Lambourn started to drop back and Wootton Bassett’s Carmers made a bid against Scandinavia for the lead with Lambourn also coming back at the eventual winner. Scandinavia had both of those horses in his review mirror with just over a furlong left to run, but there was another test to be faced. With Galileo’s Stay True coming up the outside and Rahiebb coming up the inside, Scandinavia dug deep to make sure he was never headed. By the time they hit the line, Scandinavia still had his neck in front.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners, who also bred the colt, Scandinavia is the winner of half of his starts with three straight Group victories in his last three starts. He has finished in the top three in six of eight starts overall.

“He's in the Melbourne Cup and that's a possibility,” O’Brien said. “He has to go and get scanned to see if he's eligible, but there's every chance the lads might want to go down there with him. He's a typical Justify, very, very genuine and the drier the ground the better you'll see him and I think there's plenty more to come. Every week he's getting better.”

Bred on the golden Justify x Galileo cross, Scandinavia is a half-brother to American Pharoah’s Group I winner Above The Curve and that one’s Group III placed Thinking Of You. Their dam Fabulous is a daughter of multiple graded stakes winner and very successful broodmare Mariah’s Storm. She produced Horse of the Year Giant’s Causeway, Group II winner and fellow bluehen broodmare You’resothrilling and six other stakes performers.

Fabulous joins You’resothrilling and Pearling as Grade I producers out of Mariah’s Storm with You’resothrilling producing top-level winners Gleneagles, Happily, and Joan Of Arc and Pearling producing Decorated Knight.

Fabulous has a No Nay Never yearling colt to come.

This was the second classic winner of the year for Justify, whose Ruling Court won the Group I 2000 Guineas in May. He also saw son City of Troy win last year’s Group I Epsom Derby.