Scandinavia Secures First G1 in Goodwood Cup
Scandinavia (3c Justify x Fabulous, by Galileo) became the ninth Grade I winner for Justify on Tuesday with a win in the Group I Goodwood Cup.
Looking to back up his 8 ½ length Group III victory last out, Scandinavia stepped up to two miles in this top-level event with a dazzling display. He pushed Galileo’s Illinois for much of the race before entering a true challenge with a furlong left to run.
With a sixteenth left to run, he passed that one and pulled to a three-quarter length lead by the time they hit the line.
Taking on elders here, Scandinavia has now won three of his seven starts with two other top three finishes. The colt trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners, who also bred him, earned his first stakes victory last out.
“He's a typical Justify – they will not lie down, no matter where they are or how tired they get and that big open stride keeps going and their heads keep down. That pure genuineness that Galileo had is there, but they have that little more class,” O'Brien said. “The lads backed him for the Derby a long time ago, so he's probably very classy and always has been. He looks Leger-made, he's very straightforward and he handled an ease in the ground today.”
He is the second Group I winner for Galileo’s daughter Fabulous, who also produced American Pharoah’s Group I winning Above The Curve and Group III placed Thinking Of You. Fabulous is the latest superstar broodmare out of bluehen mare Mariah’s Storm.
In addition to producing Horse of the Year and champion sire Giant’s Causeway, she also produced Group II winner and top broodmare You’resothrilling. That mare has seven stakes winners led by four winning Group Is – Gleneagles, Happily, Joan of Arc, and Marvellous. Another of You’resothrilling’s daughters of the granddam of Wootton Bassett’s 2025 Group III winning 2-year-old Albert Einstein.
Other Mariah’s Storm daughters produced three-time Group I winner Decorated Knight and Gorup II winner and Group I placed Storm the Stars.
Fabulous produced a No Nay Never colt last year.
Justify’s nine Grade I winners puts him 12th among all active North American sires with his two Grade I winners in 2025 second best.