Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup (Group 1)
THE 6/5 favourite Scandinavia (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) made it seven wins on the spin in the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup at Goodwood on Tuesday, in a race which was affected by an incident where Amiloc unseated his rider leaving the stalls before running loose and causing trouble for runner-up Trawlerman (John & Thady Gosden/William Buick).
Scandinavia had joined Trawlerman when the latter was baulked by the loose horse at the three-furlong pole and he was able to come home unchallenged by eight and a half lengths, with Rahiebb (Roger Varian/Ray Dawson) three-parts of a length behind Trawlerman in third.
The result mirrored that of the Gold Cup at Ascot and the winner was repeating his victory in the race last year.
O’Brien said: “Scandinavia is a great horse, a real, real top stayer. He has a big cruising speed and relaxes when he finds his rhythm. Ryan said that the minute he started asking, he felt him coming alive underneath him.
“We felt he was really going the right way after Ascot. The Goodwood Cup is a great race to win - very prestigious, and it is great that Trawlerman came and all the horses were there. It is what we always want to see; win, lose or draw.
Follow
“We thought Trawlerman would make the running, and we were hoping he would. Ryan was just going to follow him, like he did at Ascot.
“It was going to be very simple whether he was going to be good enough or not. 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.”
Asked about the winner’s potential longevity, O’Brien added: “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.”
LAKE Forest (William Haggas/Cieren Fallon) was runner-up in the Group 2 HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes last year, but he made no mistake this time, picking his rivals off to win by a neck from Rogue Diplomat (James Owen/Harry Davies).
The 2025 winner Witness Stand (Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole/Kieran Shoemark) was beaten just a length in his bid to defend his title.
The winner was returned at 10/11 after strong support, and was held up well off a modest gallop, but showed his class with the way he was able to come from the rear to score, even as others were quickening. Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “We thought there would be lots of pace and there was not, so I thought Lake Forest ran really well. He is a totally different horse since being gelded. It is extraordinary what 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 turned out again in the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday.
DR Rascal (Oliver Cole/Kaiya Fraser) gave his rider the biggest success of his burgeoning career when taking the Group 2 Vintage Stakes, with Fraser making a bold decision to challenge on the far rail to head early leader Pikachu over a furlong out.
The 13/2 chance kept on well despite a bump inside the final furlong to hold the sustained run of Haffner (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) by half a length, with Superlative Stakes winner Al Hudaiba (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) just a short-head behind in the battle for minor honours.
Dr Rascal, racing in the colours of Charlie and Julia Rosier, is now unbeaten in three races after earlier wins at Leicester and Ascot; he coped well with the step up from novice company and is set for another step up in class in the autumn.
Good horse
“I was always quietly confident,” said Oliver Cole. “Dr Rascal is a very good horse, and I wasn’t verynervous before the race which was quite a good thing because I have a lot of faith in this horse. He got loose before Ascot and then he’s just got mullered coming up there in the straight and he’s still won. He’s a very good horse - we’ll probably look to the Dewhurst or something like that.”
Handicap recap
The opening race of Glorious Goodwood was the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap and victory went to Al Aali (George Scott/William Buick), the well-backed 11/2 joint favourite.
The Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap over five furlongs went to the veteran Twilight Calls (Richard Spencer/Saffie Osborne) at 6/1, who has been revitalised since switching from Henry Candy.
Once thought a Group 1 performer, he has a remarkable record in five-furlong handicaps granted good or quicker ground, with this win taking his domestic form figures in such races to 111211.