YOU cannot say that Aidan O’Brien is in any way a showy man, but he could not have picked a better race in which to saddle his 100th Royal Ascot winner. Traditionally the race of the week, the Gold Cup might not now have influence on the bloodstock world as a maker of flat stallions, but as a racing spectacle it is hard to beat, and you will not find many editions to be as exciting at the 2026 renewal.

Scandinavia (Justify) saw out the two and a half miles of the Gold Cup with courage, while the opening race on the day, the seven-furlong Listed Chesham Stakes was won by another son of Justify (Scat Daddy), the Fozzy Stack-trained Nola Soul. What a sire the Ashford Stud resident is, with 11 Group or Grade 1 winners already to his credit, and 62 stakes winners. His oldest crop are six-year-olds.