Scandinavia wins Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup: Result, report and free video replay

The race promised to be a mouthwatering rematch between the winner and Trawlerman who fought out an epic finish to the Gold Cup at Ascot.

They raced first and second and the British raider led the way to the two furlong marker when Amiloc made a dramatic intervention.

He'd been running loose after unshipping Hector Crouch at the start and was riderless, decided to head over the far rail, forcing William Buick to snatch up and the advantage and race were gone.

To be fair Scandinavia was strong to the line and beat his rival by a widening eight-and-a-half lengths but we were denied the showdown that looked to be on the cards for much of the contest.

Goodwood Cup result

1st Scandinavia 6/5 favourite

2nd Trawlerman 13/8

3rd Rahiebb 14/1

Free video replay of Scandinavia winning the Goodwood Cup

Post-race reaction

Aidan 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.

"The plan was that 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 at what point he knows how many seasons he can campaign a horse like Scandinavia, 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."

Asked whether the horse could emulate Yeats, he said: "I think he could. He is a very high cruiser, very natural, easy to train, has a great rhythm and loves what he does. He has a great mind. He is by Justify, so he has that big rhythm.”

Ryan Moore said: “I was just talking to Aidan there and he said it is probably as good a staying performance as he has ever seen. I never asked him for everything either. It was nice for him to have a horse to follow all the way – he probably thinks he got beat! He is a very good horse.

“He has an unbelievable race record now. His stride never shortened, he just kept galloping all the way to the line. What more can you say? He could not have done any more than he did today. He likes fast ground, is a high-class horse and hopefully there are a few more good days to come."

On the interference, Trawlerman’s jockey William Buick said: “It was significant. It is hard to say how significant but Trawlerman is a Gold Cup winner, so he stays and he was just going through the gears down the hill.

“To try and outmanoeuvre or manoeuvre around a loose horse is never easy and my worry obviously was that if I found myself on his outside, we could give away a lot of ground and end up on the stand-side theoretically. I went the short route and really, he only got in the way at the most important part of the race.

“It definitely had an effect and it's unfortunate. I know the winner won well on the day but, on a horse like Trawlerman in a staying race, when you get hampered at that stage, it is obviously never ideal. He has run a super race considering."

Trawlerman’s co-trainer John Gosden said: “It was a messy race. He got interfered with early and then the pace early was quite strong. He got into a nice rhythm down the hill and I noticed Ryan was beginning to ride on Scandinavia and we had a length and a half on him.

“The loose horse came back and visited us again and, once you check and lose your rhythm, that's it in any race, let alone when you're finding a rhythm over that trip. That is life and that's racing, it happens more in Jump racing than Flat racing.

“When you've been crossed like that and checked, he's not the type to turn around and start quickening. He has to build it up, which he was. But look, that's the way it is. We got the worst of it and we went from being a length and a half in front to a length and a half behind. That's racing.”

Roger Varian said of Rahiebb: “He ran well. The race did not set up too well for us because it got a bit messy and they did not go very quick. He got locked away at the wrong time off a steady gallop, and the two big horses got first run. I am not suggesting it stopped us from winning, but I think it probably stopped us from finishing second.

"He got the trip well, which I was pleased about. I would not rule out going further again with him. Watching him today, all he looked like he was doing was staying, so you cannot judge it on one run. He will likely go to York and we will also look at the Irish St Leger. Next year we will see. He will be a stronger horse and I would not rule out going beyond two miles again. He looked a stayer today and I think he will keep getting better."

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.