The famed Glorious Goodwood meeting got underway overnight with three Group races contested that saw all of the favourites rolled with a new G1 winner for Justify, a first stakes-winner for a young Frankel sire son and a return to form for Golden Eagle winner Lake Forest.
The Group I Goodwood Cup (2m) had a short priced favourite in the Aidan O’Brien trained four year-old Galileo stallion Illinois and a crowd favourite runner in veteran stayer Trueshan, who won the race in 2021.
Tragically, Trueshan and his regular partner Hollie Doyle did not complete the course with the nine year-old gelding suffering a fatal injury which cast a long shadow over the day.
Victory in the race went to the Aidan O’Brien trained second string runner in three year-old Justify colt Scandinavia, who outgunned his older stablemate Illinois to win by three-quarters of a length under Wayne Lordan.
A last start Group III winner at Newmarket, Scandinavia has now won three of seven starts.
“Scandinavia looks a very classy stayer, he travelled very well through the race and Wayne [Lordan] gave him a beautiful ride,” said Aidan O’Brien.
“He was always a very smart horse. The lads actually backed him for the Derby very early in his career, he was considered a very good horse.
“He won his maiden over a mile and a quarter and Wayne was delighted with him at Ascot next time - he got trapped six wide but he still didn't lie down the whole way and came back at the line to try and win.
“He's a great stayer with a great mind, he's uncomplicated, and like we saw today he handled the ease in the ground well. You couldn't be more delighted with him really. You would imagine he looks a ready-made Leger horse.”
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Scandinavia is a half-brother to Group I winner Above the Curve and is the second Group I winner among three winners from blueblood Galileo mare Fabulous, an unraced half-sister to champion racehorse and sire Giant’s Causeway.
Fabulous is also a half-sister to Group II winning blue hen You’resothrilling, the dam of Group I winners Gleneagles, Happily, Joan of Arc and Marvellous with the family also producing this year’s exciting Group winning juvenile Albert Einstein.
Scandinavia is the ninth Group I winner for Justify, who is available for Southern Hemisphere covers at Coolmore’s US base of Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
2024 Champion European 3YO Colt and Horse of the Year, City of Troy stands at a fee of $49,500, while Storm Boy is priced more affordably at $16,500.
The Group II Lennox Stakes (7f) saw a return to form for Golden Eagle winner Lake Forest, who ran home well for second to long shot winner Witness Stand.
A four year-old gelding by Expert Eye, Witness Stand was bought by his current connections for 100,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale last year and is now trained by the partnership of Jamie Insole and Richard Newland.
It was his first win for his new owners and Witness Stand now has four wins from 16 starts with this victory his second Black Type success.
Bred by Alvediston Stud, Witness Stand has a Juddmonte pedigree and is the best of four winners from Respondez, a placed sister to Group I winning sprinter Prohibit.
His sire Expert Eye now stands in South Africa.
The Group II Vintage Stakes (7f) for the two year-olds produced another upset with Wootton Bassett expected to get the winner in race favourite Dorset, but the big grey faded to finish fifth with victory going to unbeaten colt Zavateri.
Trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, Zavateri had to carry a penalty having won the Group II July Stakes at Newmarket at his previous start.
He made it three wins in as many starts when scoring by a short head for Charles Bishop in a thriller over Godolphin’s Palace Pier colt Morris Dancer.
Purchased for a modest 35,000 guineas from the Newsells Park Stud draft at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Yearling Sale by Highflyer Bloodstock / Eve Johnson Houghton, Zavateri
“Zavateri is just so tough, he had to win his race twice. He went to win it and then William [Buick] came at him so he had to win it again. He just amazes me, he's such a dude and a lovely horse. He cut through the pack like a knife through butter,” said Eve Johnson Houghton.
Zavateri is the first foal of unraced Aga Khan bred Siyouni mare Zeroua, a half-sister to imported Australian Group III winner Zeyrek and importantly a grand-daughter of 2008 European Horse of the Year Zarkava.
Zavateri is the first stakes-winner for his sire Without Parole, a Group I winning son of Frankel, whose oldest progeny are three year-olds.
Without Parole stands at Newsells Park Stud at a fee of £8,000.
