Scandinavia

That winning run started in May 2025 at Navan, but Scandinavia quickly made it clear he wasn't going to linger in ordinary company. Within two months he had won a top-level race at Newmarket, then another at Goodwood, then — most impressively — the St Leger at Doncaster in September, one of Britain's oldest and most prestigious races. Three Class 1 wins in under three months is the kind of form that tends to rewrite how a horse is talked about. When A P O'Brien's stable — one of the most celebrated yards in racing, which has sent out 138 winners already this season — targets a specific route for a horse, it matters. The plan for Scandinavia is firmly focused on staying races, meaning races run over long distances, and it is easy to see why.

O'Brien has described him as a big, long-striding horse who travels through races with real class. At Goodwood, jockey Wayne Lordan, who rides him in two of every five races and wins on roughly 40% of those, gave him what the trainer called "a beautiful ride" — but the key detail was something Ryan Moore had said after Newmarket: that Scandinavia simply felt very classy. That is the kind of private verdict that changes plans, and it did. Scandinavia was sent to Goodwood alongside the stable's original intended runner, and he won.

There are whispers about the Melbourne Cup — a famous long-distance race in Australia — though a medical check is needed to confirm eligibility. O'Brien is also eyeing major staying races in Ireland in the spring. The trainer's one note of caution is worth flagging: Scandinavia clearly prefers faster, drier ground, and when conditions turned muddy at Doncaster, there was genuine concern before he came through anyway. On good ground, O'Brien believes, you are seeing the very best of him — and right now, even without ideal conditions, he keeps winning.