Ryan Moore rode Scandinavia to a commanding victory in the Group One Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, but the race was overshadowed by drama involving a riderless horse that led the field for much of the way and veered across the leaders with three furlongs to run.
Drama at the start
The incident began at the start when Hector Crouch was unseated from Amiloc as the horse jinked to the right, catching his foot on the stalls. The gelding then worked his way to the head of the field with nearly 12 furlongs remaining, veered wide on the home turn, and drifted sharply across both Scandinavia and Trawlerman soon afterward.
Scandinavia, the favourite, was half a length behind Trawlerman at the time. Moore continued riding, but William Buick on Trawlerman lost all momentum. Scandinavia’s eventual winning margin of eight and a half lengths—with the riderless Amiloc still in front—suggested the result was not affected, though the crowd missed a battle between two top-class stayers.
Jockey reactions
“It’s significant,” Buick said. “It’s hard to say how significant but he’s a horse who is a Gold Cup winner [in 2025], so he stays. To try to manoeuvre around a loose horse is never easy and my worry was if I found myself on his outside, I could give away a lot of ground and be on the stands side, theoretically. I went the shortest route and he only got in my way in the most important part of the race.”
Moore felt the loose horse may have helped his mount. “It was nice for him to have a horse to follow all the way,” Moore said. “He probably thinks he got beat. His stride never shortened, he just kept galloping all the way to the line. He’s a high-class horse and hopefully there’s a few more good days to come.”
Other highlights
Lake Forest, who finished fast under Cieren Fallon to take the Group Two Lennox Stakes by a neck, could attempt a remarkable double in the Group One Sussex Stakes on Wednesday. “I don’t see why he can’t come here again tomorrow, that’s the plan,” said Maureen Haggas, wife of trainer William Haggas. “We’ll see how he is. If we’re happy with him, then why not? He’s a five-year-old gelding and he hasn’t got to travel anywhere. We don’t know about [the step up to] a mile, but he stays seven well.”
Earlier, Kaiya Fraser produced a ride of the meeting contender, threading Oliver Cole’s Dr Rascal through a narrow gap against the far rail to win the Group Two Vintage Stakes by half a length. Fraser, born and raised in Hackney, did not sit on a horse until enrolling on a foundation course for apprentice riders at the British Racing School in Newmarket at age 16. “It means everything, this is what we wake up for every morning,” Fraser said. “I’ve put so much hard work in to get where I am today, and all the people around who have helped me—my agent James Forrest, and all the owners and trainers who put me up—I’m very grateful to them and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”
Bow Echo eyes Sussex Stakes
Bow Echo, the most impressive winner of the 2,000 Guineas since Frankel at Newmarket in May, will seek to extend his unbeaten record to six starts in the Group One Sussex Stakes on Wednesday. He was hampered early in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and held on by a short-head from Gstaad. Gstaad is back for a third tilt, but Opera Ballo may pose a bigger danger from a low draw. Bow Echo has several pounds to spare on ratings, a good draw in stall one, and scope to improve after just five starts.
