Update winner Scandinavia & Top 40 winner Earth Shot

Aidan O'Brien trained his 100th winner at Royal Ascot when Scandinavia won the Gold Cup in a thrilling finish with last year's victor Trawlerman. The four year old was providing his trainer with his tenth win in the week's showpiece event. The young pretender had to dig deep to get the better of the eight year old runner-up who was making his belated seasonal reappearance, who was reportedly in intensive care over Easter. A head separated the pair with nine lengths back to the third Sweet William. Ryan Moore didn't enjoy the smoothest of runs during the race being shuffled back further than ideal. However, the Justify colt is a street fighter and has tremendous determination. Responding generously inside the final quarter of a mile, he wore down John & Thady Gosden's runner close home. It was a magnificent spectacle provided by two top-class staying horses. Scandinavia was advised in the Royal Ascot Update and so, too, was the fourth Al Riffa who was slowly away and never given the opportunity to get involved. Beaten around eleven and a half lengths, Joseph O'Brien's runner ought to have been third.

Earth Shot (4/1) was a winner for the Top 40 Prospects relishing the step up to a mile and a half in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes. The Time Test filly, who was bought by Wathnan Racing, did well to reel in Johanna Walsh late on having been pushed wide on the hometurn by a loose horse. Runner-up in the Listed Height of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood last time, she is a stoutly bred filly and stamina is very much her forte. Picking up strongly inside the final furlong and a half, she provided William Haggas with his second winner of the week - the stable passed the 3000th winner barrier at Beverley on Tuesday evening, which is a fantastic achievement. 

The two selections in the King George V Handicap were disappointing - Cannes was heavily supported in the market but never threatened to get involved following a sluggish start, while Into The Light held every chance before the hometurn but failed to pick up. Arc Ole Ole was a running on fifth and looks capable of winning a good middle distance / staying prize this summer. Raised ten pounds for his win at York's Dante meeting in May, he raced off 85 here and will have no trouble staying further. The progressive Study of Man colt looks tailormade for the Melrose Stakes at York in August.