Rarely is the sequel as good as the original and there was undeniably a sense of the Goodwood Cup Stakes (G1) failing to match up to its predecessor, despite Scandinavia cementing his status as the dominant force in the staying division with a performance gilded lavishly with class and stamina.
Almost six weeks after edging out Trawlerman in one of the great Gold Cups, Scandinavia sauntered to an 8 1/2-length victory over his great rival, leading those closest to him to draw comparisons with the best Ballydoyle stayers of the past.
The race may have lacked the suspense of a nose-to-nose duel to the line, but it was not short of drama. First, Trawlerman anticipated the start as he poached an early advantage under William Buick, and then Amiloc unseated Hector Crouch with a skew-whiff exit from the gates.
However, the real tension unfolded at the 2-furlong marker, where the riderless horse edged right-handed into Trawlerman's path, checking the leader's stride and momentum at a crucial stage.
The consensus at that point was that Scandinavia had been poised to sail by his opponent, but considering how bravely Trawlerman had fought at Ascot, it would have been illuminating to see what his response might have been.
Regardless of the mayhem, the result was an authoritative performance from a young stayer who could conceivably dominate the long-distance division for years, with Ryan Moore confident he had yet to come close to the bottom of Scandinavia's reserves.
"He was a bit disappointed he didn't get past the loose horse, but I didn't really ask him to," Moore said playfully. "He was hands and heels the whole way. He was dominant and couldn't have been more impressive."
Despite the wayward nature of the riderless Amiloc, Moore felt the in-running chaos had little bearing on the result, hailing Scandinavia's relentless nature.
"I don't think it was significant because I knew it was coming, I knew William was there, and I didn't have him stuck to the fence," Moore said. "He did come across him, but it didn't make any difference to the result at all.
"At Ascot, I didn't want to eyeball Trawlerman too early, which I ended up doing, but I hadn't asked my horse for everything and I thought we'd have his measure today."
Having followed up last year's Goodwood Cup victory, Scandinavia became the third horse to win the race twice for trainer Aidan O'Brien, following in the footsteps of luminaries Kyprios and Yeats, and Moore was confident he belonged in that exalted company.
"He's an unbelievable stayer," he said. "Kyprios had nearly a perfect race record when he went over staying trips and this horse has the same now. This lad has won a Leger—I couldn't say he was better than Kyprios, but I'm lucky enough to have ridden them both. I can't think of too many who'd have beaten them.
"He keeps winning and I don't know where the bottom is. Hopefully I won't find it. His stride doesn't shorten—he stayed going all the way through the line."
Buick understandably saw things a little differently to Moore.
"It was significant," Buick said. "It's hard to say how significant, but he's a Gold Cup winner, so he stays and he was just going through the gears down the hill.
"It definitely had an effect and it's unfortunate. I know the winner won well on the day but on a horse like him in a staying race, when you get hampered at that stage of the race, it's never ideal. He's run a super race considering."
Having enjoyed his sixth win in the race, O'Brien felt the Irish St Leger (G1) was an attractive next target for Scandinavia, who could bid to chase down Yeats' four Gold Cup wins.
"I think he could," O'Brien said when asked if he could be the horse to emulate that legendary stayer. "He's a very high cruiser, very natural, and he's easy to train. He has a great rhythm and loves what he does. He looks exceptional."
