The Gold Cup
Group 1, Ascot 16:15 £700,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 3f 210y, Class 1
Tweet Thursday 18th June 2026

Caballo De Mar held off all challengers to secure victory in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier at ParisLongchamp on May 21.

The @Ascot Gold Cup next? 🏆

CABALLO DE MAR strikes in a thrilling renewal of the Group 1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier...@GScottracing @oismurphy pic.twitter.com/oip36KHflu

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 21, 2026

George Scott’s five-year-old, ridden by Oisin Murphy, dug deep in the Group One to deny Santorini Star by a neck, with Al Riffa a short head away in third.

Scott said: “He just tries so hard and he’s such a character. The team do such a good job with him and he is one in a million.”

Murphy added: “He stays well, the Gold Cup at Ascot was always his target. I’m delighted for Victorious Racing, they’ll be watching from Bahrain.”

Rahiebb inspired Gold Cup dreams with a stylish comeback victory in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup at York.

Rahiebb wins the 2026 Boodles Yorkshire Cup Stakes 🏆

A winner for @varianstable & @Raydawson101 🥇 pic.twitter.com/56VzX4MXiI

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 15, 2026

The four-year-old emerged as one of the leading contenders for the staying crown when narrowly denied by Scandinavia in last season’s St Leger before confirming that promise with an impressive victory in the Yorkshire Cup on his seasonal reappearance.

Those performances have elevated him into the front rank of Gold Cup hopefuls and Varian believes the son of  Sea The Stars is continuing to strengthen and mature at exactly the right time.

“We’ve been watching Rahiebb and he’s in great form,” Varian told Tattersalls.

“He’s on target for the Ascot Gold Cup. He’s a beautiful model and a lovely stamp of a horse, and he seems to be finding his strength and developing into the finished article.

“We’re very excited about Ascot only being two weeks away now.”

Rahiebb’s near-miss in the St Leger first hinted that he possessed the quality required to compete at the highest level among the staying division, while his authoritative display at York suggested he has returned this season as an even stronger performer.

Varian feels those two efforts alone have earned him a place among the leading contenders for one of Royal Ascot’s most prestigious prizes.

“His last two races have really put him in the Gold Cup picture,” the trainer continued.

“Very nearly winning the St Leger, pushing Scandinavia all the way at Doncaster last September, and then winning the Yorkshire Cup quite impressively a few weeks ago.

“I think those two performances alone really put him in the Gold Cup picture.

“We’re very excited about him in the short term, but also the medium and long term. We hope he can be a flag bearer for the yard over the next season or two.”

Sweet William made a winning seasonal return in the Group Three Longines Sagaro Stakes at Ascot.

Great tussle!

Sweet William shows his class late on to deny Caballo De Mar in the Sagaro Stakes at @Ascot for John & @thadygosden and Rab Havlin... pic.twitter.com/XdNblLqK8o

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 1, 2026

Ridden by Robert Havlin, the seven-year-old edged out Caballo De Mar by a short-head in a stirring finish.

Thady Gosden said: “He’s a smashing horse. He’s a year older but he still retains all his enthusiasm. He’s beaten a very good horse and the front two have come a long way clear of the third.”

Trawlerman is not certain to defend his Gold Cup crown after taking longer than expected to come to hand this spring.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained stayer had been due to return in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown, but connections are now considering alternative targets later in the season.

John Gosden said: “We had planned to run Trawlerman at Sandown, but we're feeling our way back with him at present and he’s not a definite runner in the Gold Cup at this stage.”

Last season’s Gold Cup hero enjoyed a stellar campaign, adding wins in the Lonsdale Cup and Long Distance Cup, where he accounted for stablemate Sweet William.

At the head of the market is Scandinavia, who has done little to diminish his growing reputation with a smooth reappearance success at Navan. Already a dual top-level winner last season, his blend of class and stamina marks him down as a leading contender for this extended two-and-a-half-mile test.

Scandinavia oozes class in the @BAR1Betting Vintage Crop Stakes, striking for the duo of Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IZY0GHtAuW

— Navan Racecourse (@NavanRacecourse) April 25, 2026

Scandinavia announced himself again with a straightforward triumph in the BAR 1 Betting Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan on April 25. Aidan O’Brien’s Justify colt won both the Goodwood Cup and the St Leger last term, proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with at the top level over a staying trip. Under Ryan Moore he was the 11-10 favourite when returning to action at Listed level, and a length-and-a-quarter win saw him installed as the 2-1 favourite for the Gold Cup at Ascot.

O’Brien said: “That was lovely, Ryan was delighted with him, he said he was very comfortable throughout the race.

“He’s a big horse, very relentless and he’s always coming home. He’s by Justify and he has that big, long relentless stride.

“He always went like a Cup horse and Ryan thought the same there, so delighted really. He won’t over-race (himself) and that’s good really.”

Next up for Scandinavia is a race won by many of the great Irish stayers, including by Kyprios for the last two years.

The Ballydoyle trainer added: “The Saval Beg (at Leopardstown) is the plan, that is what we are thinking. In the Gold Cup you don’t know (about the two-and-a-half-mile trip), but we are looking forward to him. He has the class and it’s great to have him.”

The Ascot Gold Cup remains the ultimate examination of stamina on the Flat, and the 2026 renewal is already beginning to take shape around a new generation of stayers looking to etch their name alongside the greats.

Gold Cup (British Champions Series) (Group 1)
£700,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 3f 210y, Class 1
11 runners
Going: Good to Firm, Good in places

running order

THE GOLD CUP - Past Results