Aidan O'Brien 'couldn't be happier' as Gold Cup favourite Scandinavia tees up Royal Ascot bid with narrow Saval Beg victory

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Gold Cup favourite Scandinavia warmed up for Royal Ascot with a close-fought victory in the Group 3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes. 

The dual Group 1 winner was sent off at 2-9 to take his winning streak to five but did not win as comfortably as his odds suggested he might, despite travelling smoothly for much of the race at the heels of old rival Dallas Star. 

Ryan Moore shook up the four-year-old with three furlongs to go and while he managed to move into the lead, the favourite was made to fight for every yard up the Leopardstown home straight when challenged by Happy Pharoah. 

Hard-won victories are nothing new to Scandinavia, who got the better of Friday's Yorkshire Cup winner Rahiebb by just a neck when the pair met in the St Leger, and another narrow success did little to deter bookmakers ahead of Royal Ascot, with Paddy Power leaving the winner unchanged as the 7-4 favourite.

"I'm delighted," Aidan O'Brien told Racing TV. "He's one of those big Gold Cup horses, he relaxes, he cruises, and he's happy to wait and finds plenty. 

"Ryan gave him a lovely ride and he just ended up getting there a little bit earlier than he wanted. This is the perfect race to bridge the gap [to Royal Ascot] and his training will get more serious as we go along. He had a lovely run in Navan and this was a lovely run too."

The Saval Beg has become the go-to prep race for O'Brien's best long-distance horses, with Yeats, Order Of St George and Kyprios all winning this race before heading to Ascot. 

Scandinavia: remains favourite for the Gold Cup after scoring at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The 1m6f contest proved to be the final chapter in Kyprios's illustrious career 12 months ago but it looks to be the launch pad for O'Brien's newest staying star, who will now race beyond two miles for the first time in his career when he contests the Gold Cup on June 18.

"The Gold Cup is an unusual race, you're never sure until you go past that two miles and two and a quarter miles," O'Brien added. "We always thought he could kick in at that level of race and he's a big, relaxed horse. He finds everything really easily, so you couldn't be happier."

Happy Pharoah claimed a gusty half-length second at 18-1 for Donnacha O'Brien ahead of 33-1 shot Le Destrier in third. 

Gold Cup (Royal Ascot, June 18)

Paddy Power: 7-4 Scandinavia, 3 Trawlerman, 7 Rahiebb, 8 Lambourn, 12 Caballo De Mar, Sweet William, 14 Consent, 16 Illinois, Lazy Griff, 20 bar.

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