Irish training legend Aidan O’Brien further cemented his place among racing’s all-time greats when Scandinavia captured the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on Thursday, becoming the trainer’s 100th winner at the prestigious royal meeting.

The landmark success came in Royal Ascot’s most celebrated staying contest, with Ryan Moore guiding the four-year-old son of Justify to a thrilling victory over defending champion Trawlerman. The win also provided O’Brien with a record-extending 10th Gold Cup triumph.

O’Brien arrived at the 2026 meeting on 96 Royal Ascot winners and steadily moved towards the milestone through victories by Great Barrier Reef in the Coventry Stakes, Mission Central in the King Charles III Stakes and Victorious in the Queen Mary Stakes. Scandinavia’s Gold Cup success completed the historic century.

The achievement is remarkable considering O’Brien’s first Royal Ascot winner came nearly three decades ago when Harbour Master won the Coventry Stakes in 1997. Since then, the Ballydoyle master has dominated the meeting with a succession of champions including Giant’s Causeway, Rock Of Gibraltar, Yeats, Duke Of Marmalade, Churchill, Caravaggio, Paddington and Auguste Rodin.

His Royal Ascot record has been built on extraordinary consistency across all divisions. O’Brien has trained winners from precocious juveniles to Classic stars and elite stayers, while legendary performers such as Yeats and Kyprios helped establish his dominance in the Gold Cup. The Coventry Stakes has proved particularly fruitful, producing more winners for O’Brien than any other race at the meeting.

Already the most successful trainer in Royal Ascot history, O’Brien has also amassed more than 400 Group 1 victories worldwide, a record number of Epsom Derby wins and countless championship titles in Britain and Ireland. Yet the achievement of reaching 100 Royal Ascot winners may stand as one of the defining milestones of his illustrious career.

Reflecting on the landmark victory, O’Brien praised the horse and his team, while Ryan Moore hailed the trainer’s relentless pursuit of excellence. With Royal Ascot still ongoing, the remarkable tally may continue to grow, but Scandinavia’s Gold Cup victory will forever be remembered as the winner that carried Aidan O’Brien into three figures.