English/Ire
Trawlerman nets Ascot Gold Cup crown
John and Thady Gosden’s excellent week at Royal Ascot continued when Trawlerman made all of the running in Thursday’s Gold Cup.
Runner-up to Aidan O'Brien's champion stayer Kyprios in the same contest twelve months ago, Trawlerman returned to the Royal meeting looking for redemption.
With the recently retired Kyprios out of the equation, John and Thady Gosden's seven-year-old was sent off the 85/40 favourite under William Buick.
Having travelled smoothly out in front, Buick began to wind up the tempo as the field turned for home and although Kyprios' super sub, Illinois, who was a 9/4 chance following his victory in the Ormonde Stakes at Chester in May, was close enough to mount a challenge if capable, Trawlerman always looked to have his measure.
Asked for maximum effort by Buick in the straight, the son of Golden Horn responded generously, pulling clear to land the prize by a widening seven lengths from Illinois, with the same distance back to the third-placed horse Dubai Future.The Gold Cup is won by TRAWLERMAN with @WilliamBuickX in the saddle. Congratulations to John & Thady Gosden and all connections #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/ahmiZ2l1Tw
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025
It was a fifth Gold Cup success for Trawlerman's co-trainer John Gosden, following three-time winner Stradivarius and Courage Mon Ami, whom he trained in partnership with his son Thady.
He said: "Trawlerman just goes off. I said to William 'what did you do?' and he said, 'I threw the reins at him, he can judge pace better than me', and off they went together and picked it up from five out.
"He is an out-and-out galloper and William judged it perfectly – it is not an easy thing to do over two and a half miles.
"On the basis he stays, if anyone is going to go by him, they will know they have been in a race, but they never got to him because he simply outstayed them. He is a wonderful old horse, and a great team look after him. He is a favourite, part of the furniture really.
"He ran Kyprios to a length last year and they were both all out. I think he deserved, with Kyprios not here, to come back and show that he is a proper horse.
"We like the Cup races and those lovely staying horses. I remember the great horses – Lester Piggott rode Sagaro and he could turn the last six furlongs in 1m.12s flat. That is what I like, a horse than can go the distance and then go, and you can't catch them. That is style."
On future plans for Trawlerman, Gosden added: "I think he should be aimed at coming back next year, and he shouldn't be over-raced at all in between.
"Do not be surprised if you don't see him again until the Henry II next year. That could be a reality. I will discuss it with Sheikh Mohammed, but he doesn't need to be going to all
these races. He might come back here in the autumn; he's won that before and then put him away."
Victory continued an excellent week for John and Thady Gosden, who are enjoying something of a resurgent season in the training ranks.
"Last year was tricky. We didn't have the horses, and it didn't quite work out, but everybody has worked very hard," explained Gosden. "We have aimed at this for four, five, six months. Some horses are aimed at it for a year, like the winner yesterday, so it's great when it comes to fulfilment. It is down to the team."
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