On a sun-drenched Ladies Day at Royal Ascot, Dubai’s hot-to-trot Godolphin team stole the show with two wins, topped by Trawlerman record-breaking Gold Cup (G1) and a landmark score in the Britannia Stakes for Saeed bin Suroor.
The main talking point came in the day’s marquee contest as Trawlerman, last year’s brave runner-up, bounced back to bag Britain’s biggest staying prize in a new course record of 4m 15.02s.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the seven-year-old gelding son of 2015 Epsom Derby hero Golden Horn lopped almost two seconds off the mark set by Rite Of Passage in 2010.
Ridden with icy confidence by William Buick, Trawlerman led throughout, controlled the tempo, and never turned his head. When Aidan O’Brien’s second favourite Illinois appeared alongside, Buick merely shook the reins and his mount responded with a lightning burst.
The seven-year-old gelding Trawlerman, son of 2015 Epsom Derby hero Golden Horn, charged clear to win by seven easy lengths. Godolphins other runner Dubai Future, the Bin Suroor-trained Dubai Gold Cup (G1) winner in the same royal-blue silks, finished third. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, set up the stable back in 1993.
“I was just along for the ride,” beamed jockey William Buick after guiding the Godolphin runner to victory in the Gold Cup, his first win in the race and the stable’s second of the week following Ombudsman on Wednesday. “He’s got a remarkable engine and the heart of a lion.”
“I never had to touch the brakes, he fell into a lovely rhythm, stayed relaxed, then switched to autopilot,” Buick continued about the four-time winner. “He knows his pace, stays well, so honestly I was just a passenger. He really is a great horse.”
The triumph was Godolphin’s first Gold Cup since Papineau in 2004, adding to an honour roll that already features legendary stayers Kayf Tara (2000) and Classic Cliché (1998). It also handed trainer John Gosden a fifth prize, further cementing his status as the sport’s master of long-distance performers.
“He does everything to a beat, with plenty of heart,” said Gosden Snr. “To be honest, I didn’t enjoy that last furlong; anything can go wrong and you never breathe easy until they’ve actually crossed the line.”
“It’s absolutely wonderful. He’s such a big, beautiful horse, honestly.”
In a sport where lasting power is everything, Trawlerman proved he belongs with the best stayers by leading all the way to capture the time-honored Gold Cup, showing once again he can remain near the top season after season.
Buick, winning his first Gold Cup, took command early, clocking clever splits and never letting the pack get near. His ride became a schoolroom example of what it means to front-run in flat racings toughest stamina test.
First run in 1807, the Ascot Gold Cup remains the supreme examination of endurance on the flat and carries a rich history and unmatched status. Over two hundred years it has honored legendary stayers whose names still echo through the paddocks and grandstands.
At the very top of this elite circle sits Yeats, the four-time Ascot Gold Cup star first schooled by Aidan O’Brien, while Stradivarius, also trained by O’Brien, set hearts racing with a thrilling hat-trick between 2018 and 2020 when Frankie Dettori partnered him. Just after the turn of the new century Kayf Tara ruled the roost for Godolphin, and Classic Cliché along with Royal Rebel kept adding trophies to the yard.
Earlier on that same afternoon Arabian Story erupted through the pack in the Britannia Stakes, giving legendary trainer Saeed bin Suroor his landmark fortieth Royal Ascot victory- a proud milestone for Godolphins most celebrated handler from Dubai. Ridden expertly by Kevin Stott, the colt flew down the stand-side rail, edging clear of his foes just as they reached the line.
Royal Ascot has always meant a lot to me, bin Suroor declared. To score forty times here for Godolphin is a real honour, and Arabian Story is a horse we believe has big days ahead.
“He keeps getting better each time he races, so we’ll push him into the next level of Group events. He’s worked hard and absolutely deserves the shot at tougher rivals.”