Trawlerman outlasts the field to the Gold Cup
7-year-old gelding Trawlerman conquers the two-and-a-half mile test at the Royal Ascot, winning the grueling Gold Cup with William Buick in the irons.
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Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Trawlerman turns on the style to win the Gold Cup on Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot
ASCOT, England — On a sun-kissed day showcasing elegance and fashion at Royal Ascot, Trawlerman turned on the style to win the signature Gold Cup by seven lengths on Thursday. Jockey William Buick rode the favorite to victory in the top race of the week and earned a first prize of $500,000 for Trawlerman's owner, the Dubai-based Godolphin operation.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trawlerman races away to take Gold Cup at Royal Ascot
It was simple but ruthlessly effective as Trawlerman and William Buick made all the running to win the Gold Cup on Thursday. The Gosden stable's seven-year-old faced two four-year-old rivals with a touch more class but no experience of racing at two and a half miles and when Buick challenged them to catch him with a quarter of a mile to run, neither Illinois nor Candelari could summon a response. Candelari was a spent force with half a mile left, while Illinois's brief effort in the home straight scarcely made an impression on Trawlerman's lead as he galloped on relentlessly for the line. He had a seven-length advantage at the post and it was seven more back to Dubai Future in third. Advertisement Related: Royal Ascot 2025: Trawlerman nets biggest prize with Gold Cup triumph – as it happened 'It was the only way we were going to win,' said John Gosden, who has won the feature event on the first three days of the meeting. 'We had to say, if you're going to beat me, you're going to know you've been in a race, because you're going to have to go two and a half miles at a proper gallop. 'William said [before the race], 'from four out, I'm going to notch it up, notch it up, notch it up.' So if they stay, they're going to have to stay every inch. He rode him perfectly and judged it beautifully. It's not an easy thing to do over two and a half miles. 'I take nothing from the second. He's a fabulous horse, but two and a half miles truly run is not his game. Falsely run, he'd be fine.' Advertisement Gosden summoned up the memory of a great stayer of the past – the three-time winner Sagaro, with Lester Piggott in the saddle – to explain the appeal of a hard-galloping stayer like Trawlerman and acknowledged that his horse had been beaten by an outstanding champion in the now retired Kyprios in this race last year. 'He ran Kyprios to a length and they were both all out,' Gosden said. 'So he deserves, with Kyprios not here, to come back and show he's a proper horse over this trip. 'I remember the great horses that Lester Piggott rode, like Sagaro, the way he could run the last six furlongs in one [minute] 12 [seconds] flat. That's what I like, a horse that can go the distance, and then go, and you can't catch them.' Illinois was seen as a possible successor to Kyprios and Aidan O'Brien's mighty stayer Yeats before the race, but the search for the next Gold Cup winner from Ballydoyle now seems likely to shift to the three-year-old crop. Trawlerman, meanwhile, is a gelding, and while he has left it quite late to attempt to join the list of multiple Gold Cup winners, Gosden will give him every chance. Advertisement 'He should be aimed at coming back here next year,' the trainer said, 'and he shouldn't be over-raced in the meantime. Don't be surprised if you don't see him again until the Henry II [Stakes in May] next year. 'He doesn't need to be going to all those [summer Cup] races or he might come back here for that race in the autumn [the stayers' event on Champions Day in October], he's won that [before], and then we'll put him away.' This was a fifth win of the meeting for the John & Thady Gosden team, but not enough to keep them in the lead in the race to be the leading trainer as O'Brien, the winner in eight of the past 10 seasons, completed a 44-1 treble. Charles Darwin (8-13) was an impressive winner of the opening Norfolk Stakes, while Garden Of Eden (7-1) took the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes and Trinity College, the 5-2 favourite, made all the running in the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes. Advertisement The treble sent Ryan Moore well clear of his rivals for the top jockeys' prize with five winners. He is two clear of Oisin Murphy – who had a 42-1 double on Arabian Story in the Britannia Handicap and Never So Brave in the concluding Buckingham Palace Stakes – and three ahead of a trio of riders – including Buick and James Doyle – with two wins. Kon Tiki can sail to success Zarigana, who got the Poule D'Essai Des Pouliches (French 1,000 Guineas) in the stewards' room, is the only runner in Friday's Coronation Stakes with a previous Group One victory to her name but still faces significant opposition as she pursues a second after two unbeaten fillies – Falakeyah and Kon Tiki – were given £46k supplementary entries at the weekend. Falakeyah in particular has captured the punters' imagination, and Owen Burrows's filly has since replaced Zarigana at the top of the betting with most firms. Advertisement She is back in trip after running away with the Pretty Polly at Newmarket – often seen as a trial for the 12-furlong Oaks – but showed plenty of speed in the early part of the race and should cope with the drop to a mile. Zarigana could easily be unbeaten in five as her sole defeat was in a head-bobber for the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp in October. This is far from a two-horse race, however, and the 7-1 shot Kon Tiki (4.20), who has very similar claims to Falakeyah on her form, accelerated impressively to win a Listed race at York's Dante meeting in May. On paper, this is a significant step up in class but that was a strong field for the level and she won in an excellent time, with more in hand than a half-length margin might suggest. Advertisement Royal Ascot 2.30 Gold Digger showed an excellent turn of foot to justify market support on debut at Yarmouth in May and could be over-priced at around 8-1 to follow up in what looks an open renewal of the Albany Stakes. Royal Ascot 3.05 Two of 2024's Group One-winning juveniles are in the lineup for this year's Commonwealth Cup and Shadow Of Light, who was Europe's top-rated two-year-old thanks to a rare double in the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes, will be tough to beat dropping back to the Middle Park's six-furlong trip. He showed excellent speed to quicken into the lead in the 2,000 Guineas in May before fading late on behind Ruling Court and Tuesday's St James's Park Stakes winner, Field Of Gold, and this return to a stiff sprint trip promises to play to his strengths. Royal Ascot 3.40 Roger Varian's French Duke has yet to run this season but is the type to make significant further progress as a four-year-old having been gelded over the winter. James Doyle's presence in the saddle is encouraging as the Wathnan operation has the fancied recent purchase Almosh'her in the field. Royal Ascot 5.00 Silver Ghost beat the re-opposing Miss Nightfall by two-and-a-half lengths in a strongly run handicap at Goodwood last month and while James Fanshawe's filly has a 6lb swing in her favour here, Silver Ghost has improved from race-to-race this year and looks the better bet at around 12-1. Advertisement Market Rasen 2.05 Climbing 2.40 Shadows In The Sky 3.13 Greenrock Abbey 3.50 Game Beaaa 4.25 Whistleinthedark 5.05 Matoury 5.45 Shutfrontdoor Redcar 2.15 Oscar's Sister 2.50 Due Respect 3.23 Marhaba Ghaiyyath 4.00 Venezuelan 4.40 Hot Dancer 5.15 Keep The Gold Royal Ascot 2.30 Gold Digger 3.05 Shadow Of Light 3.40 French Duke 3.40 Kon Tiki (nap) 5.00 Silver Ghost (nb) 3.35 Zahrann 6.10 Adrestia Newmarket 4.47 Ibshara 5.25 Opening Bat 5.57 Tilted Kilt 6.37 I Am I Said 7.15 Royal Musketeer 7.50 Soldiers Star 8.25 Last Galileo Goodwood 5.20 Blue Orbit 5.52 Babylon 6.30 Miss Dolly Rocker 7.03 Way Of Stars 7.38 Herculeus 8.13 Dan Tucker Advertisement Royal Ascot 5.35 The fast-improving Zahrann did not see a track until April but has taken a big step forward on his past two starts, including a comfortable success in a Listed race at Leopardstown two weeks ago. He was still showing signs of inexperience there and further improvement seems inevitable here if the race does not come too soon. Royal Ascot 6.10 The high-numbered stalls have held sway on the straight course this week and also in this race since it was added to the schedule in 2020. This is a negative for two of the market leaders, Realign and Redorange. Simon and Ed Crisford's Adrestia, though, has drawn well in stall 24, has Oisin Murphy booked to ride and has presumably been pleasing her trainers since a close third at Windsor on her seasonal debut 11 days ago.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Whitecaps make offer for Canada, Fulham rising talent Luc De Fougerolles
Some Canadian national team players have arrived at the Gold Cup out of their desire to win a trophy and hopefully push themselves up the pecking order on Jesse Marsch's 2026 World Cup roster. Others, like Luc De Fougerolles? The 19-year-old won't run from the fact that he needed to come to this tournament. Advertisement A devastating knee injury kept him out of most of his season with Fulham's Under-21 squad. The mature, talented and physical center back only got his first serious run of games late in the spring. De Fougerolles accepted Marsch's call with the eagerness you'd expect. 'This season was a tough one. Whenever I was playing I felt really good,' De Fougerolles told The Athletic. 'It's great to have (Canada games) now, because otherwise I'd have just been just getting back to it and then done for offseason.' De Fougerolles has logged just five appearances for Canada, the majority of which came this month. But if the explosiveness and smarts he's shown are anything to go on, he may have a promising and impactful national team career ahead of him. His physicality and knowhow on the ball have quickly made him one of Canada's rising stars. '(De Fougerolles) is an incredibly intelligent player,' Marsch said after a standout showing against Ukraine. 'He has the right kind of behaviors and habits.' And now, playing for Canada at the Gold Cup could change De Fougerolles' career path. De Fougerolles is out of contract with Fulham at the end of the month. The Athletic has learned the Vancouver Whitecaps have made an initial offer to sign De Fougerolles to a multi-year contract. A source with knowledge of the offer said the MLS side met with De Fougerolles in Vancouver ahead of Canada's Gold Cup opener. It's believed De Fougerolles is exploring multiple offers for his future, all of which have one common thread: no more youth soccer. 'I need first-team football,' he said defiantly. The dual-national was born in England and joined Fulham's academy when he was 8. Current Canada assistant coach Mauro Biello first became aware of De Fougerolles in 2022, and Marsch has quickly given De Fougerolles opportunities to assert himself. Advertisement Continuing as one of Canada's top young players at the Gold Cup could land him his desired first-team minutes, and this summer, he's getting what's he pined for all year: a chance to play consistently. 'When you are playing with a first team, the need to win for the fans, for yourself, for the players is so high compared to Under-21s, which is more about developing,' De Fougerolles said. While some players utilize strong club seasons to propel them into the national team setup, De Fougerolles' path could be the inverse. Without a full season of games t to bolster his resume, so much of what De Fougerolles wants could be derived from his Canada performances. 'A lot of the players in my Under-21 team are great players, but they just don't have the kind of international (experience) that I have where they can play first-team games. Clubs will be looking at me seeing I've played (games for Canada),' De Fougerolles said. 'If I can play well, it'll definitely help.' De Fougerolles has proven to be a natural fit under Marsch, coming out of his shell in the process. He's not afraid to step out of the back line and is as comfortable on the ball as any modern center back must be. There is a sense of aggression in his game that undercuts his lighthearted persona and boyish grin. 'In training, I always hear (Marsch) in my ear when I'm not tight enough to a striker, not jumping on the midfield or when I should,' De Fougerolles said. 'When I'm in camp, I then I feel like I have to win more duels as well. I can go for it and I'm not worried about what's behind me. I just go and press people and I feel that when I get back to Fulham, it puts me in a really good step because a lot of the players are not really expecting it especially in training: smashing a few people and winning the ball.' Advertisement He used his time off the pitch with injury to bulk up, having constantly surprised Canada's trainers with how much size he has added between camps. And he's not afraid to lean into his physicality, as evidenced by the crunching tackles he landed against Ukraine, Ivory Coast and Honduras. The result is a player who hardly looks like a teenager for Canada. At his best, he has straddled the line between depth center back and starter. Marsch's training sessions are continually exhaustive and demanding. Within those sessions, Marsch has continually challenged his depth players to push assumed starters for more playing time. That's where De Fougerolles comes in. Moïse Bombito and Derek Cornelius remain the odds-on favorites to be Canada's starting center back tandem at the World Cup. Yet De Fougerolles' rapid progression and comfortability in a starting role suggests he could be called on immediately should one of them take a step back. Outside of the locks, Joel Waterman provides dependability in the back. Kamal Miller's game has leveled off as of late, but he's a key cog in the culture of the team and has the World Cup playing time no other Canadian center back can boast. Jamie Knight-Lebel remains full of potential, but he needs more playing time, possibly with Bristol City, to develop more confidence and aggression. Where De Fougerolles fits for Canada in 2026 remains to be seen. That he started alongside Canada's best available players against Ukraine and also started in Canada's Gold Cup opener likely slots him third on the depth chart. He wants to take the experience playing with and against full-time senior players for Canada to show he is ready for the next stage of his career – whether that's in Vancouver or elsewhere. 'I know how good I am and I know what I could be doing,' he said. 'I'm just ready to show people.' De Fougerolles admits his next step could catch him by surprise. And frankly, he's fine with that. Advertisement He formed a friendship with national team forward Liam Millar after the two roomed together at De Fougerolles' first Canada camp. Both players came up through Fulham's academy. Eventually, the two suffered similar injuries, which they traded notes on. Yet throughout their friendship, Millar has shared insight on his path, including detours into Switzerland and the pros and cons of various loan deals. 'I call and text him for advice,' De Fougerolles said. 'I'm quite interested in the different routes you can take.' Playing in MLS, should that be the avenue De Fougerolles considers, could make him familiar with his North American surroundings ahead of a pivotal World Cup on home soil. The Whitecaps trying to sign him suggests De Fougerolles could play regularly in their starting XI under a tactically strong and attack-minded head coach in Jesper Sørensen. The flip side is that for a player raised in a strong English academy, moving across the Atlantic now could make it difficult to hop back over. De Fougerolles doesn't run from the fact that he'd like to play first-team soccer in England eventually. It's worth wondering if staying in England, possibly re-upping with Fulham and going out on loan a lower-tier league, presents a more likely path for De Fougerolles to eventually crack Fulham's first-team squad. 'It's obviously not fully my decision to make,' De Fougerolles said. 'If Fulham want me around, I'll gladly stay and be around the team. But a loan would be amazing. Just to play 40 professional games, I feel like that's part of the game that maybe I'm missing with Under-21s. It's less competitive. So if I were to go to a League One or a Championship team, I think every game would be competitive and that experience would really put me on a good start.' So much of De Fougerolles' club future will be determined over the next two weeks while playing for Canada. He's keeping a level head throughout, with his sights set on something even bigger. 'Everyone's looking towards next summer and they want to have the best year possible next year,' De Fougerolles said. 'So I feel for me, to really push myself and improve I'd have to be playing first-team football somewhere, whether that's at Fulham or somewhere else definitely, because I think I would learn so much and I'd be going to the World Cup in a really good place.'
