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South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Trawlerman and William Buick move into top gear to land Ascot Gold Cup
Trawlerman produced a stunning performance to lead from pillar to post and win Royal Ascot's most historic race, the Group One Ascot Gold Cup (3,991m), for in-form father and son training partnership John and Thady Gosden on Thursday. It was quite some way for jockey William Buick to win his first Gold Cup aged 36, the winner also breaking the track record. Norway-born Buick, who also rode Wednesday's feature-race winner Ombudsman for the Gosdens, stood up in the saddle and saluted the crowd, punching the air. 'He is a great horse, only beaten by the great Kyprios last year,' said Buick. 'I did not have to put the brakes on once. 'He was on autopilot. I was just a passenger. My first Gold Cup, long time coming, not an easy race to win. I am delighted.' The Gold Cup is won by TRAWLERMAN with @WilliamBuickX in the saddle. Congratulations to John & Thady Gosden and all connections 🏆#RoyalAscot — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025 For the Gosdens, it was their second win in the race since they teamed up, but for John it was his fifth, having trained the legendary Stradivarius to three successive victories from 2018 to 2020. '[Trawlerman] just goes off. William said 'he can judge pace better than me',' said Gosden senior. 'We know he stays. They never got to him, simply outstayed them. He's part of the furniture, he's a favourite. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. 'He ran Kyprios close. It is great to come back to show he's a proper Cup horse and he is a lovely staying horse for the future.' The Gosdens' five winners so far this year are welcome after a disappointing Royal Ascot last year. Never. In. Doubt… 😤 CHARLES DARWIN lives up to the hype in the G2 Norfolk Stakes. …and books his ticket to the @BreedersCup in Del Mar🏝️#RoyalAscot — World Horse Racing (@WHR) June 19, 2025 'Last year was tricky. We've aimed at this [meeting] for months, great when it comes to fulfilment,' he said. 'One has to be realistic there are always plenty of banana skins around the corner.' While Aidan O'Brien's fancied runner Illinois couldn't land a blow on Trawlerman, the Irish master had a treble on the card to move to 96 Royal Ascot victories. He made it three wins from three in the two-year-old Group races this week as the odds-on favourite Charles Darwin prevailed in the opening Norfolk Stakes (1,000m). Ryan Moore had to battle a bit on Charles Darwin as the race evolved but he found a second wind and raced clear to take the Group Two contest. 'A very special horse. They came to me with two furlongs to go, I asked him a question and he answered it brilliantly,' said Moore. The legendary duo struck again in the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes (2,400m), with Garden of Eden taking the honours, while Moore moved to 90 Royal Ascot wins when he rode O'Brien's Trinity University to victory in the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes (2,000m) in the penultimate race of the day.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
William Buick ecstatic after Trawlerman smashes track record to claim Gold Cup win at Royal Ascot
The horse is the star: never forget It. When trainers are excelling and jockeys are dazzling, it is only possible thanks to the efforts of the animals who give everything. And how Trawlerman, the latest winner of a race that dates back to 1807, has given everything. His 21-race career began on a dank November night, at Chelmsford, in November 2020 when nobody was allowed on track due to the pandemic; yesterday, 65,718 flooded through Ascot 's turnstiles. Over the course of five years, for six different jockeys, Trawlerman, trained in Newmarket by John and Thady Gosden for owners Godolphin, has covered 38-and-a-quarter miles in competition; he's raced in Saudi Arabia, Dubai three times and had earned more than £1million for his efforts. This latest test, however, was the one that would determine his place in the pantheon. History awaits those who succeed in Ascot's Gold Cup, those who fail in this two-and-a-half-mile war quickly fade from the memory; thanks to a relentless display of galloping, Trawlerman will never be forgotten. He did this the hard way – and how. William Buick, his jockey, sprung out of the starting stalls as quickly as jack comes out of a box and immediately put his foot to the accelerator: 33mph, 35mph, up to 36mph as he charged past the crowded stands. Sent off the 85/40 favourite, he never saw another rival. 'Trawlerman just goes off,' said John Gosden, greeting back his fifth winner of an extraordinary week. '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. He's an out-and-out galloper. 'William judged it perfectly – it is not an easy thing to do over two and a half miles. If anyone is going to go by him, they will know they have been in a race but they never got to him. He is a wonderful old horse, and a great team look after him. He is a favourite, part of the furniture really.' Buick, not surprisingly, was exultant. Just as elated, though, was Frankie Dettori, who had ridden Trawlerman eight times but watched this like a proud father from the parade ring and no wonder, his old pal had covered the distance in 4:15.07, shattering the course record. Dettori was telling anyone who would listen that a seven-length drubbing of Illinois – the only slight disappointment for Aidan O'Brien on a day when he saddled three winners – was well deserved, as he had danced every dance, a loveable heavyweight like Frank Bruno in his heyday. Some may quibble and ask whether this would have happened had Kyprios, the champion who had flattened Trawlerman here 12 months ago, not suffered a career-ending injury but that only serves to prove what a superb achievement it has been to keep this seven-year-old enthusiastic for so long. 'The Gold Cup is an extraordinary race,' Buick enthused. 'It is an extreme distance at Royal Ascot – this is an incredible place. This is the greatest week of horseracing. Trawlerman went down so narrowly in the race last year, so to get it right this year means the world. 'He's really what you want in a two-and-a-half-mile race. I did not have to touch the brakes once. He was on autopilot; he knows his own speed and stays well, so I was just a passenger. When you get into the last half-mile, that is when Trawlerman comes into his own.' O'Brien, always magnanimous in defeat, provided the context. Illinois, the valiant runner up, had finished seven lengths clear of 28/1 shot Dubai Future but bridging the gap to Trawlerman was a bridge too far at this stage. 'It shows how good Kyprios was, doesn't it? as Trawlerman had been second to him a couple of times,' O'Brien noted. A few yards away, cameras were clicking and a bay horse was guzzling out of bucket of water rather than being paraded for the crowd. 'The priority is the horse,' said one Ascot official. How fitting those words were.
BreakingNews.ie
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Trawlerman nets biggest staying prize of them all
Trawlerman made every yard of the running in the Gold Cup to go one better than last year for John and Thady Gosden in the Royal Ascot highlight. Second to Kyprios 12 months ago, the Godolphin-owned seven-year-old took full advantage of the dual winner's retirement under an excellently-judged ride from William Buick. Advertisement Illinois, who had stepped into Kyprios' shoes for Aidan O'Brien, was well placed if good enough, but inside the final furlong Trawlerman (85-40 favourite) began to pull away and ran out an impressive seven-length winner. Dubai Future was third for Saeed bin Suroor in the Godolphin colours. Buick said: 'It's an extreme distance, two and a half miles, so you need an extraordinary horse with an extraordinary set of skills. 'He's got that lung capacity and stamina. He got in a great rhythm – it's a tough thing to do, be in front for two and a half miles like that, but he's so genuine. 'I knew he would stay, which is a big help. It's taken me a long time to win this – I knew he was the right horse, I just hoped I would get it right on him.' Advertisement John Gosden spoke of his relief after what felt like a long final furlong for the Clarehaven handler. He said: 'I didn't enjoy it (final furlong) because anything can happen, you never know until they cross the line. He's part of the furniture you know. It's absolutely amazing. He's the most grand, lovely horse he really is. The other horse, Sweet William (fourth), they're great old friends.' Trawlerman set a new course record and Gosden praised Buick's ride, repeating the tactics he employed to such good effect when also winning at Sandown last time out. 'We ran him in the Henry II at Sandown and William got it spot on,' said Gosden. Advertisement 'He went what they call in America 'wire to wire', that was two miles around Sandown. 'He's an out-and-out galloper and he rode him beautifully, judged it perfectly – not an easy thing to do over two and a half miles. 'The only way we were going to win was to just say, 'if you're going to beat me, you're going to know you've been in a race, as you're going to have to go two and a half miles at a proper gallop'.' Gosden already has a title defence on his mind and given Trawlerman will be eight next year, he is eager to measure the gelding's efforts ahead of that long-range target. Advertisement He added: 'I think he should be aimed at coming back next year, and he shouldn't be over-raced at all in between time. Don't be surprised if you don't see him again until the Henry II next year. That could be a reality. 'I'll 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 (for the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day), he's won that, we might go for that, and then put him away.'
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Royal Ascot: Trawlerman sets new course record with stunning Gold Cup success
In the absence of the retired Kyprios, his old rival Trawlerman stepped up to Gold Cup glory at Royal Ascot on Thursday. The John and Thady Gosden-trained gelding had the thankless task of chasing home Kyprios in last year's Gold Cup, getting within a length of Aidan O'Brien's now retired champion, who ranks as perhaps the best stayer of the last two decades. So, for once, the result of the stayers' championship felt apt as Trawlerman made all under William Buick to set a new track record in the historic old race. Tangling with Kyprios was an onerous job but in three clashes Trawlerman made a decent fist of it, even beating him once, around Ascot on Champions Day in 2023. READ MORE That was no bad boast, but the seven-year-old gelding hadn't won at Group One level before, a stat he put right in some style. The 85-40 favourite had seven lengths in hand of O'Brien's Illinois, who was the same distance ahead of Godolphin's outsider Dubai Future. It was a first Gold Cup for Buick, who also combined with Godolphin and the Gosdens to land Wednesday's Prince Of Wales's Stakes with Ombudsman. 'We tried it [same tactics] last year and we were only beaten by the great Kyprios. He's been such a good horse, he's so genuine,' Buick said. Trinity College ridden by Ryan Moore on their way to winning the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire 'It's an extreme distance, two and a half miles, so you need an extraordinary horse with an extraordinary set of skills. He's got that lung capacity and stamina. He got in a great rhythm – it's a tough thing to do, be in front for two and a half miles like that, but he's so genuine,' he added. It was a fifth Gold Cup for Gosden Snr, the 74-year-old stalwart of British racing who landed a hat-trick with Stradivarius and is emerging once more as the main threat to O'Brien's dominance this week. Field Of Gold's spectacular St James's Palace Stakes victory on day one was another instance of Gosden winning the daily Royal Ascot centrepiece. 'He ran Kyprios to a length last year and they were both all out. I think he deserved it, with Kyprios not here, to come back and show that he is a proper horse,' the trainer said. '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 one minute, 12 seconds 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,' he added. Despite Gosden's hot streak this week, he still goes into the final two days level with O'Brien, who came up short in the Gold Cup but saddled a notable hat-trick in combination with Ryan Moore. The English jockey took his Royal Ascot tally to 90 when Trinity College completed the three-timer in the Hampton Court. It began with Charles Darwin's odds-on victory in the Norfolk Stakes and included Garden Of Eden in the Ribblesdale. Her victory took Moore into tenth place in the list of all-time jockeys in terms of winners ridden in Britain. Number 2,594 saw him pass out Edward Hide, but he has another 155 to get to past the legendary Fred Archer in ninth. Charles Darwin ridden by Ryan Moore (right) wins the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire O'Brien is now on 96 Royal Ascot victories and Thursday's hat-trick meant his remorseless route to a once scarcely imaginable 'century' of winners may come up quicker than anticipated. The Irishman needs three to beat his 2016 record of seven winners in a week that he shares with the late Henry Cecil. He has runners in eight races over the coming two days. O'Brien's speciality this week has been the two-year-old department. Gstaad (Coventry) and True Love (Queen Mary) had earlier advertised Charles Darwin's claims for Norfolk Stakes success and the odds-on favourite duly obliged. 'He is very fast – a big, powerful, strong horse. He has a very good mind as well, so he is very exciting. Ryan has always loved him, and everyone at home loves him. He looks like a four-year-old racing against two-year-olds,' O'Brien said. Some bookmakers made the youngster only 4-1 to take on his elders in August's Nunthorpe at York, where Charles Darwin would get a massive weight for age allowance. 'We were hoping that he would get a lead. He never sees the front at home in his work. He is always very happy to sit, but he is very strong and very quick. Ryan does his own thing always. The gates open and he decides. Ryan said he powered through the line,' O'Brien added. Garden Of Eden may skip next month's Irish Oaks in favour of a trip to the US in pursuit of a top-flight success, while Trinity College made light of a short gap since his French Derby fourth to make most in his Group Three. 'Ryan gave him a beautiful ride, had him in a lovely rhythm early and when he started getting him to move, he really moved, kept going to the line so you'd be very happy with him now,' O'Brien said. 'He would have a lot of options. He could be an American Derby horse.' Oisín Murphy reached 18 Royal Ascot winners with a handicap double. The Kerry jockey enjoyed an easy win in the finale on Never So Brave but was all out to land the Britannia on another Godolphin winner, Arabian Story.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Royal Ascot: Field Of Gold strikes to deliver performance worthy of occasion
Royal Ascot's uncanny ability to deliver performances to suit the occasion was to the fore once again on Tuesday as Field Of Gold, the odds-on favourite, overwhelmed his rivals in the St James's Palace Stakes with a sustained burst of speed a quarter of mile out that put the result beyond doubt well before the furlong pole. If there is a better performance over a mile by a three‑year-old later on in the season, it feels long odds‑on that Field Of Gold will be the horse to produce it. John and Thady Gosden's grey colt was one of three Classic winners in the field, though his winning performance was further evidence that, had Ruling Court not been allowed first run in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the fast-finishing Field Of Gold would surely have taken that too. Ruling Court was only third here, nearly four lengths behind Henri Matisse, the French 2,000 Guineas winner, who was in turn three and a half adrift of Field Of Gold at the line. Advertisement Related: Royal Ascot 2025 day one updates: news, previews and more – live Kieran Shoemark shouldered the blame for Field Of Gold's defeat at Newmarket and Colin Keane, newly appointed as the Juddmonte operation's retained rider in Europe, enjoyed one of the smoothest rides of his career in his saddle on Tuesday. 'Good horses make it look easy,' Keane said. 'I don't know when was the last time three Guineas winners clashed, but Field Of Gold was very good at the Curragh and very good again today. If anything, the leaders probably didn't bring us far enough and we got there plenty soon, but he's tough and genuine. I am fortunate enough to be riding him and, at this moment, he is the best horse I have sat on.' Gosden said afterwards that if Field Of Gold had not run in the Irish Guineas, a step up in trip in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown next month would have been a possibility, but his winner is more likely to wait for the Sussex Stakes, over a mile at Glorious Goodwood, for which he was cut to even-money favourite from around 4-1. Advertisement 'This year, he has been exemplary in everything he has done,' Gosden said. 'He is a pleasure to train because he's a pretty laid‑back character, which is very useful. It was never the plan to go to Ireland, it became the plan [after his defeat at Newmarket], so he's had a trial, two Guineas and this. It's a lot of racing and we're not even beginning to be halfway through the season. 'When they win like that, they make it look easy, but they are taking a lot out of themselves, so I wouldn't want to be seen as someone trying to run him back in the Eclipse quick off this.' Royal Ascot stages three of its eight Group One races on the opening afternoon and, while the Juddmonte colours prevailed in the feature event, two trainers from outside the small group of powerhouse bloodstock operations celebrated landmark wins earlier in the day. Harry Eustace's Docklands, at 14-1, edged out the 5-2 favourite, Rosallion, by a nose in the opening Queen Anne Stakes, while American Affair, from Jim Goldie's stable 20 miles south‑west of Glasgow, had a neck to spare over Frost At Dawn in the King Charles III Stakes. For both trainers, it was the first Group One success of their career. Advertisement 'I have lost my voice,' Eustace said after his win with Docklands, who was winning for the first time since taking the Britannia Handicap at this meeting in 2023. 'That was pretty sweet. He has been an absolute legend for us and if ever there was a track where you'd want a horse that's a specialist, it's here because it's the best racing.' American Affair's latest win before Tuesday's Group One success was in a handicap at York's Dante meeting in May off a mark of 98. 'I have trained the family for three generations, so it's very sweet,' Goldie, who saddled his first runners in 1995, said. 'I was quite confident he could do it today. He has the talent. I knew he was probably one of the fastest horses in the race, but it's how you control that. We've come down a day early, got him relaxed and it all fell into place. It means a lot.' Hopes for a winner in the Royal colours were dashed later in the day as Willie Mullins's Reaching High, the 11-4 favourite, finished ninth behind Henry de Bromhead's Ascending (20‑1) in the Ascot Stakes Handicap after a tricky passage in the straight. Advertisement The scarlet and purple silks will be on a likely favourite again on Wednesday when Rainbow's Edge, a lightly raced four-year-old filly, goes to post for the Kensington Palace Stakes at 5.35pm. See The Fire a red-hot fancy Jeff Smith, the owner of See The Fire, paid a £70,000 supplementary fee to get her into the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, and it can prove to be money well spent when his four-year-old filly goes to post for the feature event on day two of the meeting. See The Fire is a daughter of Arabian Queen, who won York's International Stakes at 50-1 in Smith's colours back in 2015, and showed glimpses of top-level ability in the autumn of her three-year-old season. Advertisement She has looked much-improved with another winter behind her, however, and travelled like the best horse in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown in April before lack of a run started to tell in the closing stages. See The Fire (4.20) then stepped up significantly for the outing in the Middleton Stakes at York, where she powered a remarkable 12 lengths clear of her field and stopped the clock in a time that backed up the visual impression of the form. A 3lb sex allowance from the market leaders, Los Angeles and Anmaat, is another plus and she is an attractive bet at around 5-1 to underline her improvement with a first Group One success on Wednesday. Royal Ascot 2.30 A huge field of lightly-raced juvenile fillies includes seven unbeaten runners and 13 that won last time out, but Karl Burke's Zelaina has dominated the market since running away with a Nottingham maiden earlier this month. She achieved no more or less than several rivals, however, and while American-trained challenger Lennilu is an obvious danger, the 12-1 on offer for Staya catches the eye too. George Scott's filly travelled extremely well and then quickened impressively to win at Yarmouth first time up in a strong time. Advertisement Royal Ascot 3.05 This mile-and-three-quarter trip is at least two furlongs more than most of these three-year-olds have tried as yet, so plenty can be expected to progress for the experience and Francis-Henri Graffard's Asmarani could take the biggest step forward. He ran well enough to finish a close second in a Group Three when dropped back to 11 furlongs last time but has plenty of stamina on both sides of his pedigree and this trip will probably be his optimum. Royal Ascot 3.40 A repeat of her form when pulling nearly five lengths clear of her field in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket should be enough to see Cinderella's Dream register another Group Two win. Hamilton 2.15 Rampant 2.50 Baggot Street 3.23 Canon's House 4.00 Havana Rum 4.40 Blufferonthebus 5.20 Cymbidium 5.55 Desert Of The Sea Royal Ascot 2.30 Staya 3.05 Asmarani 3.40 Cinderella's Dream 4.20 See The Fire 5.00 Qirat (nb) 5.35 Independent Expert (nap) 6.10 Rogue Legend Advertisement Worcester 2.40 Rocks Up Late 3.15 Jeudidee 3.50 Chicago Storm 4.30 Whizz Kid 5.10 Twirling 5.40 Carlton 6.20 Gore Point Lingfield 5.45 Writteninthestars 6.15 Rory Rocket 6.45 Due Date 7.15 Sawgrass 7.45 Golden Handshake 8.15 Classic Cause 8.45 Offiah's Boy Ripon 6.30 Duskaura 7.00 Modern Times 7.30 Lord Protector 8.00 Mr Cool 8.30 Jenubiyah 9.00 Azucena Royal Ascot 5.00 A pair of lightly-raced four-year-olds – My Cloud and The Liffey – dominate the betting for this year's Royal Hunt Cup and fit the profile of several recent winners of this ultra-competitive handicap, but neither has as much experience as Qirat over Ascot's straight course and Ralph Beckett's runner appeals as a better bet at around 12-1. He was headed in the final strides of the Victoria Cup over seven furlongs here, and on very similar ground, when making his seasonal debut in May and both the run and first-time blinkers could prompt further improvement. Advertisement Royal Ascot 5.35 Stephen Thorne's Independent Expert could outrun her odds of around 16-1. Her trainer is in only his second season with a licence but has an impressive 23pc strike rate this year and has also shown an aptitude for improving recruits from other stables. His first runner at the Royal meeting got off the mark for her new yard with a decisive victory at Naas last time and a 7lb rise in the weights does not look too severe. Royal Ascot 6.10 The usual big field for the Windsor Castle but Rogue Legend stands out on his form to date and a rival may well need to show abnormal improvement to give him a race.
