Four years after a Goodwood handicap win signaled his potential as a stayer, Trawlerman returns to the Sussex track as an eight-year-old Group 1 performer with a Royal Ascot rematch waiting.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained veteran renews rivalry with Scandinavia in Tuesday’s Group 1 Goodwood Cup over 3,200 meters after being denied by a head in one of the finishes of Royal Ascot.
Scandinavia prevailed over an extra 800m in the Gold Cup, but Trawlerman was making his seasonal return and racing for the first time since October.
“It was obviously not easy running first time out at Ascot, let alone over two and a half miles for the first time of the year, but he ran a huge race there,” Thady Gosden told Thoroughbred Daily News.
“He's come out of it very well. He's been in fantastic form since, and it's a track he hasn't run at for a long time, but the two miles should suit him well.”
Trawlerman’s last Goodwood appearance came in 2022, when he won a 2,800m handicap from a rating of 97 before adding the Ebor Handicap at York on his next start.
He has since developed into one of Britain’s most reliable stayers, winning five Group races, including two editions of the British Champions Long Distance Cup and last year’s Gold Cup by seven lengths.
His longevity has made him the latest popular stayer from Clarehaven, following Stradivarius, who won four consecutive Goodwood Cups before retiring after the 2022 edition.
Trawlerman has had his own issues and began wearing shaded goggles away from the racecourse this season after developing a sensitivity to bright light.
Yet Gosden believes his enthusiasm remains undimmed.
“He's had his issues through the years and he's an older horse now but he's mentally so resilient. He keeps on coming back.
“He must have been on Warren Hill thousands of times by now and he goes up there every day like it's his first time – loving it, enjoying it. He came out after the Gold Cup, after a long layoff into that and he had a hard race, but two days later he was bucking and squealing and wanting to do a bit more.
“It's a real privilege to have a horse like him, and for Godolphin as well, who bred him. And to end up with a race like we did, over two and a half miles at Ascot, inches between them – I guess it's what it's all about, right?
“Goodwood is obviously an incredible midsummer meeting, it's a great place to be, there'll be wonderful crowds, and hopefully it'll deliver the kind of race that people want to see again.”
Scandinavia has won six consecutive races since taking last year’s Goodwood Cup and again heads Aidan O’Brien’s challenge.
O’Brien also runs Queen Alexandra Stakes winner Illinois, while French Master, Rahieeb, Lazy Griff, Amiloc and Miss Alpilles complete the eight-runner field.
But the focus returns to the two Gold Cup protagonists and whether the drop back to two miles can help Trawlerman turn a head defeat into something more.
The Goodwood Cup is Race 4 of the eight-race simulcast in Hong Kong, with a start time of 10:35pm.
