Luckless Trawlerman beaten but unbowed in G1 Goodwood Cup

Trawlerman filled the runner-up spot behind Scandinavia for a second successive time in a dramatic running of the G1 Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, 28 July.

Hoping to avenge a head defeat in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, Trawlerman was quickest into his stride as Amiloc unseated Hector Crouch leaving the stalls.

The Godolphin eight-year-old overcame some early traffic and was sent on into a length and a half lead after the first three furlongs, with the riderless Amiloc racing clear of the field.

Scandinavia eroded Trawlerman’s lead to a length at the halfway point of the two-mile contest, although both horses switched inside shortly after when Amiloc threatened to drift into their paths.  

Trawlerman kicked on at the top of the straight, with Scandinavia responding for pressure to challenge the John and Thady-Gosden trained runner three furlongs out.

The errant Amiloc cut across both horses approaching the final quarter-mile, forcing William Buick to snatch up Trawlerman and handing the advantage to Scandinavia.

This year’s Gold Cup winner bounded clear soon after, crossing the line eight and a half lengths in front, with Trawlerman keeping on to see off Rahiebb for second.

John Gosden said: “It was a messy race. Trawlerman got interfered with early and then the pace was quite strong. He got into a nice rhythm down the hill and I noticed Ryan Moore was beginning to ride on Scandinavia and we had a length and a half on him.

"The loose horse came back and visited us again and, once you check and lose your rhythm that's it in any race, let alone when you're finding a rhythm over that trip. That's life and that's racing, it happens more over the jumps than Flat racing.

"When you've been crossed like that and checked, he's not the type to turn around and start quickening. He has to build it up, which he was. But look, that's the way it is. We got the worst of it and we went from being a length and a half in front to a length and a half behind. That's racing.

"You can't recover. The horse went across us and Ryan [Moore on Scandinavia] didn't get much interference. Once you've given that ground away, you're not getting it back."