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| Rowan Anderson |
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10 starts for four wins and three placings.
Trawlerman is riding a wave with hopes to set him up to capture the $2.5 million Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.
The 5YO gelded son of Golden Horn is owned by Godolphin and trained by John and Thady Gosden and continues to prove himself as a genuine stayer.
The father and son share the licence and are proud of their gelding.
“Trawlerman has always been a very talented horse,” Thady said.
After winning a competitive Goodwood handicap, he overcame being drawn a wide barrier to fight on under the great Frankie Dettori to take out the prestigious Ebor Handicap over 2800m at York in August. The ride was a battle under the hoop in his final year in the saddle which saw him take the victory by 0.1 lengths.
He has now been spelled for 15 weeks after finishing third in his last start last October in the Group Two Long Distance Cup on British Champions Day at Ascot.
“He progressed well throughout last year, winning the Ebor and then did well stepping up into stakes company on ground that probably had a little too much dig in it on Champions Day.
“He’s got a great mentality and he’s very tough, as we saw in the Ebor. He looked like he was beat but he came back and ground it out at the finish.
“He’s very well in himself. He had a little holiday after Champions Day but he’s been training well since the start of the year.
“The Red Sea Handicap is an ideal race for him. It’s a very competitive race, we’ve seen that in the last couple of years, and you’ve got to have a quality horse to get into the field let alone win it, but he’s exactly the right type.
“You’d like to think he could develop into a Cup horse later in the year. He obviously stays well and since he’s worn a hood he relaxes through his races.”
Trawlerman will now be prepared for the contest at The Saudi Cup meeting on Saturday February 25 with his trainers believing that the conditions will work well with the Ebor hero.
With Dettori confirming he will ride at The Saudi Cup meeting and compete in the International Jockeys Challenge alongside some of the world’s best riders on the opening day.
Hopes are that he will again partner the Gosden trained stayer on the following day in the 3000m Red Sea Turf Handicap at the world’s most valuable race meeting with $35.35 million up for grabs over the two days.
“Obviously the race is a little while off but Frankie won the Ebor on him so it would be logical for him to ride Trawlerman.”
Trawlerman will be joined at The Saudi Cup meeting, held over two days at the state-of-the-art King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, by talented stablemate Mostahdaf who will run in the Group 3 Neom Turf Cup, worth $1.5million on Saturday February 25.
“Mostahdaf ran well throughout last year. He won the September Stakes at Kempton and the ground was very deep at Longchamp for the Arc de Triomphe. It rained a huge amount and he wasn’t in love with the ground at all,” Thady Gosden added.
“This is a drop back down in distance and this race should suit him. He’s in good order. He always has a positive attitude and he’s been training well.
“He always runs wells fresh, so going there without prep run isn’t something you’d worry about.”
The Saudi Cup meeting has seen the Gosden’s compete successfully with Mishriff finishing runner-up in the 2020 Saudi Derby in the event’s inaugural year and then returned 12 months later to win the $20 million Saudi Cup itself.
Thady, who served as assistant to his father is impressed with everything he saw in Saudi Arabia.
“The track is world class, as are the quarantine facilities.
“The event has improved year on year. I was out there in the inaugural year with Mishriff running in the Saudi Derby and it was fantastic – it’s improved even more since then.
There’s a great atmosphere at the track and there’s a lot of culture to see in Saudi, it’s always very interesting.
“It’s obviously a meeting everyone wants to have runners at. The prize money is exceptional and it fits into the calendar very well with the racing in Dubai the following month.”