British Champions Day: Trawlerman scoops Long Distance Cup honours for Gosden team | Racing News

Traulermann repeated his dominance in the survival division when he led the team to a second-place finish to John and Tade Gosden in the Qipco British Long Distance Champions Cup at Ascot.

The Godolphin-owned bay was the 5-6 favorite under William Buick and was ridden patiently around the two-mile trip before being sent home as the field turned the final turn.

His stablemate Sweet William went with him and he was closing throughout under Robert Havlin, but he was unable to close the gap and it was the favorite who prevailed by a length and a half with Cream back in third, beaten 12 lengths.

John Gosden said: “They are two beautiful horses – one is seven, one is six – and they are wonderful horses and are part of the family at home.

“He drove that day in Lonsdale in York. When other people want to take a break, then he says ‘no, we’re going for two miles and doing a proper jog’ and as soon as that happens, William takes over.”

“Once they got into the straight, he probably hung up a little bit but the other horse was bumping him, so it was a great performance from both races.

“Sweet William has won the Doncaster Cup two years in a row and the crowd was roaring so hard because they saw the pinks coming and thought he was going to catch him. They are great horses and this is a great way to start the day.

“There was a moment when I thought Sweet William might get it but he didn’t. We’ll postpone them until next year and they’ll both compete before the Gold Cup.

“Traulerman is a relentless gallop, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with him. It’s also been a late year for him, he’s been on the move for a long time. It’s a pleasure to race here on good ground, and the timing has been very smart, so it’s great to have Champions Day on good, decent ground. These are the kinds of horses that bring people through the gates.”

Philippa Cooper Sweet William is owned and bred by her Normandy Stud, and she said: “The plan was to put him to sleep in the back and I was hoping the 88-year-old handicapper Aidan O’Brien (Saratoga) would spoil it for Trawlerman but that didn’t happen.

“Rab (Havlin) thought he was going to win but then Traulermann had a little extra and he was able to pull away a little bit more and we were also getting closer to our end as well. There was no ‘if only’ and that’s what it is, but we got closer to Traulermann.

“It’s probably the best career if you judge it on how close he is to Trawlermann but also the way he picks up, he picks up and tries now whereas before he was given bad names – you can’t say now he’s a horse that doesn’t try.

“He’ll keep racing and be in the ring for 20 years so I can’t retire him – he won’t be a happy hacker when he retires, he’ll outperform everyone.

“We will be careful with him and this was his sixth race this year and I was hoping to keep him out the following year after he won the Doncaster Cup but we wanted to help John try to get some money for the Trainers’ championship and all that helps.”

Carl Burke trains third-placed Cream for Nick Bradley Racing and added: “He wears his heart on his sleeve and always gives his best. “He has come 12 lengths clear of Britain’s best runners and we’ve come up arm in arm with only five runners and he’s got around £60,000 today.

“He’s an absolute star on the scene and I would say that’s the case for this year now. He’s had a tough season and we can put him away now and hopefully we can do it again next year.

“He likes slow ground and over a shorter trip you can be very aggressive with him. He just lacks the turn speed that really good horses have but he faces Trawlermann today, who is in a league of his own in this division.

“He loves coming here so hopefully we can come here more often next year and maybe defend Cumberland Lodge which he has won three years in a row.”