By Sean Cronin
Royal Ascot's G1 Gold Cup hero Trawlerman (Golden Horn) went postward as the odds-on favourite for Thursday's G2 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup Stakes at York and, towing home fellow Clarehaven representative Sweet William (Sea The Stars), emulated his John and Thady Gosden-trained former stablemate Stradivarius by winning the two-mile York marathon as a seven-year-old.
“The three-year-old [Shackleton] made it a test of stamina, Trawlerman was giving him a full stone in weight, and they made a lovely race of it together,” said John Gosden. “You go 15 rounds with this boy and you know you've gone 15 rounds. There's no sting, he just grinds you into the ground. Trawlerman and Sweet William have come away and they are proper, proper staying horses. We are delighted with them both, it's a long straight here and it was a proper old battle between the pair of them. One is seven and the other is six, and they are a lot of fun because staying races are an important part of our programme. Trawlerman's getting on and you have to respect his age. We will freshen him up now and, all being well, he will run one more time this year at Ascot on Champions Day. The horses tell you if you listen to them, if you force them, it never works. It will be Doncaster [for the G2 Doncaster Cup] for Sweet William, all being well.”
The 5-6 pick, burdened with a three-pound penalty for his Gold Cup triumph, broke on the lead before allowing Shackleton (Camelot) a narrow advantage passing the judge first time and sat on that rival's shoulder through halfway. Sent to the front with a half-mile remaining he came under pressure when Sweet William threatened inside the final quarter-mile and stayed on relentlessly under a continued drive to subdue that stablemate by an ultimately comfortable 1 1/4 lengths. Al Nayyir (Dubawi) fared best of the remainder and finished 4 1/4 lengths adrift in third.
TRAWLERMAN wins the Lonsdale Cup 🏆🔵@weatherbysltd | @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/dr7fKUiyiS
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 22, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Trawlerman is the leading performer from two scorers out of G3 Deutsches St Leger second Tidespring (Monsun), herself one of three black-type representatives for G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Sweet Stream (Shantou). Tidespring is kin to stakes-winning G3 Munster Oaks third Loveisthehigherlaw (Kodiac) and Listed Radley Stakes placegetter Sweet Dream (Oasis Dream). Sweet Stream is the leading performer out of the stakes-placed Snug Dinner (Jareer) while Sweet Dream produced G3 Prix Penelope victrix Making Dreams (Make Believe). Snug Dinner, the best daughter of the stakes-placed Stand By Me (Home Guard), is the second dam of Listed Premio Royal Mares victrix Testa O Croce (Orpen).
Friday, York, Britain
WEATHERBYS LONSDALE CUP STAKES-G2, £250,000, York, 8-22, 3yo/up, 16f 56yT, 3:29.04, g/f.
1–TRAWLERMAN (IRE), 134, g, 7, by Golden Horn (GB)
1st Dam: Tidespring (Ire) (MGSP-Ger & SP-Fr), by Monsun (Ger)
2nd Dam: Sweet Stream (Ity), by Shantou
3rd Dam: Snug Dinner (Ire), by Jareer
O/B-Godolphin; T-John & Thady Gosden; J-William Buick. £141,775. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng & GSP-UAE, 22-10-1-5, $2,018,672. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sweet William (Ire), 131, g, 6, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Gale Force (GB), by Shirocco (Ger). O/B-Normandie Stud Ltd; T-John & Thady Gosden. £53,750.
3–Al Nayyir (GB), 131, g, 7, Dubawi (Ire)–Bright Beacon (GB), by Manduro (Ger). O-Elbashir Elhrari; B-Godolphin; T-Tom Clover. £26,900.
Margins: 1 1/4, 4 1/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.83, 3.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Al Qareem (Ire), Shackleton (Ire), Dubai Future (GB).
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