Godolphin will launch another strong challenge on Glorious Goodwood this week, with veteran stayer Trawlerman leading the UAE operation’s challenge in Tuesday’s Group 1 Goodwood Cup as the famous five-day festival gets under way in West Sussex.
The Dubai-owned powerhouse is chasing a first victory in the historic two-mile contest since Cavalryman triumphed in 2014, having previously landed the 3,200-metre contest with Kayf Tara in 1999, Schiaparelli (2009), Opinion Poll (2011) and Cavalryman (2014). Won in the past by the likes of the legendary Double Trigger (thrice), Frankel and Stradivarius (four times), Goodwood has raised this year’s purse to a record £1.5 million,
Trawlerman returns with unfinished business after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the Ascot Gold Cup (G1), where he was caught only in the closing strides by the younger Irish raider Scandinavia in what was arguably one of the hottest races of the season.
Glorious Goodwood is one of the jewels of the British flat-racing calendar, following Royal Ascot and preceding York’s Ebor Festival. Over five days, the meeting features 40 races, including nine Group contests and four at the highest Group 1 level, attracting many of the world’s leading owners, trainers and jockeys.
For Dubai and the UAE’s racing community, Goodwood is more than another prestigious fixture. It represents another opportunity for the country’s owners to compete on one of racing’s biggest international stages. Success at meetings such as Goodwood has long been part of Dubai’s racing industry’s vision. At the same time, the festival also highlights the growing link between Meydan Racecourse and Europe’s premier summer racing programme.
That connection is clear again this year. Opera Ballo, who announced himself as a top-class performer when landing the Group 1 Jebel Hatta Presented by Longines during the Dubai Racing Carnival, heads to Wednesday’s Sussex Stakes. His appearance reinforces the importance of the Carnival as a launchpad for horses targeting elite races across Europe.
The spotlight on Tuesday’s feature, the Goodwood Cup, however, primarily falls on a trio of top-class long-distance campaigners -Trawlerman, Scandinavia and Rahiebb.
Last season Trawlerman established himself among Europe’s leading stayers, winning four races in succession, including the 2025 Ascot Gold Cup, where he set a new course record over the two-and-a-half-mile distance before adding another Group 1 success in the British Champions Long Distance Cup.
Assessing his ward’s chances at Goodwood in what will be his 25th career start, Thady Gosden said: “Trawlerman ran a huge race in the Gold Cup and was only just beaten by a younger horse in Scandinavia. We had to give him 1lb that day, but he lines up here off level weights, which should hopefully help.
“It is his first appearance in the Goodwood Cup, although he won a handicap at this meeting four years ago and he’s a well-balanced horse, so he should handle the track well. He has sharpened up since Royal Ascot and getting that first run of the season out of the way helped with his base fitness. You would expect him to show that he has taken a nice step forward.”
Also lining up in the Goodwood Cup is Rahiebb, owned by Major General Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and Public Security. Trained by Roger Varian and partnered by Ray Dawson, Rahiebb will be hoping to recapture the form that earned him victory in the Yorkshire Cup (G1) earlier this season.
Godolphin’s strength extends beyond the opening feature. The operation is represented in Tuesday’s Group 2 Vintage Stakes, one of the newest races at the festival, by the exciting Al Hudaiba, who will attempt to follow in the footsteps of former Godolphin winners Shamardal, Rio De La Plata and Pinatubo.
The Charlie Appleby-trained colt has won all three of his starts and showed plenty of determination to capture the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket despite still showing signs of greenness. Appleby believes the two-year-old son of Dark Angel has improved since that victory and feels Goodwood’s unique track should suit him well. The trainer also hopes first-time blinkers will help Al Hudaiba concentrate after showing a tendency to wander under pressure.
Attention then switches to Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes, now Europe’s richest mile with prize money increased to £1.5 million. Opera Ballo, one of the stars of the Dubai Racing Carnival, steps onto another major international stage as he bids to transfer his Meydan form, where he won the Al Rashidiya (G2) and Jebel Hatta (G1), to one of Britain’s most prestigious races.
However, he faces strong opposition in the form of Bow Echo, who bids to become the first horse since Frankel in 2011 to capture the Sussex after landing the 2000 Guineas (G1) and the St. James’s Palace (G1). Also in the field is Irish-trained Gastaad, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1).
Thursday’s Nassau Stakes, Friday’s King George Qatar Stakes and Saturday’s Stewards’ Cup ensure quality racing throughout the week, but from a UAE perspective much of the focus will remain on Godolphin, whose blue silks have become synonymous with success on the world’s biggest racecourses.
Source: Khaleej Times