Godolphin retires Gold Cup winner Trawlerman after leg injury at Goodwood

Godolphin’s staying specialist Trawlerman has been forced into retirement after picking up a leg issue in the Goodwood Cup, trainer John Gosden confirmed on Saturday. The eight-year-old, who amassed more than £2 million in earnings, previously captured the Ascot Gold Cup in record time, won the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day twice, and secured an Ebor victory. He returned from an eight-month break to contest this year’s Gold Cup, narrowly losing by a head to the younger rival Scandinavia, and later ran a compromised race where a loose horse affected his performance.

Gosden said the horse will be sent to Wood Ditton Stud for retirement, a venue he knows from previous visits. The Gosden team at Clarehaven Stables, especially caretaker Ben de Paiva and long-time rider Richard Wilkinson, described Trawlerman as a beloved member of the stable family.