With racing still basking in the afterglow of Saturday’s captivating King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, Goodwood provides the latest chapter of their ‘Duel on the Downs’ drama in today’s Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
By common consensus the Ascot Gold Cup, fought out in captivating fashion on a sweltering Berkshire afternoon last month by the leading men, Scandinavia and Trawlerman, was billed as the race of the season.
That description may have undersold the engrossing confrontation as those with long memories likened it to the ‘Race of the Century’ between Grundy and Bustino in the 1975 King George.
Whatever label is used, the gripping battle is reprised today as the apprentice and the master return to the track for another eagerly awaited showdown as Scandinavia bids to extend his winning sequence to a magnificent seven, while the veteran Trawlerman hunts revenge for his last-gasp Ascot defeat.
At the age of eight, Trawlerman is a complete anomaly.
Capable of running to extraordinarily high levels at an age when most of his counterparts have cried enough, the son of John and Thady Gosden’s 2015 Derby winner Golden Horn will again be equipped with ski goggles in the paddock and on the way to post as his eyes have become sensitive to light.
The Ascot Gold Cup was fought out in captivating fashion last month by the leading men, Scandinavia and Trawlerman, and was billed as the race of the season
The affliction nearly cost him a place in the starting line-up at Ascot with Gosden senior admitting it was a race against time to have him ready for the Group 1 marathon before the condition was diagnosed.
In the buildup to this showdown, Gosden junior reports that Trawlerman ‘still has all the enthusiasm he has always had’ and ‘has sharpened up a little bit since’ Ascot which augurs well for today’s rematch where he again takes on a rival half his age.
While it isn’t quite Lionel Messi facing Lamine Yamal in a World Cup Final, the main protagonists are at vastly different ends of the age scale and will each have their supporters with the front-running Trawlerman’s prominent run style contrasting nicely with Scandinavia’s more patient approach.
The old boxing adage that styles make fights is certainly appropriate, but today’s feature also boasts strength in depth with the likes of Amiloc, Lazy Griff and Rahiebb all looking to muscle in on the main event and disrupt the status quo.
The former, unbeaten in two starts on the Sussex Downs, tackles two miles for the first time and arrives on the back of an encouraging effort in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, a contest which produced Saturday’s marquee winner Kalpana.
Lazy Griff represents a team with plenty of heritage in this mid-summer feature, with trainer Charlie Johnston’s father Mark saddling the redoubtable Double Trigger to win three times in four years in the late 1990s.
The Middleham operation also enjoyed success with Royal Rebel (2000) and Darasim four years later and their representative, equipped with the headgear for the first time, remains largely unexposed over today’s trip and will appreciate the efforts of the Goodwood groundstaff who have spent recent weeks watering around the clock.
Rahiebb is another intriguing runner in a race packed full of intrigue and one which should set the scene for a magnificent meeting forecast to be blessed with good weather.
We don’t have to wait long for another prize fight either with tomorrow’s Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes providing another fascinating duel with Betfred 2000 Guineas winner Bow Echo and Gstaad going head-to-head for the third time this season.
The former leads 2-0, but the smooth two and three quarter length margin of victory from the first Classic of the season at Newmarket in May was whittled away to a short head in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot seven weeks ago.
The market suggests the unbeaten Bow Echo will again prevail, but with the highly talented four-year-old Opera Ballo also in opposition, the result is no foregone conclusion and we are set for more drama on the Downs.
