Star Sports Henry II Stakes |
 |
|
| Group 3, Sandown 19:05 £80,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 50y, Class 1  |
||
|
||
1 Trawlerman 4/5F
2 Coltrane 7/1
3
Al Nayyir 11/2
4 ran NR: Tashkhan Distances: 5l, 4¾l, 15l
Time: 3m 37.03s (slow by 4.23s)
🔵 The classy Trawlerman lands the G3 Henry II Stakes with an ideal prep before next month's Ascot Gold Cup @StarSports_Bet | @Sandownpark | @godolphin | @WilliamBuickX pic.twitter.com/e20oXDsEYe
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 29, 2025
From the moment the gates opened at Sandown, the script always looked like it might read “catch me if you can” — and none of his rivals could. Trawlerman, the 4-5 favourite and very much the class act in a compact field, delivered a performance that oozed authority to land the Group 3 in style.
William Buick wasted no time asserting control aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained veteran, dictating steady fractions from the front. Once into a rhythm — aided again by the hood that’s served him well in recent starts — the Godolphin-owned seven-year-old had matters firmly in hand.
Turning for home, it was all academic. A shake of the reins and Trawlerman extended smoothly up the Sandown hill, putting daylight between himself and Coltrane to score by a decisive five lengths.
Thady Gosden was understandably all smiles post-race:
“That was pretty much textbook. He’s such a generous, willing horse — sometimes too willing — so the plan was always to let him roll from the front and get into a rhythm. William judged it perfectly. The hood just helps him switch off a bit, and once in the straight, he picked up like we hoped he would.”
Fresh from a break following his Dubai exploits, this was the ideal prep as connections plot a return to Royal Ascot — and a shot at going one better than last year in the Gold Cup.
Paddy Power certainly took note, trimming Trawlerman into 5-1 (from 7s) for the big one next month, especially with reigning champion Kyprios now out of the picture following his retirement earlier this week.
“Of course, it’s a real shame for everyone at Coolmore and Ballydoyle to lose Kyprios — that sort of horse leaves a hole in any division,” Gosden added. “But Trawlerman’s a real stalwart now. He gives you everything, every time. He’s almost part of the team furniture, and it’s brilliant that Godolphin have kept him in training. Hopefully, we’ve timed it right — and fingers crossed, he comes out of this bouncing.”
Henry II Stakes (Group 3)
£80,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 50y, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (4) Trawlerman 7 9-4 John & Thady Gosden William Buick 4/5F
2 (2) 5 Coltrane 8 9-4 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 7/1
3 (1) 4¾ Al Nayyir 7 9-4 Tom Clover Silvestre De Sousa 11/2
4 (3) 15 Burdett Road 5 9-4 James Owen Hector Crouch 3/1
NR 4 (5) Tashkhan 7 9-4 Brian Ellison NON RUNNER
