Horse racing-Favourite Trawlerman wins Gold Cup at Royal Ascot

ASCOT, England :Favourite Trawlerman, ridden by William Buick, led all the way to win Royal Ascot's headline Gold Cup in record time and make up for missing out last year on a sizzling hot Ladies Day afternoon on Thursday.

The Godolphin-owned seven-year-old, runner-up last year and trained by John and Thady Gosden, beat Aidan O'Brien-trained Illinois (9-4) by seven lengths with Godolphin's Dubai Future (28-1) finishing third.

The race attracted eight entries, with a new winner guaranteed after 2024 winner Kyprios was retired in May due to injury.

Former champion jockey Buick punched the air in triumph as he crossed the finish line to clinch his first Gold Cup victory and a fifth for John Gosden in the space of eight years.

"He's a great horse. We tried it last year and we were only beaten by the great Kyprios. He's been such a good horse, he's so genuine," said Buick, who pulled steadily away over the final furlong.

"I didn't have to touch the brakes once, he was in a nice rhythm and he was relaxed; he went on autopilot, he knows his own speed and he stays well so I was just a passenger.

"First Gold Cup, it's been a long time coming and it's not an easy race to win."

The Gosdens now have five wins on the board at this week's Ascot, the father and son training the St James' Palace Stakes winner Field of Gold on Tuesday as well as Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales Stakes on Wednesday.

Fancied French entry Candelari, from the stable of the Aga Khan, finished sixth and 29 lengths behind the winner on his British debut.

First run in 1807, the Gold Cup is a two-and-a-half-mile marathon showpiece that ranks as one of the greatest tests of stamina in flat racing and features the best staying horses in Europe.

The Thursday of the