Grand double for powerful Godolphin in major international races

Dubai-owned stable score big wins in the UK and Australia

By Leslie Wilson Jr

Published: Mon 22 Aug 2022, 3:35 PM

The powerful Dubai-owned Godolphin stable celebrated reaching a major milestone of 400 winners for the season when they posted massive wins on opposing sides of the globe on a very successful day on the flat.

Anamoe kicked off the magical country double when he stormed in the G1 racing scene with a brilliant first-up win in the $750,000 Winx Stakes at Royal Randwick in Sydney, Australia before Trawlerman made it a red-letter day for the Boys in Blue when posting a close but thrilling victory in the Ebor Handicap at York in the northern England.

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Trained by the father and son team of John and Thady Gosden and ridden by in the in-form Frankie Dettori, Trawlerman denied a gutsy Alfred Boucher by a short-head in the afternoon's feature race.

Dettori, who was winning the race a second time, told Racing TV UK: "On the line I knew it was close because I was gaining all the time – it was quite some race.

"He found some energy out of nowhere and it was an amazing race."

John Gosden said: "You had to fancy him to run a big race after his win at Goodwood. He won very nicely there and I felt very strongly that he’d be a good horse for today."

Trawlerman was also completing a big-race UK double for Godolphin after Silver Knott joined a group of exciting juveniles trained by Charlie Appleby this year with an emphatic victory in the G3 Solario Stakes at Sandown Park on Saturday.

Silver Knott was following in the illustrious footsteps of Godolphin's Epsom Derby hero, Masar, who won the Solario in 2017.

The strength of Godolphin's worldwide operation was driven by the four-year-old Anamoe who has now achieved the rare feat of winning at the highest level every year of his sensational career Down Under.

A three-time G1 winner of the Sires’ Produce Stakes, Caulfield Guineas and Rosehill Guineas before Saturday, Anamoe took his career record to eight wins, with four coming at G1 level.

Godolphin's Australian handler James Cummings was thrilled with the performance and told the stable's official website: “He’s a proper horse, isn’t he. It’s a great result for the team, it means a lot to us to have a horse as good as this back at four.

“To have him back every prep is amazing… we feel like we can lift his value and lift his reputation," he added before acknowledging the support he has received from Godolphin supremo, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“His Highness Sheikh Mohammed loves racing his horses and three-year-olds coming back to training at four," he said. “It’s exciting to see what he might have left in store.

“He’s the type of horse who can carry a stable.”

Meanwhile, there was also success for Shadwell Stable, created by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the former Deputy Ruler of Dubai, when Alflaila came from last to first under Jim Crowley to capture the G3 Strensall Stakes at York.

“He can set your heart racing a bit because he steps slow, but that suits him and coming up in trip now I felt he hit the line strong,” said winning trainer Owen Burrows.

“He's progressing nicely.He’s in on Arc weekend in the Prix Dollar."