John and Thady Gosden will send two athletes to Riyadh to seek further success at next month’s Saudi Cup meeting.
Newmarket Stadium lands in Saudi Cup 2021 (G1) with Mishriff who followed Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan in their next start.
This year, Gosdens will lean on the winner Ebor Handicap Fisher in the $2.5 million Red Sea Grass (G3) Handicap, won in 2022 by a Japan-trained player stay stupid who won the Dubai Gold Cup (G2) in March.
After showing bravery in York when passing Alfred Boucher by a short head, Fisher didn’t look out of place by finishing third at the Long Distance Cup (G2) when last seen at Ascot in October.
Trawlerman after winning Ebor Handicap 2022 at York Racecourse
He will be joined in Saudi Arabia on February 25th by Mostahdaf , who is being targeted for the Neom Turf Cup (G3). He won twice at group 3 level last year and came in second smartly broom in the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Ascot before finishing in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at ParisLongchamp in October.
Thady Gosden said: “Trawlerman has always been a very talented horse. He progressed very well over the course of last year, winning at Ebor and then doing well when he was transferred to the above ground holding company that he did. probably dug into it a bit on Championship Day.
“He has a great spirit and is very tough, like we saw at Ebor. He looked like he was beaten but he came back and beat it in the end. He performed very well. good He had a little break after Championship Day, but he’s been training well since the beginning of the year.
“The Red Sea Handicap is an ideal race for him. It’s a very competitive race, we’ve seen that in the last couple of years and you have to have a quality horse to get into the field. , let alone win, but he’s exactly the right type of guy.”
The Trawlerman will likely be ridden by Frankie Dettori, who was registered to ride during the racers’ challenge meeting in Riyadh on 24 February.
Gosden added: “You might think that Trawlerman could develop into a Cup horse by the end of the year. Obviously, the race is a while away, but Frankie has won Ebor for him so it’s worth it. it makes sense for him to ride.”
