The English page - Breeders´ Meeting and Stallion Parade in Gestüt Röttgen

There is no real German equivalent to last week´s Route des Etalons in France or the previous week´s ITM Irish Stallion Trail as the distances are simply too big – from Görlsdorf in the North to Ammerland in the South it is getting on for 500 miles, but this Saturday´s “Züchtertreff” (Breeders´ Meeting) and Stallion Parade at Gestüt Röttgen comes close. Röttgen, on the outskirts of Cologne and near Cologne/Bonn airport, is the most luxurious stud farm in Germany. It was established in 1925 by Peter Mülhens, who made his money with the “4711” eau de cologne brand, and is now owned by a trust fund set up by his late daughter Maria Mehl-Mülhens and managed by Dr. Günter Paul. The fund not only runs the stud and racing stables, currently highly successful under trainer Markus Klug, but is also a major sponsor (German 2,000 Guineas) and huge benefactor of the German racing industry. This annual get-together is extremely popular and, as space is limited, always fully booked well in advance, with Dr. Paul and Röttgen stud manager Frank Dorff the hosts.

This year´s  proceedings (all in German) will include two very interesting lectures: Germany´s senior handicapper Harald Siemen will discuss racehorse ratings and how they are arrived at, which is very topical in view of the International Classifications published this week (see below), while senior stipendiary steward Frank Becker and the Direktorium´s Director of Racing Rüdiger Schmanns will report on recent efforts to harmonise the rules of racing on an international basis.

Eleven stallions will be paraded, headed by Röttgen´s two resident stallions, the 21-year-old Kallisto (Sternkönig), 6 lengths winner of the 2000 Italian Derby, and Protectionist (Monsun), winner of the 2014 Melbourne Cup and the 2016 Grosser Preis von Berlin, whose first foal was born a few days ago. The others, in alphabetical order, are: Amaron (Shamardal) standing at Gestüt Etzean, Counterattack (Redoute´s Choice), Gestüt Karlshof´s new shuttler from Australia, Feuerblitz (Big Shuffle) at Hofgut Heymann, Flamingo Fantasy (Fantastic Light) at Trona, Isfahan (Lord of England) at Ohlerweiherhof, the 2016 German Derby winner whose first foal was born last week, Lord of England himself (Dashing Blade) at Etzean, Maxios (Monsun)at Fährhof, Polish Vulcano (Lomitas) at IDEE, and Tai Chi (High Chaparral) at Ohlerweiherhof.

International Classifications

The International Classifications for 2017 were published this week, and from the German point of view they are not very exciting. Top-rated German horse was four-year-old (in 2017) Dschingis Secret (Soldier Hollow) on 120 (=German GAG raol (Cating of 100), winner of the Grosser Preis von Berlin, who is just ahead of the five-year-olds (in 2017) Guignol (Cape Cross) and Iquitos (Adlerflug). The trio met on several occasions, with Guignol just holding Iquitos and Dschinghis Secret in the Grosser Preis von Bayern at the end of the year. Probably Dschingis Secret´s  Prix Foy victory and subsequent sixth place in the Arc (Iquitos seventh) swung it his way. The problem is that the top German races have poor prize money by international levels so that very few top class runners from the U.K., France or Ireland now run in these races, which would really be necessary to improve the ratings of the top performers. No German horse won a Group One race abroad in 2017, while all seven domestic Group Ones were kept at home. In recent years only Novellist, on GAG 104 in 2013 after winning the King George, and Sea the Moon on 102.5 after winning the Deutsches Derbya year later, have been rated above 100 GAG. The 2017 three-year-olds in Germany were not an inspiring bunch, although the Derby winner Windstoss (Shirocco) was well up to par on 98.5 GAG. He was the only member of his crop in the six highest-rated. One piece of good news Is that almost all of the main protagonists of last year remain in training, including all those mentioned above. This should make the German Grand Prix races in 2018 extremely competitive, while several of last season´s three-year-olds can be expected to improve into Group One performers; in this writer´s opinion, Colomano (Cacique), Khan (Santiago)and Langtang (Campanologist) – among others- certainly come into this category.

Another positive aspect is that Röttgen´s homebred Erasmus (Reliable Man), impressive winner of the Preis des Winterfavoriten, has been rated on GAG 96, the highest rating since Tai Chi (High Chaparall)in 2011. One must hope that he has better luck than Tai Chi, who only ran twice more, but is now a promising young sire. Unfortunately, and is so often the case, many of the top German fillies have been sold abroad: Baden-Baden winner Narella (also by Reliable Man, whose move to France is a great loss to the German breeding industry) has been sold to Teruya Yoshida and is now in France, while this week came the news that Preis der Winterkönigin winner Rock My Love (Holy Roman Emperor), unbeaten in three starts in 2017 and the highest rated filly on 92.5, has been sold to George Strawbridge and is to be trained by Freddie Head.

The highest rated race in Germany last year- based on the average rating of the first four home- was the Grosser Preis von Bayern; the move four years ago to its new date of November 1^st (it was previously run in August) has proved to be a huge success. Amazingly, all four runnings so far on the new date have been won by trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho with homebreds of the Schlenderhan/ Ullmann stable, a tremendous achievement. The only other German race in the international top 100 is the Grosser Preis von Baden (also won by Carvalho´s Guignol from Iquitos) in joint 81^st place.

New man at the Direktorium

65-year-old Michael Vesper is expected to be confirmed as the new President of the Direktorium at a full meeting of Germany´s racing authority on March 14^th. He appears to be the only candidate and has been endorsed by the current President Albrecht Woeste, who is retiring: “we are convinced that we have found the right man for the job.”

Vesper has a doctorate in sociology and was a founder member of Germany´s Green Party. He held several ministerial positions – including briefly that of Prime Minister – in the state of NorthRhineWestphalia, Germany´s most populous state and a major racing and breeding centre. After retiring from politics he has been the for the past eleven years Managing Director of the DOSB, the umbrella organization that covers all German sporting bodies, and in that capacity was the chef de mission of the German team at the Olympic Games in 2008 (Peking) and 2012 (London). He will need all his political skills to steer the German racing industry through a very tricky period, but as an outsider – he has had no known contact with thoroughbred racing – could be able to bring in new ideas and perspectives, which are urgently needed. 

David Conolly-Smith