The English page - The lull before the storm

The big summer meeting at Baden-Baden starts on Saturday, so it is understandable that racing last weekend in Germany was a relatively low key. Main event was the Group Three race for three-year-olds over ten furlongs that was previously run at Baden-Baden and was known as the Fürstenberg-Rennen; this now the main event at Hanover´s “Ascot Day” fixture. To be honest, this looked a weak race on paper and only five lined up, with Enjoy Vijay (Nathaniel) starting at odds-on following his good efforts when runner-up in the Deutsches Derby and then fourth in a strong field for the Munich Group One over this distance. Possibly those two tough races had taken their toll, as Enjoy Vijay ran well below form and could only finish fourth.

The race went to French-bred Real Value (Rip van Winkle), one of two runners owned by Cologne raceclub president Eckhard Sauren.  He and his trainer Mario Hofer had hatched a plan to defeat the favourite, and it worked perfectly, brilliantly executed by French jockey Fabrice Veron, who soon took the lead, set a false pace, grabbed the favoured stands rail in the straight and always had enough in hand to hold off the strong late challenge of Ming Jung (Kallisto). Real Value, a 25,000 euros Deauville yearling purchase, could now go for a similar race at Hoppegarten on German Reunification Day (October 3^rd).

The other significant race was the listed fillies´ race at Düsseldorf over seven furlongs. British challenger Pirouette (Pivotal) was the clear favourite and she made no mistake, making almost all the running under Robert Winston and going well clear in the straight to win by five lengths without being hard pressed. She completed a quick international double for trainer Hughie Morrison, whose Marmelo (Duke of Marmalade) had won the Group Two Prix Kergorlay at Deauville a few minutes earlier. Interestingly, both British-trained winners this season in Germany have been at Düsseldorf, following the victory in the 1,000 Guineas here of Unforgetable Filly (Sepoy), who had in fact defeated Pirouette on her previous start. German racegoers often seem to think that Düsseldorf, which is a bit up hill and down dale, is a difficult track for foreign-trained runners to negotiate. This is definitely not the case and any horse that can handle Newmarket (either course), Epsom or Lingfield will have no problem at all at Düsseldorf.

The “Grosse Woche” at Baden-Baden begins on Saturday, the best meeting of the year in Germany. Saturday´s highlight is the Group Three  Preis der Sparkassen Finanzgruppe (ex Spreti-Rennen) for older horses over ten furlongs. Potemkin (New Approach) was runner-up to the good Polish horse Va Bank (Archipenko) last year and has an excellent chance of going one better this time. He ran a good race at Munich last time, despite his saddle slipping, and was also unlucky on his previous start at Belmont Park, when the jockey rode completely against orders. He deserves a change of luck and is well suited by the race conditions; he gets no penalty for his Group One success last autumn and instead receives weight from horses that have won a Group Two or Group Three this season. Palace Prince (Areion) won the Badener Meile at the spring meeting here, but his penalty makes ot very tough now, and the same goes for Hamburg Group Three winner Matchmaker (Sternkönig). At these weights Devastar (Areion) could be the main danger; he won the Hoppegarten race last October and now meets Matchmaker on much better terms than at Hamburg last time.

Sunday´s main event is the 147^th edition of the Group Two Goldene Peitsche (“Golden Whip”), Germany´s best sprint race with its attractive winner´s trophy of a golden whop engraved with thr names of all winners since its inception. There are plenty of familiar faces here. Donnerschlag (Bahamian Bounty) won it a year ago and no fewer than seven of the horses that finished behind them then now reoppose, while Shining Emerald (Clodovil) won in 2015, with Donnerschlag and three more of these behind. Four of these also ran in the Silberne Peitsche at the spring meeting, won by Artistica (Areion), who is not in this field.

Foreign raiders have an excellent record in this race, but only one foreign runners turns up this time, the French-trained Son Cesio (Zafeen), who has run in the race three times already, finishing runner-up in 2014 and 2015, but only ninth last year. He runs consistently well in the French races at this trip of six furlongs, and if one assumes that there was a reason for his flop last year, or that it was just due to an off day, he should finish in the frame for the third time.