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Breeding & Racing in Germany


In order to be of assistance to our growing number of readers from abroad, we are with immediate effect publishing in every issue of Turf Times an English page, giving in compact form all the latest racing and breeding news from Germany in English. 

When we introduced “The English page” in Turf Times a few years ago, there was no question about the author. Our English readers could not be better informed about what was happening here than by David Conolly-Smith. Born in Nottingham, the Englishman, correspondent for various British and Irish specialist newspapers, German representative of the International Racing Bureau, contact point for all active people from the island, lived in Munich and horse racing was his passion. He passed away on July 9, 2023 at the age of 83. It was his wish that Shannon Patricia Spratter should continue the English-language column in his place. He was friends with her father, the Irish-born trainer John David hillis, wo is working in Munich, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Our columnist briefly introduces herself here.

Writes the column for the English-speaking Turf Times readers: Shannon Spratter with her father, former jockey and current gallop trainer, John David Hillis. Foto: privatWrites the column for the English-speaking Turf Times readers: Shannon Spratter with her father, former jockey and current gallop trainer, John David Hillis. Foto: privat

My name is Shannon Patricia Spratter and I was born into racing through my father, former jockey and now trainer, John David Hillis and mother, Jeanette Spratter.

Due to the recommendation of David Conolly-Smith, I have taken over his part with great enthusiasm and now write the English edition about our German racing.

When I'm not in front of the computer writing texts or pursuing my main job, I spend my time at my father's racing stable. My favourite hobby is riding races as an amateur.

07.11.2024
Ausgabe 842 vom Freitag, 08.11.2024

Last Saturday saw the curtain fall in Cologne, bringing to an end their 2024 Season. A nine race programme which included two amateur races had the 'Silbernes Pferd a Group 3 contest over 3000m (1m 7f) as the main attraction. Run on very soft ground, Padre Palou (Mastercraftsman) from the Henk Grewe stables, set out to make every post a winning one under Eduardo Pedroza and he nearly did so. Turning for home though it was his better fancied stable companion Flatten the Curve (Zarak) in the colours of racecourse President Eckhard Sauren and ridden by his retained jockey Thore Hammer Hansen who came around the field travelling best and streched out to win by a cozy 1 and 3/4 lenghts, Padre Palou outbattled Nastaria (Outstrip) for the second spot, a neck separating them at the line, with Lions Head running a sound race back in fourth.

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31.10.2024
Ausgabe 841 vom Freitag, 01.11.2024

The ten race programme in Hannover last Sunday produced some interesting results. A programme that included a Group 3 fillies race, two listed races for for the youngsters and a sales race was always going to throw up some unusual outcomes, but it came none more so than in the main event itself. Twelve fillies went to post for the Group 3 Arqana Herbst Stuten Preis with a hot favorite in the 6/4 shot the three year old Diamond Crown from Andreas Suboric's stable. The favorite had every chance but dropped away in the straight to finish sixth. The race found an easy winner though in the form of 40/1 outsider Ultima (Amaron) who was absolutely cantering turning into the straight and streched away from the field to win by an easy 3 3/4 lenghts for Danish trainer Veronika Jandova and jockey Carlos Lopez.

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25.10.2024
Ausgabe 840 vom Freitag, 25.10.2024

Even though we still have a few good weekends of racing left here In our German calendar, somehow when Baden Baden's Autumn Sales and Racing meet comes to an end you start to get that winter feeling and our Turf season is coming to an end with it. Yes we still have a Group 1 meeting in Munich in November to come but we are most definitely on the way to the finish line. 

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18.10.2024
Ausgabe 839 vom Freitag, 18.10.2024

An interesting weekends racing was kickstarted with a seven race programme in Munich with the Isfahan Munchner Herbst Preis the feature event. The 25,000 € Listed race over 1300m (61/2f) attracted a good field of thirtheen runners with Shootout from the Henk Grewe stable sent off a worthy 6/4 favorite on latest form. Unfortunately this one did not read the script, ran very poorly, eventually trailed in last, eighteen lenghts behind the field. Too bad to be true. Of the foreign horses, the two French contenders Concluding Call and Qualixia were a never dangerous eight and eleventh at the post.

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11.10.2024
Ausgabe 838 vom Freitag, 11.10.2024

Dortmund on Saturday Mulheim and Leipzig on Sunday flew the flag for German racing last weekend but it was always going to be overshadowed by the top class racing on offer in Paris, even by our own staunch followers. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend with the phenomenal prize money on offer attracts the best and really this year only City of Troy, Economics or Goliath were missing. The German runners, more or less as expected, found it tough going in their races but we will come back to the French weekend in a bit. 

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04.10.2024
Ausgabe 837 vom Freitag, 04.10.2024

Last weekend we had racing in Krefeld, Hannover and Dusseldorf. Krefeld's Saturday 6 race programme was an all handicap card with their main race a 20,000 EUR Handicap I. It only attracted six runners but it was won by a horse worth noting and that was the Sarka Schutz trained Big Secret in the colours of LA Bloodstock. The 4 year old Zazou colt was winning his fifth race of the year and has been placed second in his other two starts. This horse found his way to Germany middle of last year from Hungary where he had won a small handicap. At his best over 7 furlongs or a mile, he was still good enough to win this at 6 1/2 furlongs to give another talented young rider, Lilli-Marie Engels, a win after missing the last months through injury.

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28.09.2024
Ausgabe 836 vom Freitag, 27.09.2024

Yes, we were building up last weekends Mehl-Muhlens-Stiftung - 62. Preis von Europa as the best assembly of racehorses in one race on German soil, till at the last minute on Thursday morning the news filtered through that the world's number 2 rated racehorse Goliath would not be taking part and somehow immediately the race lost the gloss factor. What could have been a rematch between the winner and the third from Ascots King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on German turf was off. But Germar racing needs to look on the positive side and at least we were still going to see the Globetrotter and World number 4 in Cologne The Godolphin Dubawi son Rebels Romance, a six year old gelding that had 13 wins to his name and over 7,800,000 Euro in prize money collected in lands like Qatar, Dubai, Hong Kong and the United States and already over 5 million in the year 2024. 

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21.09.2024
Ausgabe 835 vom Freitag, 20.09.2024

Dortmund last Sunday and our final classic of 2024. The sun came out and even though the ground rode officially good to soft we had a thrilling finish to the Group 3, Wettstar. de - 140 Deutsches St Leger. This 2800 m (1m 6f) event attracted two oversea's challengers in the George Scott trained Prydwen (Camelot) and Go Daddy (Smooth Daddy) from William Muir and Christy Grassick, and both would take home a good chunk of the prize money on offer.

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12.09.2024
Ausgabe 834 vom Freitag, 13.09.2024

Last weekend we had plenty of racing in Germany but most of it was average run of the mill handicaps for lower grade horses,  the type of racing that keeps the bookmaker shops open and in business. We had racing in Cologne on Friday evening, Magdeburg took over on Saturday while Sunday saw two tracks open there doors, Dusseldorf and Leipzig. Now in my opinion, its all ok having racing but Germany is not England or France and we just dont have their number of horses in training, so we are getting ridiculously small fields of four and five runners and very uncompetitive racing. Again it's ok helping PMU and from thar the German Race Clubs costs get covered but we are killing our product. 

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03.09.2024
Ausgabe 833 vom Freitag, 06.09.2024

There were a lot of highs last weekend in Baden-Baden on Germany's most international weekend with even the weather temperature playing its part. Sweltering heat in the Iffezheim area and an official going of good though by Sunday it was probably on the faster side of good saw some interesting racing and some history being made.

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30.08.2024
Ausgabe 832 vom Freitag, 30.08.2024

Baden Baden's International week of racing kicked off last Saturday with beautiful clear skies, beach weather nearly to warm for horse racing. The beautiful weather brought a good crowd to Iffezhem to enjoy their eight race card with the feature being the ex Spreti-Rennen the now named 69. Preis der Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, a Group III race over the 2000meters (1m 2f) distance.

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21.08.2024
Ausgabe 831 vom Freitag, 23.08.2024

Last Sunday we had two meetings, Dusseldorf with an early 11o`clock start and Hannover kicking off at a more conventional 13.40 with its 10 race card going through till 18.45 in the evening. At both meeting the main races were listed events. Up in Hannover where the ground was officially good to soft but looked on the softer side there was a little upset in the feature race the Preis von Volkswagen Automobile Listed Stutenrennen over 2400 meters (1m 4f). Carmen Bocskai went into the race two fold with her Techno Beat the 7/2 favorite and Kammuri Diamond starting 13/1.

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