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: 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.
There is some good news to report this week. First of all of course the fact that Enable (Nathaniel) is to stay in training at five in an attempt to win the Arc for the third time has been greeted with enthusiasm by racegoers around the world. This is a very sporting decision by her connections, especially owner Khalid Abdullah, his racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe and trainer John Gosden, who has handled her in masterly fashion. It will also please her regular jockey Frankie Dettori, who has once again been in brilliant form in 2018, and according to Gosden needs his percentage of the prize-money to put his children through college.
weiterlesen »Last Thursday´s Grosser Preis von Bayern in Munich ended in a convincing win for Stall Mulligan´s six-year-old entire Iquitos (Adlerflug), who came from last place with a devastating run to lead a furlong out and score by four lengths from Defoe (Dalakhani) with another four lengths back to Dee Ex Bee (Farhh). The two placed horses, both trained in England, have solid Group One form to their name, and while the very soft ground probably resulted in the exaggerated distances at the line, this was undeniably a smart performance from Iquitos, a consistent performer at the top level for the past two years; at four he won the Grosser Preis von Baden and at five the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis.
weiterlesen »By far the best race in Germany this week is Munich´s Group One Grosser Preis von Bayern on All Saints´ Day, but for technical reasons these lines are written before that late season feature, which has attracted a strong international field. The result and commentary (in German) can be found elsewhere in this issue.
weiterlesen »Last week´ s Baden-Baden meeting, the grandly-named Sales & Racing Festival, must be counted as a great success, thanks in particular to fine weather. At this time of year the outdoor conditions are all-important and after several years in which the weather was really miserable, this time everything was perfect: the sun shone non-stop, the temperature was pleasant and betting turnover on the Sunday was up by almost 20% compared to last year – a welcome change from this year´s normal results.
weiterlesen »The best race run in Germany last weekend was the Group Three Silbernes Pferd over 3000 metres, run in Hoppegarten for the first time since the war after being staged under various names in Krefeld, Hannover, Dortmund and now defunct Frankfurt. The race title is in fact the oldest in Germany, dating back to 1832, in the earliest days of thoroughbred racing in the country. It was therefore good to see it return to its earlier home in Berlin, although it must be said that the quality of the field did not really live up to the tradition of the race.
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Except for the week-long meetings at Baden-Baden and Hamburg, there is virtually no midweek racing now in Germany, but this Wednesday – a public holiday celebrating German reunification – we saw good racing at Cologne and Hoppegarten, following on from Sunday´s meeting at Düsseldorf. Both Düsseldorf and Hoppegarten hosted interesting Group Three races and the two easy winners, Peace in Motion (Hat Trick) and Va Bank (Archipenko) respectively, have plenty in common, including a very cosmopolitan background.
weiterlesen »There was a lot of rain last weekend in Cologne. This would not normally be worth a mention, but 2018 has not been a normal year as regards the weather, and this rain came after more than four months of heatwave and drought. As a result the going was soft for the first time since the spring. In fact it was more than soft; by the start of racing on Sunday it was very bad, and by the fifth race – when the rain das slowed to a drizzle, but the damage had already been done – it was terrible and the later races, including the Group One Preis von Europa, were started by flag.
weiterlesen »Last Sunday was another disappointing day for German racing, with our two big hopes at ParisLongchamp both unplaced. Andreas Wöhler´s Royal Youmzain (Youmzain) was certainly not disgraced in fourth place, beaten less than two lengths, in the Prix Niel, but even so probably did not fulfil more optimistic expectations. Jean-Pierre Carvalho´s Well Timed (Holy Roman Emperor), unbeaten in four previous starts this year including the German Oaks, was soon beaten in the Vermeille and finished more than eight lengths behind the winner. The form of the Preis der Diana now looks much weaker than we had thought at the time.
weiterlesen »It is often believed that mares that are in foal can show dramatically improved form as a result of hormonal changes. This is not always the case, and indeed our handicapper colleague Harald Siemen has in his weekly blog demonstrated that statistics do not back up this theory at all. However it certainly happens sometimes, as in the case of Clear Water (Hard Spun), easy winner of last Sunday´s listed event over seven furlongs at Düsseldorf, Germany´s only black type race last weekend.
weiterlesen »Baden-Baden's Grosse Woche has now been and gone and we saw some more exciting finishes last week. However the results make depressing reading for local owners and trainers and it appears that the form of the top German horses is currently well below the level of some recent years. There are no stars like Danedream, Novellist or Protectionist, all winners of top international Group One races, to be found at the moment in German stables. This is partly because of a run of bad luck with injuries to some of the potential stars, partly to the fact that more and more German-breds with smart form are being sold abroad (mainly to Australia or Japan), and partly a natural cycle.
weiterlesen »We are now halfway through the „Grosse Woche“ at Baden-Baden, Germany´s most important meeting, and the week began with the success of Stall Salzburg´s Wai Key Star (Soldier Hollow)., who just got up in a desperate finish to defeat the favourite Va Bank (Archipenko) by a short head in the ex-Spreti-Rennen, a result which must have been bitter for the latter´s trainer Andreas Wöhler, who had Wai Key Star in his care last year. Stall Salzburg, the nom de course of big owner Hans-Gerd Wernicke, now has all their horses trained by 30-year-old Sarah Steinberg in Munich and she is having a tremendous season with an excellent strike rate. Both her runners at the meeting so far have won and she has two more interesting prospects in the group races here on Sunday.
weiterlesen »This year's BBAG Yearling Sale, by far the most important thoroughbred sale in Germany, takes place next Friday, August 31st at the BBAG sales complex just down the road from the Baden-Baden racecourse at Iffezheim. With 279 lots catalogued (a small number in the meantime withdrawn) the sale starts at 9.30 a.m. and will go on all day. The sale has an outstanding record of producing classic and group race winners, often at very reasonable prices. The catalogue lists 14 winners of the Group One Deutsches Derby that have gone through the BBAG ring, not all of them sold, as for example this year's Weltstar (see below), and 43 more Group One winners.
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