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.
Hamburg, like most of Western Europe, is currently in the grip of a brutal heatwave, which means that the going will be very fast for the final three days of the Derby meeting. The big race itself, the IDEE 146th Deutsches Derby one of seven Group One races in Germany, will be run on Sunday at 5.10 p.m. local time, probably in fierce heat and on firm ground. There is a slight possibility of thunderstorms, but knowing how violent they can be here, that could be even worse.
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Hamburg´s Derby meeting starts this Saturday, with seven racedays running through to the Sunday of next week, when the IDEE 146th Deutsches Derby will be run. That is obviously the top race of the whole week, but this weekend´s cards also bring good sport. Saturday´s main event is the Franz-Günther von Gaertner Gedächtnisrennen, a Group Three for fillies and mares over a mile, which has attracted two runners from the U.K. and France; official ratings indicate that the Brits have the better chance, Ralph Beckett´s Evita Peron (Pivotal) or Karl Burke´s Odeliz (Falco), both of whom will be partnered by locally-based jockeys.
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The Union-Rennen, now sponsored by the Oppenheim bank, is the oldest race in the German calendar and was first run at Hoppegarten in 1834. It has been run at Cologne since the end of the second world war and has established itself as the premier trial for the IDEE 146. Deutsches Derby. Sea The Moon (Sea The Stars) brought off the double last year, while the previous two winners were Ivanhowe (Soldier Hollow) and Novellist (Monsun), both beaten favourites at Hamburg but who both later proved themselves to be the best of their crop in Germany.
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One can have too much of a good thing, and certainly the sun that beat down relentlessly on Baden-Baden last week comes into that category. With temperatures up to 35 degrees, it was quite an ordeal and the result was that there were a large number of non-runners and that betting turnover and gate receipts were down. However the general atmosphere was positive and there some smart performances on the track, with pride of place clearly going to Gestüt Schlenderhan´s homebred Ito (Adlerflug), easy winner of the meeting´s main event, the Group Two Grosser Preis der Badischen Unternehmer on the Sunday.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Ito /No. 3: Klick!
weiterlesen »Trainer Andreas Wöhler completed a classic double when Full Rose (Aqlaam) ran out a narrow winner of the German 1,000 Guineas at Düsseldorf last Sunday, just six days after Karpino (Cape Cross) had won the colts´ equivalent race at Cologne. The Düsseldorf race was however a very close affair, with ten of the fourteen runners still holding a chance at the distance, and only just over two lengths covering the first seven home at the line.
weiterlesen »One horse dominated the German racing news this week, and that was Karpino (Cape Cross), bred by Gestüt Fährhof and racing in the colours of Pearl Bloodstock, who ran out a most convincing winner of the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (German 2,000 Guineas) at Cologne on Monday. Trained by Andreas Wöhler, who seems to have a lock on the top German three-year-olds this year, Karpino started as 6-4 favourite for the first German classic and never gave his supporters a moment of anxiety. Ridden with great confidence by young Oisin Murphy, he took over from the pacemaker Rock Academy (Aerion) with fully two furlongs to run and quickly had the race in safe keeping.
weiterlesen »The season is now really hotting up, and we saw some very promising three-year-olds in action last week, with the near certainty of more to follow on this long Whit weekend. From the events of last week, pride of place clearly goes to Gestüt Fährhof's homebred Quasillo (Sea The Stars), who put up a most impressive display to win the Bavarian Classic (normally run at Munich, but this year, exceptionally, at Hanover). Quasillo, still very inexperienced according to trainer Andreas Wöhler, was ridden with the utmost confidence by stable jockey Eduardo Pedroza, who kept him towards the rear for the first mile of this ten furlongs race; switched to the wide outside in the straight, he quickened in excellent fashion and could be called the winner a long way from home.
weiterlesen »A strong card last Sunday at Cologne saw a big race double for owner-breeder Stall Ullmann, their trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho and stable jockey Filip Minarik, as well as two very promising three-year-old performances.
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The Group Three Frühjahrs-Preis des Bankhauses Metzler, run over ten furlongs at Frankfurt last Sunday, has been one of the most significant trials for the Deutsches Derby (Hamburg, July 5th) ever since its inception in 1965 and it has been sponsored by the Metzler bank since 2000. The roll of honour for this event includes many champions, including Sayonara (dam of Derby winner Slip Anchor) in 1968, the only German triple crown winner Königsstuhl in 1979, his best son (and champion sire) Monsun in 1993, and last year of course the outstanding German Derby winner Sea The Moon.
weiterlesen »Three racemeetings took place in Germany last weekend (plus an After-Work raceday at Cologne on Tuesday) – the racing calendar is clearly gaining strength. Cologne as well as Mülheim on the Saturday staged two of the increasingly popular PMU racedays, supported by the French Pari Mutuel Urbain, generally rather lower races but with a good purse. Gestüt Ammerlands homebred Dylan Thomas colt Hot Beat is still entered in the German Derby (but holds no other fancy entries for the time being) won a Maiden race on his third career start in taking style.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Hot Beat No. 5): click!
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Three-year-olds continue to hold centre stage in Germany and last Sunday saw a number of extremely promising classic candidates at both Cologne and Munich. The top race, in theory at least, was the Group Three Schwarzgold-Rennen for fillies over a mile at Cologne, one of the best trials for the German 1,000 Guineas to be run at Düsseldorf on May 31st. It looked a strong field on paper and the race ended with a stirring battle between Gestüt Fährhof's La Saldana (Fastnet Rock) and Stall Lenau's Bourree (Siyouni).
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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. It will be written by the well-known racing journalist David Conolly-Smith, who has lived in Germany for many years.
Germany´s leading older miler Amaron (Shamardal) kicked off the German pattern race season in fine style at Düsseldorf on Sunday by winning the Frühjahrsmeile for the second time. The six-year-old has now won a group race in each of the five seasons he has been in training, and has won first out four times.
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