The English page - International classifications

The last few days have seen more numerous successes in N.H. races for runners by German-bred sires (or in some cases, sires that began their stallion career in Germany). At Lingfield´s big meeting last Sunday the Etzean-bred War Lord (Jukebox Jury) was an easy winner, while Pinkerton (Ocovango) and Ballyshannon Rose (Doyen) were both successful at Thurles (Ireland) and Fantastic Lady (Network), Theatre Glory (Fame and Glory) and Barrichello (Gentlewave) all scored at Warwick. Also at the weekend German-bred Zanini (Poseidon Adventure) won the big hurdle race at Pisa (Italy). There were more Irish successes on Tuesday at Down Royal, when Deploy the Getaway (Getaway), Rodaniche (Arcadio) and By The Same Token I (Fame and Glory) all won. On Wednesday we had two French winners, when Cleni Night (Night Wish) and Caparica (Bathyrhon) both scored over jumps at Pau, while Electric Annie (Fame and Glory) and Dorking Lad (Sholokhov) won at Wincanton.

Poseidon Adventure, a US-bred son of Sadler´s Wells, was runner-up in the 2007 Preis von Europa for Stall Salzburg and now stands at Gestüt Hofgut Heymann; he  has had relatively few runners, but Zanini is clearly a very smart hurdler. The other sires mentioned here were all covered in the English Pages of the last two weeks. Notable is the continuing huge influence of Monsun in N.H. sport; he is the sire of Ocovango, Network, Getaway, Arcadio and Bathyron (among many others of course). It is clear that the influence of Monsun is going to be with us for generations to come and we certainly expect more success at this weekend´s big N.H. meetings in the U.K. and Ireland.

However there is now next to no N.H. racing Germany, a great shame in the opinion of this writer, so these victories in the U.K, Ireland, France and Italy have little resonance here. Of more immediate impact is the publication this week of the International Classifications. These handicap ratings deal only with flat racing, but they show clearly how the relatively tiny German racing and breeding industry (less than 800 live foals now recorded each year) continues to punch above its weight.

The international nature of the thoroughbred industry is well documented by the fact that the nine highest-rated horses in the 2021 season were trained in six different countries: four of them in the U.K., and one each in the USA, Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland and Germany. U.S. champion Knicks Go (Paynter) is the highest-rated of all on 129, following his easy victory in the Breeders´ Cup Classic; the 6yo (now) is due run this Saturday in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park before retiring to stud at Taylor Made Farm. Knicks Go won the Florida race last year and if he wins again will bring his earnings up to well over $10 million.

Obviously the German representative here is Torquator Tasso (Adlerflug), winner of Germany´s normally top race, the Grosser Preis von Baden and a month later the Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe, which was rated – as is often the case -  as the world´s best horse trace in 2021, based on the average rating of the first four to finish. Torquator Tasso has been given a rating of 125, which makes him joint sixth-best. Above him are three horses rated 127. Mishriff (Make Believe), easy winner of the Juddmonte International as well as a very valuable race in Saudi Arabia, Adayar (Frankel), the only horse to bring off the Derby/King George double in recent years, and St. Mark´s Basilica (Siyouni), winner of the Coral Eclipse. On 126 comes the Japanese champion Contrail, winner of the Japan Cup in 2021 and of the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020. Torquator Tasso shares sixth place with the unbeaten Baaeed (Sea The Stars), Hong  Kong superstar Golden Sixty (Medaglio d´Oro) and champion miler Palace Pier (Kingman), so is certainly in excellent company.

Looking down the list of the top-rated performers in 2021, one soon notices Skalleti (Kendatrgent), rated 120 and winner of Munich´s Grosser Dallmayr-Rennen; also on 120 are the Aga Khan´s smatrt filly Tarnawa (Shamardal), runner-up to Torquator Tasso in the Arc, and Godolphin´s Yibir (Dubawi), who is out of the Fährhof-bred Monsun mare Rumh. Skalleti was the highest-rated foreign horse to run in this country in 2021, but in theory Alpinista (Frankel) would have finished on top had they ever met, as she is on 118 and as a filly would normally be in receipt of three pounds. Alpinista won three German Group Ones in 2021. The Japanese Group One winner Schnell Meister (Kingman) is on 119; he is out of the 2016 Preis der Diana winner Serienholde (Soldier Hollow), one of many top German fillies to be sold to Japan this century. German Derby winner Sisfahan (Isfahan) is on 117, which seems very fair. On 115 we find Nerium (Camelot), a most consistent performer who was placed in several of the top German races last year, as well as Walton Street (Cape Cross), third to Alpinista and Torquator Tasso in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, rated the top German race of the year (see below). Interestingly, Nerium and Sisfahan are due to meet in a valuable race in Saudi Arabia in a month´s time if current plans are upheld; we shall see then if the handicappers´ assessment is correct.

Many of these horses remain in training and we can certainly look forward to some great occasions in 2022, notably of course in the Arc, where Torquator Tasso is on course to defend his title and could again met Alpinista, who defeated him at Hoppegarten last August; however the  German colt did not get the run of the race that time. As mentioned earlier, that race was the highest-rated race in Germany last year, with Walton Street and Nerium taking the next two places. Four German races made it into the top 100, after the Grosser Preis von Berlin in 31^st place there come Grosser Preis von Baden (74^th), Grosser Preis von Bayern (79^th) and Preis von Europa (90^th). Either Torquator Tasso or Alpinista ran in these events and kept the ratings high. In Baden-Baden Torquator Tasso defeated Sisfahan, while Alpinista also finished in front of the Derby winner in the Preis von Europa, while in Munich she defeated Mendocino (Adlerflug) and Nerium. Mendocino has been given a rating of 116 on that performance and looks a banker for this season.

The ratings are made by a committee of international handicappers and to a certain extent they must be subjective and a compromise. Clearly there are no hard and fast rules and thoroughbreds can also run better one day and less well the next. Still, one has to feel that the handicappers have done a great job. If this writer has reservations, they apply particularly to the two winnners of the german fillies´ classics in 2021; Novemba (Gleneagles) won the 1000 Guineas and Palmas (Lord of England) the Preis der Diana and are both on 113. The latter only ran once more, when bogged down in the Prix de l´Opera; the heavy rain which had helped Torquator Tasso was a huge disadvantage and I feel that the way she won her first three starts suggests that she is potentially better than a 113 rating might suggest, and the same goes for Novemba who later twice ran extremely well in top company. However, whichever way you look at it, German form worked  out really well in 2021 and we can look forward with confidence to more of the same in 2022.

David Conolly-Smith