The English page: Racing & Breeding in Germany 4
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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!
Krefeld and Berlin Hoppegarten held two good meetings on Sunday, traditionally the main day for racing in Germany. The Dr. Busch Memorial at Krefeld is a Group 3 race over 1700m (1m½f) for the classic generation. It is a re-known and well established Derby-Trial and has been won by some very smart horses in the past, though not necessarily Derby winners. The last to complete the double was Next Desert in 2002, though last year´s winner Lucky Lion was a good second at Hamburg-Horn behind the impressive Sea the Moon. Other notable winners of the race include Chopin, who went on to run in the Epsom Derby, multiple Group winner Amaron, Soldier Hollow, now a major sire over here, or Samum, who completed the Derby-Double too in 2000.
The latest winner Karpino defied a rainstorm and a sluggish start to win in the style of a very good horse. The son of Cape Cross out of the Listed-placed Sadler's Wells mare Kahara, who is an own-sister to Milan, was bred by Gestüt Fährhof and raced – and won - once in their colors; his subsequent private sale to Sheik Fahad Al Thani's Pearl Bloodstock was subject to him remaining in Andreas Wöhler's care until the end of the year. Wöhler, who of course handled Novellist to win the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Protectionist to win last years' Melbourne Cup, clearly knows a good horse when he sees one, and he always liked this dark brown colt a lot. Notably green, Karpino was forced to come wide and took a while to warm up to the task, but was soon in command and won under a hands- and-heels ride by stable jockey Andrea Atzeni. Stamina is clearly no issue, and the Derby is of course very much on the agenda. Sheik Fahad Al Thani, fresh (and lean) from riding in his first ever (Charity)-Race, was on hand to witness his latest Group winner recoup some of his purchase price.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Karpino No. 4): click!
Two maiden races for 3yo were the best of the rest, and both winners, Amabelle (Danehill Dancer – Antonym, trainer: Waldemar Hickst owner: Dr. Berglar) and Graasten (Sholokov – Golden Time, Peter Schiergen – Gestüt Ebbesloh) should both be names we shall read again, the former had finished 4th in a Group race as a 2yo and couldn’t have been more impressive, the latter, a half-brother to a host of good horses incl. Group 1 winner Girolamo, is due to contest the Italian Derby in three weeks time.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Amabelle No. 2): click!
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Graasten No. 1): click!
Berlin´s historic racecourse in Hoppegarten continues to thrive under Gerhard Schöninghs' guidance. Schöningh, who runs horses in England under the name of Ennismore Racing, is keen to bring the racecourse back to former glory, and has just strengthened his commitment to the regions racing interests further by purchasing the equally historic Neuenhagener training grounds, Neuenhagen being the village next to Hoppegarten. This was once upon a time the center of German horseracing, and had been used for that purpose in divided times as well; and while it shall be hard to restore former numbers (of trainers as well as horses in training) , racedays at Hoppegarten draw back good crowds and are clearly going the right way.
Sunday's main race, the Preis von Dahlwitz, is now a Listed event for older horses, but is incidentally the historic foundation race for the Dr. Busch Memorial. The latest edition was a classy event with several group performers in the line-up, and while the winner Ito was not among them, he ran away from his opponents in the style of a very smart horse to say the least. Very promising last year, when health issues began to interfere, he is now rapidly making up for lost time, and shall continue to make his presence felt in Group races. The son of Adlerflug out of the Tiger Hill mare and German Oaks winner Iota is owned and bred by Gestüt Schlenderhan and trained by Jean Pierre Carvalho, the same source as the runner-up, who had been sold by Schlenderhan to his new connections recently.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Ito No. 10): click!
Again, two 3yo maiden races supported this race, with two smart fillies taking the honors. Gestüt Auenquelles Doyen-daughter Turfdonna took the eye in the opener; after refusing to enter the stalls last time out she gave no trouble this time and couldn’t have been more impressive. A fine big filly, held in highest regards by her handler Roland Dzubasz, Turfdonna, a descendent from the prolific Auenqueller T-line that produced Turfkönig and Tryphosa among others, is penciled to return to Hoppegarten in May for their Oaks Trial.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Turfdonna No. 8): click!
Dr. Berglar´s German racing interests then received a further boost, when his Monsun daughter Arles won her maiden in taking fashion. A great-granddaughter of the fabled Arc and multiple Group 1 winner Allez France, who finished 2nd on her sole start as a juvenile, she is a valuable commodity already and should be able to hold her own in better company too.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Turfdonna No. 8): click!
Group race action continues this weekend in Germany in the shape of the “Frühjahrspreis des Bankhaus Metzler” - klick to complete race! - on Sunday, a 10f Group 3 event with a tradition of producing top-class horses: Sea the Moon took this race last year én route to his Derby triumph, previous winners include Novellist, Earl of Tinsdal, Kamsin, Kallisto or Monsun to name but a few horses who – if not winning the Derby – all went on to become top-class racehorses. This year´s edition is all about reputation: Andreas Wöhler's King's Best son Rogue Runner, bred by Gestüt Fährhof and running in the colors of Qatar Racing, as well as Fair Mountain (Tiger Hill – Fair Breeze, owner-breeder Stall Margarete – trainer: Andreas Wöhler) and Space Cowboy (Adlerflug – St Aye owner-breeder Gestüt Görlsdorf-trainer: Roland Dzubasz) were all impressive maiden winners and are expected to bridge the gap into group company. This will be their first sterner test, a race that should once again throw up valuable clues for the Deutsches Derby itself.
