The English page - Start of the flat

The flat season is really beginning to get under way, and last week we had not only Dubai World Cup day at Meydan, the climax of the Dubai season, but also the first flat meetings of the year in England, at Doncaster, and in Ireland, at the Curragh. Also in Germany the pace is hotting up; the week before last we had the first meeting of the year on turf at Krefeld and last Sunday a much better meeting at Düsseldorf, with the first black type race of the season and also interesting races for 3yo´s which were won by runners that could well be taking part later is some of the year´s top races.

This also applies to the winner of the 3yo maiden at Krefeld, the Gestüt Röttgen homebred Wild Gloria, a first runner of 2022 for trainer Markus Klug. He expressed some misgiving beforehand about the distance of 1400 metres on this rather sharp track, but he need not have worried. Wild Gloria (Olympic Glory), who had showed promise last year, was clearly the best horse in the field and won very easily. Klug indicated afterwards that she would now go for a listed race and then the German 1,000 Guineas. She is also entered in the Group One Preis der Diana (Oaks). Although her sire was basically a miler, she is from a very stout family and closely related to the smart Wild Coco (Shirocco), winner of the Park Hill Stakes and runner-up to Treve in the 2013 Prix Vermeille. To be honest, the Krefeld race did not look very strong, but Wild Gloria could do no more than win easily and it will be interesting to see where she lands up, and at what distance,

However both the 3yo races at Düsseldorf last Sunday looked much stronger, first the maiden over 2200 metres, a long distance for the time of year, and then the conditions race over 1700 metres. Four of the runners in the latter event had won at two, including Gestüt Ebbesloh´s homebred Georgios (Poet´s Voice), who had won the Ferdinand Leisten Memorial, the most valuable – not the best - juvenile race in Germany – and Röttgen´s Ariolo (Reliable Man), just beaten in a photo-finish by Tünnes (Guiliani), now favourite for the German Derby, in the Ratibor-Rennen. These two fought out the finish, with Ariolo looking the certain winner halfway up the straight, but caught right on the line by Georgios who came with a flying finish from last place. These two are clearly useful, and so probably is Becassio (Guiliani), not far away in third place. All three will probably meet again in Krefeld´s Dr. Busch-Memorial, the main trial for the German 2,000 Guineas, and they are all entered in the classic itself as well.

The German Derby is still more than three months away, but the 2200 metres race was clearly aimed at potential Derby starters, and almost all the runners had an entry for Hamburg. Gestüt Ittlingen´s homebred Alessio (Teofilo) was clear favourite here. He was the first runner of 2022 for trainer Andreas Wöhler and duly landed the odds in style. The winning margin was only three parts of a length, but he looked in need of the race and despite running green scored in extremely promising style. He looks certain to come on a lot for this race and is now in a prominent position in ante-post betting on the Derby. He was reminiscent of Laccario (Scalo), who won the German Derby in 2019 for the same owner/breeder and trainer. The Derby distance should prove to be no problem; his dam Alandia (Adlerflug) was a half-sister to Altano (Galileo), the best German stayer so far this century. That won, also trained by Wöhler, won 13 races, including the Group One Prix du Cadran, the Oleander-Rennen three times and the German and Italian St. Leger. The two placed horses at Düsseldorf, Wonderful Eagle (Adlerflug) and Maximus (Areion) also ran well and should both be followed.

The big race at Düsseldorf was the listed Grand Prix Aufgalopp over 2100 metres for 4yo´s and up, and was won in good style by 5yo Mansour (Tai Chi), a welcome victory for a small owner-breeder Angelika Muntwyler and trainer Toni Potters. He was given an excellent ride by Sibylle Vogt; Mansour is normally a front-runner, but when she saw that two others wanted the lead, she was happy to move Mansour into the inside and keep him for a late run; Röttgen´s Alaskasonne (Soldier Hollow), the only filly in the field, started favourite and looked the likely winner two out, but when Mansour was pulled out to make his challenge, the race was quickly decided and Mansour went on to score by 2 ½ lengths, with Diamantis (Golden Horn) running on well for third place. Alaskasonne, having her first racecourse outing since finishing sixth of 16 last August in the Preis der Diana, ran an excellent race and should also be followed.

However Mansour was obviously the best horse on the day and won easily. He is relatively lightly-raced for a 5yo ans this was only his eleventh career start. He seems a typical late developer and can probably improve further. His rating has now been put up to GAG 93.5 (=international 107), and he may have more in the tank. He ended last season by winning a listed race at Dresden, but the Düsseldorf event was much stronger, and this was easily his best ever performance. Connections are now eyeing some lucrative traces in Scandinavia, but he could also run next in a German group race. The time of the race was extremely fast – as was the case with almost all races at Düsseldorf, but Mansour acts on any ground and should go on from here.

With so little racing in Germany at present – so far this year on Sundays onlyr- there are now also droves of German-trained runners every day in France. The advantages are clear; not only is there racing every day, with races to suit every type and over every distance, prize-money is also much better. German prize-money is due to be raised from the end of March, but even the new purses are still only about half of the amounts the same horses could be running for on the other side of the Rhine.

We had an interesting race at Strasbourg on Wednesday this week, a 3yo maiden over 2100 metres, in which German –trained horses finished first and second. The winner was Darius Racing´s Pirouz (Counterattack), bred by Gestüt Karlshof and trained by Waldemar Hickst, who made almost all the running and kept on well to score from Stall Emoji s Brümmerhof-bred Millionaire (Adlerflug). Both these BBAG sales graduates are entered in the German Derby, but could both go next for the Bavarian Classic at Munich on May 1^st. This race, normally the best early season Derby trial, could also be the target for Alessio and also Derby favourite Tünnes.

We have dealt exclusively with the flat this week, but N.H. racing will be back in the spotlights next week, when the Aintree Grand National meeting takes place. Our early fancy for the big race is Delta Work, a multiple Grade One winner over fences for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown and recently the winner of the Cross Country at Cheltenham from Tiger Roll; he is by the German-bred sire Network (Monsun). There is a lot of rain forecast for next week, which can only be to his advantage.

David Conolly-Smith