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.
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.
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Spring is here, and with it better weather and high class racing, both over jumps and on the flat. Last week we had the Cheltenham N.H. Festival, the climax of the N.H. season as far as the British and Irish are concerned, but we also had the first group race of the year on the flat as well as the start of the German turf season. This weekend we have the first German black type race of the year, as well as the start of the flat in England – traditionally at Doncaster – and rather more importantly – the Dubai World Cup meeting.
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The flat season is slowly getting under way and we have the first group race of the year at Saint Cloud on Saturday, while in Germany Krefeld´s fixture this Sunday is the first meeting of 2022 on turf. However the spotlight is still firmly on N.H. racing, and the season has reached its climax this week, at least as far as the British and Irish are concerned, with the Cheltenham N.H. Festival which started on Tuesday and continues until Friday.
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Although flat racing is now really getting into gear in Europe - Saint Cloud opened the Paris season today (Thursday) – it is still National Hunt racing that grabs the headlines, especially with the all-important Cheltenham meeting starting next Tuesday. However first some positive news from Down Under: Reliable Man had two group winners last weekend in Australia, while the New Zealand Derby was won by Asterix (Tavistock out of a Shirocco mare) with the filly La Crique (Vadamos) runner-up. Reliable Man spends the European season at Gestüt Röttgen, where he stands for a very reasonable 6,500 euros. It is fair to say that he has had more success down under where he has already had several Group One winners (e.g. Miami Bound, Inspirational Girl and Sentimental Miss) but his record in Europe is also pretty decent and includes German group race winners Adrian, Akribie and Erasmus.
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The N.H. season is still in full swing, with Cheltenham now less than a fortnight away. This meeting dominates the U.K. and Irish season, although it seems to some observers, including this writer, that the obsession with the N.H. Festival is now rather excessive. The Racing Post now devotes almost all its first five pages to the subject, even though there is plenty going on outside the Festival. However there is no doubt that the 28 races (23 of which were won last year by a runner trained in Ireland) are all extremely competitive and high class events and very often with exciting finishes that make for gripping viewing, not only for the 60,000+ racegoers on the course (back this year after none were allowed in last year) and the millions of TV and internet viewers.
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The victory march of German-bred sires in N.H. races continues, and in the past week we have seen winners in the U.K. by Malinas, Shirocco*, Masterrcraftsman*, Schiaparelli*, Waldpark, Sholokhov, Getaway* and Noroit*, in Ireland by Masked Marvel, Saddex and Ocovango*, and in France by Bathyrhon*. Those marked with an asterisk are all by Monsun, whose impact on N.H. racing remains huge. At the same time the filly La Crique (Vadamos*) was a Group Two winner on the flat in New Zealand. This list is probably not even complete, as more results keep coming in. Particularly successful recently have been the offspring of Fame and Glory (Montjeu), whose second dam is the German 1,000 Guineas winner Grimpola (Windwurf), and Shirocco, who have both had several winners this week.
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The N.H. season is in full swing in the U.K. and Ireland, and also to a lesser extent in France and Italy, and every day brings reports of more winners by German-bred sires. Many of these winners are by the usual suspects such as Getaway, Shirocco and Schiaparelli, all of whom are sons of Monsun and have had N.H. winners this week. Getaway won the Grosser Preis von Baden and the other two the German Derby, all Group One events.
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Last weekend´s Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown must be regarded as a major success. Big and enthusiastic crowds, especially when one considers the circumstances, and excellent racing with top class winners, many of whom will be expected to go on to further success in Cheltenham next month. Big winner of the weekend was Ireland´s top N.H. trainer Willie Mullins, who won six of the eight Grade One races. But he missed out on the two most important races of all, Saturday´s Irish Gold Cup and Sunday´s Irish Champion Hurdle, won by Gordon Elliott´s Conflated and Henry de Bromhead´s Honeysuckle (Sulamani) respectively, both of whom have German elements in their pedigrees.
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It has been another good week for German bloodstock and particularly for N.H. sires with a German background. We have already mentioned this often enough, but now hardly a day goes by without another winner in the U.K., Ireland or France by Getaway, Shirocco, Network & co (all sons of Monsun!). The latest tables published by the Thoroughbred Stallion Guide show that the current list of leading N.H. sires in GB/Ire (by number of winners) has Fame and Glory (Montjeu), Yeats (Sadler´s Wells), Getaway and Shirocco in the first four places, and the first-named has a clear connection to Germany, being a grandson of German 1,000 Guineas winner Grimpola (Windwurf).
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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.
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Last week we looked at the influence of German bloodstock in the French N.H. scene, which continues to be quite significant. In the list of French N.H. sires published regularly by the Thoroughbred Stallion Guide we find that five sons of Monsun figure in the top 50 (by number of winners): Network, Bathyron, Masterstroke, Manduro and Noroit; in addition Masked Marvel (Montjeu) is in 14th place, and Nicaron (Acatenango) and Anzillero (Law Society) also figure, all with strong German elements in their pedigrees. If we look at the figures for the U.K. and Ireland, then the picture is even more striking. That list (by number of winners) is headed by Fame and Glory (Montjeu) and Getaway and Shirocco, both sons of Monsun, in third and fourth place.
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Racing taking place in Germany at present is only staged at the winter sand track at Dortmund, where there were 7 races last Sunday, the first fixture of 2022, with seven more scheduled for this Sunday; they also have racing there on the Sunday of next week, followed by two more in February and another two in March. The first meeting on turf takes place at Mülheim in late February, who also stage a meeting at the end of March.
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