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.
So finally, the Derby weekend came with 3 days of good class racing. Somehow the excitement grows immensely as we enter those last 72 hours before the big one on Sunday, Nervous trainer´s, nothing can go wrong now in these last days because there is no more time to repair. You’re in or out, even in the stable yard its chattier than usual as the groom´s and regular travelling lads and lasses discuss the wellbeing of their main hopes. Saturday will see the first arrivals of the Derby candidates and then to Sunday, they are all there and ready to run.
This week we have decided to change away from the norm and look more forward rather than back. Now we did have the pompous and Royal occasion of the Ascot meeting last week in England and it produced a first win for newly crowned King Charles and wife Camilla when Desert Hero took the King George V Stakes. Frankie Dettori won a 9th Gold Cup in his last season, Hollie Doyle became the first female rider to win a Gr 1 race at the Royal Meeting and Aidan O Brien and Ryan Moore topped the trainers and jockey tables respectively at the end of the week.
But we want to look in detail at Germany´s most important race, our Blue Ribbon, the Derby in Hamburg Horn next Sunday.
So, what did we see this week in our sport! Well let´s start in Chantilly and the Prix de Diane Longines. This Group I for 3-year-old fillies attracted two German trained runners, with Lady Ewelina (Mukhadram) for Andreas Wöhler/Eduardo Pedroza and Romina Power (Le Havre) for Michael Figge/Augustin Madament took their chance. While both could never land a blow in the top fillies’ event, finishing 7th and 9th respectively, the race threw up outstanding performance from Blue Rose Cen (Churchill), as she burst clear at the 300-meter mark to beat Never Ending Story (Dubawi) and Tasmania (Australia) by an easy 4 lengths.
Again another very interesting week in our sport with three major highpoints. The travel of Nachtrose to England, the Italian Oaks and of course the 188. Union Rennen in Cologne. Stall Nizza´s 4-year-old Nachtrose (Australia) was sent on her travels to contest the newly named Sky Bet Lester Piggott Stakes, a Group III event at Haydock Park in England.
Last week’s racing in Europe was a week to savor and relish. Derby Meeting at Epsom Downs followed by the French Derby from Chantilly and the German 1000 Guineas showed our Sport in Bright Lights.
Plenty of points to discuss again last week and we start off with Thursday´s Evening meeting in Longchamp Paris. Peter Schiergen sent one of his Derby hopes, Alpenjäger (Stall Nizza) for the main event, the Group III Prix Hocquart over 2200 meters. The homebred son of Nutan has been one of the leading fancies for the Derby since his classy 7 lengths win on soft ground in the Herzog von Ratibor race last year in November. He had wintered well with a good 2nd place behind Derby favorite Mr. Hollywood in the Group III Bavarian Classic again on heavy ground May 1st. On the back of that he was sent off 2nd favorite behind Harry Way from the Nicolas Perret stable. Ridden by stable Jockey Rene Piechulek. Alpenjäger was settled in midfield in this six-runner race, while the favorite made the running.
Last week German Racing raised its game up another gear with the first Festival Meeting and the first Sales of the season. Spring Meeting in Baden-Baden gave us three Raceday’s and the sales. Baden-Baden kicked off on Thursday with a nine-race card which included the Group III 45. Kronimus Baden-Baden Meile (1600m). The race was run at a strong pace and was won by the 4 yo Calif (Areion) from off the pace by an easy 5 lengths. Trained by Peter Schiergen for owners Stall Hanse and ridden by Jockey Adrie de Vries. It was a first Group win for the winner having been Group placed at 2, 3 and 4 years. The winner was followed home by Parol (Pastorius) and Aemilianus (Holy Roman Emperor).
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Last weekend was undoubtedly the busiest so far in the new German season, and also the wettest. We had five racing days; and it seemed to rain almost the the whole time. They included group races, two often important classic trials and three more listed races. The two classic trials were the Dr. Busch Memorial at over the extended mile at Krefeld, and the Bavarian Classic over ten furlongs at Munich. It can certainly be assumed that the heavy going suited the two winners. At Krefeld it was Brave Emperor (Sioux Nation), trained in Lambourne by Archie Watson, who made all the running under Luke Morris and scored with plenty in hand. He had run several good races during the winter on all-weather tracks in England and France and clearly had no problem with the conditions. The gelding is likely to run next at Royal Ascot and could well follow up there.
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The 2023 season is now getting into top gear. Last Sunday we had the Carl Jaspers-Preis at Cologne, often known as the Gerling-Preis, the best race of the season so far. We usually get the top middle distance performances of the previous year lining up here and Sunday was no exception. The two best German 4yo´s were in the field of seven, including Assistent (Sea the Moon) and Tünnes (Guiliani), both trained locally by Henk Grewe and Peter Schiergen respectively, and they duly took the first two places.
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Easter has been and gone and we are now approaching the second and main part of the season. The Cheltenham Festival, the highlight in the U.K., is over but the Irish equivalent at Punchestown is due next week. Germany, sadly has virtually no N.H. at all these days, but racing on the flat is now getting into top gear. We have already had listed races and last Sunday we had the first German group race of 2023, the Kalkmann Frühjahrs-Preis over a mile at Düsseldorf.
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The winter is coming to an end and for the most of the past four months the weather in Germany has been horrible – cold, wet and windy – with resulting small crowds and betting turnover well below normal. However there has been been a rapid for the last two weekends and in particular last weekend (Easter) was quite pleasant and it was a pleasure to go racing on Easter Sunday at Hoppegarten and Easter Monday at Cologne, with both these big city racetracks opening their gates for 2023 and putting on much better racing than so far seen this season. Hoppegarten was able to welcome some 10,000 racegoers while Cologne had 15,000. Not only that the betting turnover at the two tracks was easily the best of the year. We also had three listed races at the weekend, two on Sunday and one on Monday, all with strong fields and exciting finishes.