The English page - All eyes on Cheltenham

Germany´s winter season ended last Sunday with the last meeting on the sand track at Dortmund until winter returns in December. The outstanding feature was clearly the victory of Gestüt Ebbesloh´s homebred Inaugural (Soldier Hollow) in the 3yo “maiden” (i.e. maidens on the all-weather, the first two to finish had both won on turf as 2yo´s last year). Inaugural had shown some smart form in 2019, including a fifth place in the Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen and was the clear favourite here; he was also Peter Schiergen´s first runner of the year in Germany, although the Cologne trainer had had a couple of winners at the St. Moritz meeting last month.

Inaugural took the lead at halfway under Lukas Delozier and soon went clear to win unchallenged by 14 lengths; the distances, as so often here, were huge, with the sixth horse home almost 60 lengths back, and possibly the form should not be overrated, but he certainly looked impressive. He is clearly the best German-trained 3yo seen out so far this season, and is likely to go next for the Dr. Busch-Memorial at Krefeld in 7 weeks´ time, the first serious race of the season for the classic crop, where he will meet much sterner opposition. Inaugural was a BBAG yearling in 2018, but was led out unsold at 46,000 euros. His family is basically French and his third dam Sporades (Vaguely Noble) was a group winner in France (Prix de Flore at Saint-Cloud).

Much better sport was on offer the previous day, “Super Saturday” at Meydan, with several trials for Dubai World Cup day. Two races were of especial interest to German racegoers: Matterhorn (Raven´s Pass) made all the running to win the Group One Maktoum Challenge R3 very easily and is now on course for the big race itself; last year, when trained by Mark Johnston, he ran in Munich´s Dallmayr-Preis but was well beaten and the 5yo is clearly much better on the dirt. The Dubai City of Gold, a Group Two over a mile and a half on turf, went to another 5yo, Loxley (New Approach), whose dam, the Stauffenberg-bred Lady Marian (Nayef) won the 2008 Group One Prix de l´Opera in the colours of Rennstall Gestüt Hachtsee and was later sold to Godolphin.

The Meydan meeting was held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, and it seems certain that many other race meetings (not to mention concerts and other sporting events) will be either cancelled or held without spectators in the immediate future. Sunday´s meeting at Cologne is to go ahead, with without spectators, and the following Sunday´s Krefeld meeting has been cancelled. Several German training centres were planning Open Days this month, but they have also been cancelled.

Jumps racing takes centre stage this week, with the Cheltenham N.H. Festival now in full swing. The U.K. authorities are reluctant to cancel or otherwise restrict sporting events, but it is certainly surprising that Cheltenham, with over 60,000 spectators for every day of its four day meeting, is allowed to go ahead without any restrictions. Let us hope that there are no problems.

There are no German-trained runners at the meeting, but there are certainly plenty of runners with strong German element in their pedigree. The first German-bred winner of the week was the Gestüt Röttgen-bred Aramax (Maxios) in Wednesday´s Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Maxios, one of several sons of Monsun making a big impression in jumps racing at present, was bred by the Niarchos family and stood for a while at Gestüt Fährhof before Coolmore bought him last year to add to their high class collection of N.H. stallions. He did indeed sire a Group One winner on the flat last year – Brümmerhof´s Diamanta in the Preis der Diana – but he now looks like a really interesting prospect in his new discipline. Aramax is also a three-parts brother to another smart hurdler in Aramon (by Monsun himself), due to run at Cheltenham today (Friday); although bred by Röttgen, this is basically a Schlenderhan family and this pair are closely related to the smart Aviso (Tertullian), winner of the German 2,000 Guineas and a top performer in Hong Kong.

Other sons of Monsun to make an impact over jumps are Getaway, Arcadio, Shirocco, Axxos, Ocovango, Schiaparelli, Aizakovski and especially Network, who stood for his entire stud career in France but has had some notable successes in U.K. and Irish jumps racing, notably with Sprinter Sacre, generally regarded as the best chaser since Arkle. Network, who died in 2018, was bred by Wittekindshof and won the Group Two Union-Rennen in 2000 when trained by Andreas Schütz; his son Delta Work is our tip for Friday´s Cheltenham Gold Cup. Gentlewave, another son of Monsun, stands at Yorton Farm, who have a choice group of mainly German-bred N.H. stallions; his son Easysland won Wednesday´s Cross Country at Cheltenham, defeating dual winner – and dual Grand National winner - Tiger Roll (Authorized) by 17 lengths  and is now officially the best cross country performer in Europe.

Envoi Allen (Muthathir), one of the biggest stars of the N.H. scene in Britain and Ireland, was odds-to to maintain his unbeaten record and win Wednesday´s Ballymore Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham, and duly delivered in style, but grandsons of Monsun took the next three places, with Easywork (Network) runner-up and The Big Breakaway and The Big Getaway, both by Getaway, in third and fourth.

Monsun is also of course known as a leading broodmare sire, and in this respect we must certainly mention Sea The Moon, whose dam is an own sister to German Derby winners Samum and Schiaparelli and who himself won that race in spectacular style in 2014. Sea The Moon has made a very good start to his stud career and has a major prospect running today (Friday) in the Triumph Hurdle, the so far unbeaten Allmankind. Monsun did not himself win the Derby, finishing runner-up to his stable companion Lando (Acatenango) in 1993 in what is generally regarded as the best German race of the modern era. Lando has also made an impact on Cheltenham this week, as the mare Honeysuckle (Sulamani), out of his daughter First Royal won a famous duel for the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle on Tuesday, defeating hot favourite Benie des Dieux. Lando´s son Scalo is sire of last year´s German Derby winner Laccario but is also now based at Yorton Farm and covering N.H. mares, while Monsun´s son Shirocco was sire of 2017 German Derby winner Windstoss. Lando and Monsun are no longer with us, but is seems certain that their influence will be strong in both flat racing and N.H. racing for years to come.

David Conolly-Smith