The English page - The Derby winner in Lambourn

Dortmund on Saturday Mulheim and Leipzig on Sunday flew the flag for German racing last weekend but it was always going to be overshadowed by the top class racing on offer in Paris, even by our own staunch followers. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend with the phenomenal prize money on offer attracts the best and really this year only City of Troy, Economics or Goliath were missing. The German runners, more or less as expected, found it tough going in their races but we will come back to the French weekend in a bit. 

In Dortmund on Saturday we saw an overwhelming performance in the 1600m (1m) Dortmunder-Stuten-Auktionsrennen (2 year old fillies Sales Race). With a value of 52,000 € and run on soft to heavy ground, the Sascha Smrczek trained Stall Burg Nansteins Best Solution daughter Valerina ran out an easy seven lenght winner from Piu Bella (Areion) with Luna (Intello) one and three quarter lenght's away in third. It was the third outing for the winner who had ran second on both her previous starts, all under jockey Bayarsaikhan Ganbat. 

The only black type race on this weekend was in Mulheim, the 81 Silbernes Band der Ruhr over the staying distance of 3300 m (2m1/2f). Again on heavy ground it threw up a very easy winner in Partnun. The 4 year old The Grey Gatsby daughter had ten lengths to spare over Sainte Marie (Soldier Hollow) at the winning line with Goin (Nathaniel) back in third. The betting market really only featured two horses, the even money favorite Tres Rock Women who ran very disappointingly and trailed in last and the 5/1 second favorite Anspruch, who was returning to the track for the first time since the Derby in Hamburg but he was pulled up after only a few furlongs with something terribly amiss. 

So back to France and the Arc weekend. The main German stars on show were the Eckhard Sauren owned Penalty i(Frankel) n the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein. He was given a pacemaker as company in Glady Tiger and though Patrick Gibson made the running as hoped and Thore Hammer Hansen could sit the Henk Grewe trained Penalty in behind his stable companion, it was clear to see on entering the straight they would not be involved at the serious end of the race. Penalty finished tenth with only his pacemaker behind him. The race went to the Christopher Head trained Ramadan. 

In the Arc itself then on Sunday, Liberty Racings, Fantastic Moon (Sea The Moon) would be the German representative. Or would he !!!!!  Owner and Trainer had said all week it would or could be a last minute decision due to ground conditions. Well he travelled to Longchamp and the ground seemed okay even allowing for a morning downpour When at midday more rain hit the Paris track it filtered through that Fantastic Moon would be scratched and as non-runner declared.  A little later and he was back in the race, thats after it was found out, that to make the horse a non runner on raceday would cost 55,000 Euro, too much money and Fantastic Moon was back in the Arc. Jumped off last and then ridden from midfield, he never got involved to eventually finish ninth in the end. 

The Prix Vermeille form held up well in the Arc as Bluestocking again came home ahead of Aventure as in the Vermeille, with the 3 year old colts Los Angeles and Sosie finishing third and fourth respectively. In Juddmonds colours' Bluestocking gave Irish born rider Rossa Ryan his biggest win in the sport to date. 

Where the German horse's missed out on the racing side they did pull a punch in the Arc Sale on that weekend. This years German Derby winner, Palladium (Gleneagles) the property of Liberty Racing left the ring for a cool 1.4 million euro and will find his way to the Nicky Henderson stables to continue his career in the jump scene there. He will now become the most expensive racehorse to race under these codes and I'm sure Cheltenham Festival will be in the thoughts of new owner Lady Bamford. Another good sale was the fresh Group Winner, the Areion son Downtown, who fetched 300,000 € to a bid from Mandore International Agency while Blandford Bloodstock held out longest for the Zoffany son Argentum. 

Looking to this weekend and we have a good competitive Listed Sprint race in Munich on Saturday. Run over 1300m (6½ f) around the bend, thirtheen will take their chance. Ground will be soft at the track and that could add to the challenge here but Shootout (Areion) looks the one to beat. Led out unsold at the Arc Sales last weekend, his second place in the Kolner Sprint Preis, when collared late by Armina, reads well in the light of the third, Three Havanas who took the Sprint-Finale Auktionrennen in Berlin last week. He his the best on form of the home team but the Alice Haynes English trained Lexington Belle has some handy form in England. From France Qualixa (Blue Point) won her only start of 2024 in Compiegne and Gavin Hernon's Concluding Call, though now in France, has only run to date in Ireland and the Holy Roman Emperor filly did manage to win this year in Navan.

On Sunday, one of the 2 year old highlight races of the year, the Group 3 Preis der Winterfavoriten takes place in Cologne but surprisingly has attracted only five runners, four from Germany any the Eckhard Sauren in France trained Lope de Vega son Think Giant. This one has had two starts to date winning last time out in Chantilly. Trained by Christophe Ferland, he will be ridden by the owners retained jockey Thore Hammer Hansen. 

Of the home team Name Lord (Lord of England) is highest rated and having shed his maiden tag on debut in Hamburg finished second at Listed level last time in Hannover. Serienadler (Gleneagles) fought hard for a head win here at this track a couple of weeks ago whereas Lifetimes (Gleneagles) was an easy ten lenght winner on his first sighting of a racecourse in Dortmund. Kolsch (Millowitsch) has had two runs up to this, winning last time in Krefeld. Even though it's a small field it should be quite an interesting race.

Shannon Spratter