The English page - Historic disaster

The German racing paper „Sport-Welt“ headlined its issue last week for the meeting at Cologne featuring the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (German 2,000 Guineas) with the phrase “historic classic”, referring to the fact that never before had eight foreign-trained horses run in the first German classic of the season. Six of them were trained in the U.K. and one each in Ireland and France. In the event the race turned out to be a historic disaster from the German point of view. The first five home (i.e. all the prize-money!) were English-trained, the Irish runner was sixth and the other English runner seventh. The French filly was never in the race and finished last, while the three German runners took the eighth, ninth and tenth places, a complete whitewash for the home team.

The winner was King Power Racing´s Irish-bred Fox Champion (Kodiac), trained by Richard Hannon jun and extremely well ridden by Oisin Murphy. He led after a furlong and made the rest, slowing down the pace at halfway and then quickening up again early in the straight. He was perhaps fortunate in that none of the others wanted to take him on early, but in effect he stole the race with these tactics. In the sprint for the line he always held the advantage, although there were still eight horses with a chance at the distance. In the final furlong three of them drew clear, with Fox Champion readily holding on by a neck and the same from the fast-finishing Arctic Sound (Poet´s Voice) and the favourite Great Scot (Requinto), both of whom came up the stands rail. Great Scot had very little room there, and connections felt that he was unlucky, but the winner was almost certainly the best horse in the field and deserved his success.

Oisin Murphy was impressed and said afterwards that Fox Champion was much improved and still improving: “I think he is a Royal Ascot horse”. He is in the St. James´s Palace Stakes over a mile and in the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs, but it is possible that his best chance would be in the Jersey Stakes over seven. His pedigree suggests that he is unlikely to stay much beyond a mile, and seven furlongs could well be his best trip. He was bred by Con Marnane and has changed hands for ever-increasing sums at the sales: first as a foal for 75,000 guineas at Tattersalls, then as a yearling for 260,000 pounds at Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale and then as a two-year-old he was sold to his present connections for 420,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up, one of the highest prices at that sale. Fox Champion was beaten a nose on his debut last summer, but has won all his four starts since and is clearly very progressive.

It is difficult to know what to make of the form, although one certainly hopes that the winner, or the placed horses for that matter, runs well at Royal Ascot or in other better grade events.  The handicapper has taken a dim view, giving Fox Champion a rating of GAG 95 (= 110 international), one of the lowest ratings ever for a winner of this race. The German horses, to be honest, were far from disgraced, despite their poor finishing positions, and were only about six lengths behind the top trio. German-breds generally need more than a mile to show their best form, and Fox Champion is in fact the ninth English-trained winner of the German 2,000 Guineas this century. It is also doubtful whether the German runners were among the best of their crop in Germany. The betting for the German Derby on July 7^th has been headed throughout by three-year-olds that were never even considered for this race.

The other notable race last weekend was the listed event for older horses over eleven furlongs at Cologne, which was won by the hot favourite Colomano (Cacique); it was his first win since taking the Unjon-Rennen over this course and distance almost two years ago. He was only fourth at the distance, but was then switched to the outside and finished very strongly to defeat the Hungarian-bred and –trained Esti Feny (Pigeon Catcher), the champion three-year-old in his native country last year. Colomano has clearly had his problems, but could be a player in the top German mile and a half races later in the season.

The action now moves down the Rhine to Düsseldorf, where the German 1,000 Guineas will be run on Sunday. There are only two foreign runners here, so a repeat of last week´s humiliation is impossible. However they are both tough opponents: Tom Dascombe´ s Iconic Choice won five races last season (unthinkable for a German 2yo) and was beaten less than three lengths when seventh in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Mark Johnston won this race last year, and has chosen to run Main Edition (Zoffany), last year´s Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes winner.

The general feeling is that the German 3yo fillies are better this season than the colts and the locals can be expected to put up a much stronger fight here than was the case at Cologne last Sunday. The best of them could be Axana (Soldier Hollow), now owned by Team Valor, who was an impressive winner of the Schwarzgold-Rennen, the main trial. She is one of three runners to be saddled by Andreas Wöhler, and his Ivanka (Dabirsim) can also be given a chance. Champion trainer Markus Klug saddles four runners, with stable jockey Adrie de Vries on Gestüt Röttgen´s homebred Sharoka (Rock of Gibraltar). However she was beaten fair and square last time over this course and distance by Shalona (Soldier Hollow), and that one, who is trained by Henk Grewe and was supplemented for this race on Wednesday, looks a big danger. She was bred in France by Klaus Hofmann, who races under the nom de course Stall Lucky Owner and results so far suggest that this name is well justified.

David Conolly-Smith