The English page - Road to the Arc

There were a lot of highs last weekend in Baden-Baden on Germany's most international weekend with even the weather temperature playing its part. Sweltering heat in the Iffezheim area and an official going of good though by Sunday it was probably on the faster side of good saw some interesting racing and some history being made.

Sunday's Grosser Preis is the highlight of the Baden-Baden weeks racing and with the beautiful summer weather near on 17.000 spectators assembled in Iffezheim to see the six top star four legged athletes post for the 300,000 Euro event. As we mentioned in preview article last weekend the two big players here would be Fantastic Moon (Sea the Moon), last years German Derby winner, and the Englander Dubai Honour (Pride of Dubai) from William Haggas this years winner of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud with the public making the latter their favorite to lift the prize. With Tünnes taking over the leading going past the stands first time Dubai Honour sat in behind him and Mr Hollywood and Narrativo whereas Rene Piechulek put Fantastic Moon to sleep in last behind Spanish Eyes just has he had done last years Derby. 

In the back straight where the first four were all jousting for position in a calmness race Dubai Honour was always running too fresh and too keen on the bridle in the hands of top jockey Tom Marquand whereas Fantastic Moon went to sleep at the tail of the field. Turning for home and entering that Baden-Baden straight Piechulek woke his partner up quickly to come around the field and head for the outside rail securing it which is always an advantage on the track. Marquand and Dubai Honour took the shorter course up the middle coming off the bend and no matter how hard the Englander battled he could never get to Liberty Racing's Fantastic Moon who held him all the way to the line a length and a quarter. The Sarah Steinberg Munich trained hero was cheered loudly by his huge amount of attending owner's as this was another big success for the Syndicate. 

Narrativo (Adlerflug) stayed on for third three and half length behind the big two with the three-year-old filly Spanish Eyes securing the fourth spot. Mr Hollywood and Tünnes played no more of a role down the straight and were beaten a long way but really both of these have produced their form on soft, soft to heavy. There were jubilant scenes in the winners enclosure after the German National anthem had been played where it was disclosed Fantastic Moons next engagement would be the Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe. 

The second highlight on the day the 91. - Brunner-Oettingen of Group II status saw the Eckhard Sauren owned three-year-old Penalty run out an easy winner. The Henk Grewe trained Frankel son confirmed he is Germany´s best miler leaving the French trained Aga Khan owned Elamaz (Gleneagles) 3 ¾ lengths in his wake as he scooted home in the hands of Thore Hammer Hansen. It was a good race for the placing with Geography (Holy Roman Emperor) and Sea Hector (Counterattack) finishing a neck and a neck behind the French challenger. 

Saturdays highlight the T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis a Group II for fillies over 2400 meters (1m 4f) saw Tiffany (Farhh) continue her rise in Grade. This hard and tenacious mare has now won seven of her nine previous starts and won all her three starts to date on German soil. Having won at Listed company at Group III level, the Elite Racing Clubs filly Group II winning mare. Trained by Sir Mark Prescott in England, he is a master at taking these horses a long slowly and improving them step by step. Here in the hands of regular rider Luke Morris she won comfortable by 1 ¾ lengths from Diamond Crown (Cracksman) with the outsider Spirit of Dreams (Guilliani) a neck away in third. The second English Challenger from John and Thady Gosden, Lmay finished fourth.

Not only on the Iffezheimer racecourse did we see fireworks as in the sales complex across the road history was made on the Friday afternoon. It happened late afternoon when a good looking son of Coolmore sire Camelot out of the Prix der Diana Gr I (Oaks) winner Diamanta (Maxios) stepped into the ring. Consigned by Gestuet Brümmerhof this horse has the colour and physique to catch the eye correct and with a good walk he was always going to be attractable, but when you have Coolmore, Joseph O Brien and Godolphin in different corners of the arena you knew these heavyweights of the racing world were there for one thing, and all were there through the half million mark but it would be Anthony Stroud for Godolphin who would sign the docket for a new German record of 850,000 Euro beating the previous prices set by Anne Mia in 2019 and Sea the Sky 2020, sold for 820,000.

The Baden-Badener Auktionsgesellschaft reported more yearlings sold as the previous year and happy with the results. 162 yearling found new homes almost three quarters of those offered for a total of 8.061 million Euro. The average price of the sold yearlings was 49,762 Euro with the median at 49,122 Euro. Again, though most of the lots were going abroad but again Eckhard Sauren, Liberty Racing and Holger Faust with Darius Racing maintaining the German interest the market.

Shannon Spratter