The English page - Spring is (almost) sprung

As we now move into March, there are clear signs that spring is on the way, although it still seems very cold in most parts of Germany. There is still very little happening in Germany, but last week we had the Saudi World Cup with 20 million US $ the most valuable race ruin in the world. The race was run on the dirt track at the King Abdulaziz racecourse in Riyadh, which is regarded on one of the world´s best dirt tracks and there was a strong entry from Japan and the United States; not surprisingly they dominated the event, with Japanese-trained Panthalassa (Lord Konaloa) making all the running to win comfortably from U.S.-trained Country Grammer (Tonalist), runner-up for the second time, while it was also the second successive victory in this event for a Japanese horse: In recent years the Japanese have been extremely successful in such races. Interestingly, Panthalass had dead-heated last year with Lord North (Dubawi) in last year´s Dubai Turf. The latter won for the second time Lingfield´s Winter Derby, the first group race of the year in Europe and also run last weekend. It is quite likely that the pair will meet again in Meydan on Dubai World Cup evening.

The only German runner at the big Saudi meeting was Darius Racing´s Sisfahan (Isfahan), who finished a highly respectable sixth in the Red Sea Turf Handicap over two miles. The 2021 German Derby winner could run next in Maydan at the Gold Cup in the World Cup meeting, but it is not yet certain. That meeting is in three weeks´ time, on March 25th. There is only one more fixture before then in Dubai, the so-called Super Saturday, this coming Saturday, March 4th.

This is basically a rehearsal for the big night, with most of the five group races themselves prep races for the events to be run at the big meeting itself Runners are expected from all over the world, including of course Japan and the U.S., who will be expected to continuing their successes from Saudi Arabla last week and also from previous meetings here,. There are in fact runners from 13 different countries duet o run on Super Saturday.

Nearer to home we had a German-trained winner of the best race at the Cagnes-sur-Mer winter meeting which ended last Sunday. The 5yo Mika d´O, trained in Dresden by Stefan Richter, who once changed hands for only 3,000 euros, collected 35,000 euros for his victory in the listed Grand Prix du Departement 06, which was also the first race in this year´s Defi du Galop series. Richter had a good meeting and was responsible for three of the five German winners at Cagnes.

Meanwhile the domestic scene is also beginning to hot up. So far we have had six days of racing in Germany in 2023, all on the sand track at Dortmund. Therer is also raciong at Dortmund on the nest three Sundays in Marc h. and that is then the end of winter ar far as thoroughbred racing Germany is concerned. Of particular interest Is the Sunday of next week, March 12th, when there will be run the first 3yo maiden of the season. The German classics are run much later in the year than the equivalent races in the U.K. and Ireland. The Epsom Derby is often run on the first weekend in June, and the French Derby quite often the same weekend, while the German version, like the Irish comes usually a month later. The German Oaks (Preis der Diana) is now staged in August while the English version is run at the Epsom Derby meeting.

For that reason, the leading 3yo races here are also relatively late. Most of the early 3yo races have just closed. The Dr. Busch-Memorial, usually the best early trial for the German 2,000 Guineas, will be run this year at Krefeld on April 28thand closes on March 20th. Next Monday. March 7th, is the closing date for two of the most important early season races, the Bavarian Classic, the best early trial for the German Derby at Munich on May 1st, and the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (2,000 Guineas) at Cologne on May 29th. From then on the races are closing thick and thin.

There are 43 group races scheduled in Germany this season, the same as almost every year. The only changes are that two previously Group Two races have been demoted to Group Three, the Badener Meile at Baden-Baden on May 18th and the Grosser Preis von Lotto Hamburg at Hamburg on June 20th. Much more positive is the news that the Group One Grosser Preis von Baden, normally the best race of the entire season, has had its prize-money doubled to 400,000 euros. Unfortunately the prize-money for almost all other group races remains, the same: 55,000 euros for Group Three and 70.000 for Group Two.

David Conolly-Smith