The English page - "Züchtertreff" at Gestüt Röttgen

There is very little racing on at present, and hardly any in Germany, but this is the time of year when breeders and the owners of stud farms are making their plans for the upcoming breeding season. We have already this month had the Irish stallions trail, with no fewer than 140 stallions paraded, and the equivalent event in Normandy, the most important area in France. Germany´s bloodstock industry is tiny in comparison, with only about 40 active sires based in this country, but it is still impressive that 16 of them (nearly half) will be paraded at the “Züchtertreff” (“breeders´ get-together”) at Gestüt Röttgen this coming Saturday (January 28th).

This extremely popular event was cancelled for obvious reasons in 2021 and 2022, but this year´s version was already sold out soon after the announcement was made just before Christmas and a crowd of 400 is expected to be present. Proceedings begin at 12 noon with a visit to the training stables of top trainer Markus Klug, which are situated within the stud grounds. The stallion parade is scheduled to start at 13.00, followed by two lectures (in German) on veterinary topics by well-known equine medical specialists; after refreshments, the event closes with the presentation of the winners of the awards of the apprentice series sponsored by the Mehl-Mülhens-Stiftung (foundation).

The foundation was established by Maria Mehl-Mülhens, who left it her entire fortune on her death in 1985. Her father Peter Mülhens had founded Gestüt Röttgen in 1924, and the purpose of the foundation was to support not only the stud itself, but German bloodstock in general, and it is indeed the biggest benefactor of the German racing and breeding industry, sponsoring many events, including the German 2,000 Guineas and of course this week´s breeders´ get-together.

The 16 stallions to be paraded are in alphabetical order, and including their own sire, the name of the farm where they are based and their published fee in euros for 2023:

Accon (Camelot), Gestüt Lünzen, 2,500

Best Solution (Kodiac), Gestüt Lünzen, 5,000

Counterattack (Redoute´s Choice), Gestüt Karlshof, 7,500

Destino (Soldier Hollow), Gestüt Westerberg, 4,000

Guiliani (Tertullian), Gestüt Schlenderhan/Zieverich, 4,500

Iquitos (Adlerflug), Gestüt Graditz, 5,000

Isfahan (Lord of England), Gestüt Ohlerweiherhof, 7,500

Japan (Galileo), Gestüt Etzean, 11,000

Lucky Lion (High Chaparral), Gestüt Graditz, 2,500

Millowitsch (Sehrezad),Gestüt Röttgen, 1,111

Nerik (Ruler of the World), Vollblutgestüt Lindenhof, 3,900

Polish Vulcano (Lomitas), Gestüt IDEE, 2,000

Rubaiyat (Areion), Gestüt Ohlerweiherhof, 4,500

Waldpfad (Shamardal), Gestüt Etzean, 3,000

Windstoß (Shirocco), Gestüt Röttgen, 4,000

It will be noticed that all three stallions standing at Röttgen,- Millowitsch, Protectionist and Windstoss are included –they don´t have far to travel after all, as well as two of three new sires for 2023, Nerik and Rubaiyat. The third, Gestüt Auenquelle´s –Torquator Tasso (Adlerflug) is not listed, but it seems that he is already fully booked and probably in no need of further PR. He and second season sire Alson (Areion), standing at Fährhof for 6,000 euros, are in my view the only significant sires standing in Germany that are missing, with all due respect to the others.

Röttgen is probably the ideal venue for an event of this kind in Germany. It is situated on the outskirts of Cologne and very close to the Cologne/ Bonn airport. The stud itself is luxurious with all the necessary facilities, while Cologne can certainly be regarded as the central city of the German racing and breeding world. We hope pleasant weather for the event wish all those taking part a hugely enjoyable experience.

David Conolly-Smith