Breeding & Racing in Germany

There was racing at Mülheim last Saturday on very heavy ground and the card included the last valuable (relatively speaking) race of the season, a BBAG sales race for 3yo´s over 2000 metres. There was a big field with 15 runners and, as so often in such races, some quite considerable weight differences, with the three contestants on top weight (which depended on prize-money won) giving away up to 7 kilos. Surprisingly, one of them won, Atze (Amaron), trained in Hoppegarten by Roland Dzubasz, who was always well placed, improved his position on the turn into the straight where he soon led and he kept on well under Sibylle Vogt to score by half a length from American Fly (Maxios), who was in receipt of five kilos, with the filly Miss Marbel (Adlerflug), getting six kilos, 2½ lengths further back in third. The field was well strung out, with the two other top weights well back.

The only racing last week in Germany was a low level meeting in Munich, but although there were no black type races there were two races for 2yo maidens, which were both won in good style by a horse making all the running and in both cases looking like an interesting prospect for next season.

Last Sunday's Group Three Grosser Preis der Wohnstätte Krefeld – Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen over 1700 metres for 2yo's was the last European group race of the season and also of course the last German juvenile race of importance. Germany has four group races for this age group and the Ratibor-Rennen (as it is usually known) although it comes very late in the season has often enough been won by juveniles that went on to greater success the following season.

Last Sunday´s Group Three Silbernes Pferd at Hoppegarten ended with the expected result, indeed one could almost say that it confirmed the reliability of German form this season. The key race for this 3000 metres test was obviously the German St. Leger, run over a furlong shorter at Dortmund six weeks earlier, in which Aff un zo (Kallisto) had won easily enough from Loft (Adlerflug); this time Loft was one kilo better off and plenty of punters expected him to reverse the form, sending him off at 2.7-1, while Aff un Zo started at a generous 3-1. But in the event Aff un Zo won again, even more easily this time, coming with a strong run to lead inside the final furlong and quickly assert, scoring by 2½ lengths, with Loft running another solid race in second after taking the lead early in the straight.

We are at the end of October and nearing the end of the German racing season. Germany has no N.H. season, in fact practically no jumps races at all, and many leading racecourses have already shut up shop for 2021, including Cologne, Düsseldorf and last Sunday Hanover, which signed off for the year with a strong card which included three black type races.

There had been a major racing conference the previous day in Hanover and many of the makers and shakers in the German racing and breeding industries were present, while most of the races were sponsored by breeders and racing organisations. Main event was the Group Three Grosser Preis des Gestüts Auenquelle und Torquator Tasso-Herbst Stuten Preis for fillies and mares over 2200 metres. The owners of the Arc winner have supported several races since their big win and have been very generous to various racecourses.