Breeding & Racing in Germany
In order to be of assistance to our growing number of readers from abroad, we are with immediate effect publishing in every issue of Turf Times an English page, giving in compact form all the latest racing and breeding news from Germany in English.
When we introduced “The English page” in Turf Times a few years ago, there was no question about the author. Our English readers could not be better informed about what was happening here than by David Conolly-Smith. Born in Nottingham, the Englishman, correspondent for various British and Irish specialist newspapers, German representative of the International Racing Bureau, contact point for all active people from the island, lived in Munich and horse racing was his passion. He passed away on July 9, 2023 at the age of 83. It was his wish that Shannon Patricia Spratter should continue the English-language column in his place. He was friends with her father, the Irish-born trainer John David hillis, wo is working in Munich, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Our columnist briefly introduces herself here.
Writes the column for the English-speaking Turf Times readers: Shannon Spratter with her father, former jockey and current gallop trainer, John David Hillis. Foto: privat
My name is Shannon Patricia Spratter and I was born into racing through my father, former jockey and now trainer, John David Hillis and mother, Jeanette Spratter.
Due to the recommendation of David Conolly-Smith, I have taken over his part with great enthusiasm and now write the English edition about our German racing.
When I'm not in front of the computer writing texts or pursuing my main job, I spend my time at my father's racing stable. My favourite hobby is riding races as an amateur.
Baden-Badens Fruehjahrs meeting or spring meeting was to be the highlight last weekend with the Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft the main event on the Sunday, the third and last day of the meeting. Unfortunately, it would live the highs and suffer the lows of what can happen by live sporting events.
Thursday saw the first day of the meeting get underway with a nine-race programme which included the Group III 46. Kronimus Badener Meile. Even though the weather forecast said rain, on the day it didn’t materialize, and the ground was officially described as soft, good to soft in places. A holiday in Germany, it saw over 15.000 visitors come through the turnstiles, over 2.000 more than the corresponding day in 2023 and as well as that the betting also saw a plus of nearly 15 percent.
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Last Sunday saw our second Classic of the season run in Dusseldorf. The Wempe 104. German 1000 Guineas saw thirteen 3-year-old fillies take their chance on soft ground over 1600 meters (1mile) on the Grafenberg track. The Kevin Phillippart de Foy trained English filly Rochelle was a non-runner from the original 14 declared, and no less than four fillies still made the trip from the British Isles including Darnation (Too Darn Hot) the 36/10 favorite for the event from the Karl Burke Spigot Lodge Yorkshire stables. Shagara (Zarak) on form looked best of the home team but the England fillies were always going to be hard to beat here and exactly so it proved.
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We had some fantastic racing last weekend and it couldn’t have been any better or more thrilling than in Germany´s first classic of the year 2024 season, the Coolmore St. Mark´s Basilica German 2000 Guineas. Maigret, the Counterattack son in the colors of Gestüt Karlshof from the Bohumil Nederostek stable just shaded favoritism for the race in front of the English horse Devil's Point, the mount of star jockey and ex English champion Silvestre de Sousa, who had just ridden the winner of the English 1000 Guineas Elmalka, two weeks earlier, on his return to European circuit this year after a spell in Hong Kong.
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Over the past weekends although we had racing in Germany, they were really very ordinary, run of the mill meetings. Not much to write home about. Probably one of the more significant happenings was the lost of, in my opinion, one of the best and influential stallions Soldier Hollow, standing in stud Auenquelle since 2011 formerly in stud Roettgen, the son of In The Wings was a really tough racehorse. Owned by Helmut von Finck, he won stakes races as a 2-year-old and every year through till 7 years and won over 1 million Euro on the track. He was a four-time Group I winner and won 10 Group races in total. He also was German Horse of the Year in 2004. As a sire he produced Pastorius, winner of the Prix Ganay Group I and the German Derby as well as Group I winners Dschingis Secret, Ivanhowe, Weltstar, Serienholde and over Hurdles Arctic Fire and Saldier. He was definitely one of Germany´s top sires.
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Last Sundays double header, Berlin-Hoppegarten in the morning and Krefeld in the afternoon produced some good racing. Starting in Berlin, where racing got underway at 11 o’clock, they ran an eight-race programme with the Listed Altano-Rennen over 2800 meters (1m 6f) the main attraction. Nine went to post for this stayers event with the Andreas Woehler representative Crystal Estrella for Team Valor being sent off favorite and although running a good race the Iffraaj filly could manage a third place at the winning line, 3 lengths and a neck behind the cozy winner Waldadler (Adlerflug) and Nastaria (Outstrip). The Winner came into the race with the best credentials having finished third behind Assistent and Best of Lips in the Gran Prix Aufgalopp in Cologne 4 weeks earlier. Trained by Pavel Vovcenko for Stall Kalifornia and ridden by Sibylle Vogt he powered home for an easy win.
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One month into the turf season now and German racing standards were raised another notch with the two Group races in Cologne. Again in NRW area where Cologne is situated the rains came and the track rode heavy which some horses found difficult going. Probably the weather was also one of the factors that the attendance was only 6.500 whereas in the east on the smaller Dresden morning programme over 8.000 racegoers found their way through the turnstiles on a cold but at least dry day.
Last weekends racing in Dusseldorf featured Germanys first Group race of the year. The Frühjahrs-Meile (1mile) for 4-year-olds and upwards attracted a strong field of twelve including two from France, Gamestop (Lope de Vega) from Christophe Ferland´s stable and from Yann Barberot´s stable the favorite at 3/I for the event, American Flag (Wootton Bassett). Whereas Gamestop ran a game race to finish fourth having had every chance at the furlong marker, American Flag never really got involved to finished fifth behind a German trio.
This was one of the weekends when I thought I would not have much to write about. But surprise, surprise even with moderate racing at Mannheim, a small German country track and then an average card in Mulheim an der Ruhr, there was just some interesting results. First to Mannheim, where its main event was a 13.000 € Handicap, but it was the winners of this race, Woody Wood, a 6-year-old Maxios son, winning for the sixth time in his career. He has become a real favourite of the German racing public and actually has over 1500 followers on Facebook. The win also gave his trainer, ex top jockey Andreas Suborics, his 200. winner as a trainer and his young and talented Italian born apprentice Andrea Ricupa his second success on the track.
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Well last weekend’s racing ended as we expected it would. Berlin-Hoppegarten opened its gates to 12.500 racing fans and friends, and they were treated to some fine racing so early in the turf season. It’s not often anywhere in the world, that you see probably the two best 4-year-olds in training in a country, take each other on in a "Listed Race" in the first weeks. But in Germany, the first two from last year’s Derby did exactly that and as expected the finish in this 5-runner race involved the two principals. In the Preis von Dahlwitz over 2000 meters (1m2f), the Derby winner and freshly crowned Horse of the year 2023 Fantastic Moon (Sea the Moon) was marginally preferred in the betting market over his old rival Mr Hollywood (Iquitos).
It´s nice to get back writing this article again as it means we have got through the winter and can look forward to hopefully another exciting grass season.Dortmund kept us going as usual in Winter and though it cared for the German racing´s needs to keep the sport visual, nine race days throughout the whole winter, small uncompetitive fields, bad horses strung out like three-mile chasers doesn´t make much for entertainment, add also what the Americans would declare a very sloppy track and it becomes a null as a watchable sport. Unfortunately, that is the situation in German Racing at the moment and if Winter racing is to continue really it needs a fibresandtrack (PSF) as soon as possible but the sport has many other urgent needs apart from a winter sport track.
With this being the first issue of the New Year, I would like to start off by wishing all our readers a happy and prosperous 2024. One of the unfinished pieces of the 2023 race season, was the trainers championship which went down to the last day's racing in Dortmund on the 30th of December. It was very quickly decided though as Peter Schiergen who had a three-win lead over nearest rival Henk Grewe, produced the first winner on the card. Schael (Isfahan) ran out a very very easy 10 length winner in the hands of apprentice Shuichi Terachi, giving Schiergen his 7th German Trainers title. The 2024 racing got underway on the 8th of January in Dortmund. The first winner of the new season was Bavaria (Kingsman) who battled hard to win by a head. Erika Mäder was the successful trainer and Thore Hammer Hansen rode her to victory.
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The end of the year is closing in fast now, but we will have two race meetings to see the 2023 season out. Weather permitting on Boxing Day, Mulheim will see a final grass meeting and then on the 30th of December, Dortmund on its sand track will bring the curtain down. Most things have been already decided with Andrasch Starke, the leading jockey this year with 79 winners a full 23 more than his closest rival Rene Piechulek. The leading Breeders award was taken by Gestuet Karlshof ahead of Gestuet Fährhof and the leading owner was Liberty Racing 2021. The syndicate racing and bloodstock members hit gold this year with Winning Spirit (Soldier Hollow) winning twice, one at listed level before finishing second in the Italian Derby and running 4th in his owners second colors in the German Derby in Hamburg behind the first colors on the winner Fantastic Moon (Sea the Moon).