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.
Hamburg's Derby meeting began last weekend, and for a change they have been very lucky with the weather: sunny and warm (but not too hot) conditions every day and that is forecast to continue all week without a drop of rain. The ground has been in much better condition than has often been the case in the past.
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The most interesting race in Germany last weekend was the Group Three Grosser Preis der Wirtschaft at Dortmund over 1750 metres, a race jointly sponsored by 59 local companies. Gestüt Röttgen´s homebred Degas (Exceed and Excel) won an exciting race, coming from last place with a late run to score by half a length from long-time leader Palace Prince (Areion), with Cashman (Soldier of Fortune), who had been runner-up here last year, a close third.
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Perceptions can change quickly, in racing as in life, and the idea that this year´s Deutsches Derby was a foregone conclusion after the victories of the Andreas Wöhler-trained Royal Youmzain (Youmzain) in the Bavarian Classic at Munich and more especially the Ittlingen Derby-trial at Baden-Baden, must now reconsidered after last Sunday´s Group Two Union-Rennen at Cologne. Traditionally the Union-Rennen, the oldest race in the German calendar, has always been regarded as the most reliable Derby trial, but that has seldom been the case in recent years. Only Wiener Walzer in 2009 and Sea The Moon in 2014 have done the double in the past fifteen years.
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There were more International successes for the German racing and breeding industries last weekend. A Raving Beauty (Mastercraftsman), who last year was trained for owner-breeder Gestüt Karlshof to win a listed race at Hoppegarten and finish runner-up in an Italian Group One, was sold at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale to her American owners for 225,000 euros and has won back far more than this amount by winning her first two races in the USA, notably last Saturday´s Group One Just A Game Stakes at Belmont Park; she is closely related to multiple group race winner Alianthus (Hernando), one of the best German milers this century.
weiterlesen »Last weekend was a very successful one for the German racing and breeding industries. At home, the Baden-Baden Spring Meeting went well, while abroad there were several significant performances in top races by German-breds.
weiterlesen »There have been several outsider winners in this year´s European Guineas races, but this was not the case at Düsseldorgf last Sunday, when the Mark Johnson-trained Nyaleti (Arch) started as 23-10 favourite and ran out a very easy winner of the WEMPE 98th German 1,000 Guineas, Bred in Ireland by SF Bloodstock, Nyaleti, who was running for the twelfth (!) time, had shown some very smart form at two, including a five lengths success in Ascot´s Princess Margaret Stakes, she was regarded as a live candidate for the Newmarket Guineas, but a couple of poor efforts in the spring caused her connections to scale down their expectations. However she showed better form when beating older fillies in a listed race at Goodwood and showed at Düsseldorf that she was right back to her best when accounting for a devent field of locally-trained fillies with the utmost ease.
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There was plenty of racing in Germany over the long Whit weekend, with some convincing victories and some big surprises. As it happens, the most convincing winner also caused the greatest surprise; that was Stall Ullmann´s Ancient Spirit (Invincible Spirit) who made almost all the running to win the Group Two Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (German 2,000 Guineas) in spectacular style. He was the outsider of the field at just over 21-1, and he was by some margin the lowest-rated runner, but there was certainly no fluke about his success. He was wearing blinkers for the first time, which was possibly a factor. At any rate, he started slowly and was last after 100 yards; after another 100 yards he was in front and tearing away. Often enough, horses that run like that fade away again as quickly as they came, but not Ancient Spirit, who kept on strongly to the line and could be called the easy winner a long way from home.
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The Berlin racecourse Hoppegarten celebrates its 150th birthday this year; it was officially opened on May 17th 1868 by the Prussian King Wilhelm I and his chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The racetrack was organized and funded by the , an association of Prussian landowners, aristocrats and Berlin socialites. Within a few years, Germany had been united under Prussian leadership, Berlin was the capital of the German Reich, the King was now a Kaiser and Hoppegarten had quickly become the leading racecourse and training centre in the country. Well over 1,000 horses were in training, wealthy owner-breeders like the Oppenheims from Cologne and the Weinbergs from Frankfurt established large stables here.
weiterlesen »Our article last week on the successes of the „W“,“N” and “S” families has already received some significant updates. Waldgeist (Galileo) ran out an easy winner of the Prix d´Hedouville at Longchamp on Sunday. He is out of the Monsun mare Waldlerche, winner of the Prix Penelope for Gestüt Bernried (a division of Gestüt Ammerland), who is a half-sister to St. Leger winner Masked Marvel and also closely related to German Derby winner Waldpark. Both Waldpark and Masked Marvel are now stallions who will be having their first runners year; this family is however not noted for precocious two-year-olds so the fireworks – if any - can be expected in 2019.
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Last weekend saw some good racing from Hoppegarten and Krefeld, but some surprising results. This was certainly true of Krefeld´s main event, the Group Three Dr. Busch-Memorial, the most important early season classic trial, which went to the Libyan-owned Kronprinz (Lord of England), who ran on strongly from the rear to win convincingly from Weltstar (Soldier Hollow), a half-brother to last year´s German Derby winner Windstoss (Shirocco), with the favourite, the Australian-owned Wild Max (Maxios) well back. However the latter is excused, as he picked up an injury in the starting stalls – nothing too serious, according to trainer Andreas Wöhler.
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Just as is the case in the U.K., France and Ireland this month, classic trials are in the spotlight this month in Germany. Last Sunday we had the Karin Baronin von Ullmann- Schwarzgold-Rennen at Cologne, one of the best early trials for the German 1,000 Guineas, to be run at Düsseldorf on May 27thz, and this Sunday the Dr. Busch-Memorial at Krefeld, a race which has always had a considerable influence on the German 2,000 Guineas at Cologne on May 21st and even on the German Derby at Hamburg on July 8th at Hamburg as well as the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich on July 29th, Germany´s top ten furlongs race.
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Last weekend the only racing we had was at Düsseldorf, and the two main events were both won by horses whose trainers had expressed reservations before the race that their charges might still be a bit backward following the long cold spell. In the event locally-trained Wonnemond (Areion) won the Group Three mile race in good style, coming as usual with a late run from last place, while the listed race for three-year-olds saw Darius Racing's French-bred Alounak (Camelot) put up the best performance so far seen in Germany this year.
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