The English page - Classics ahead

The racing season is now entering its hottest phase, not only in Germany but also in the other leading European countries. In Germany we have next week the local equivalents of the 2,000 Guineas at Cologne on Whit Monday and the 1,000 Guineas at Düsseldorf next Sunday. The Irish versions of both races will be run at The Curragh this weekend, while the Italian Derby (with German contestants) will be run at Rome on Sunday. There are now only two weeks before the Epsom Derby meeting, with the French Derby the same weekend.

Last weekend´s racing was therefore rather low level here, with the main meeting at Hanover on Sunday featuring the only black type races, two listed events for older fillies and mares, so no classic clues there. It was a great day for local stud Gestüt Brümmerhof, owned by Gregor and Julia Baum; Gregor is also president of the race club at Hanover and was able to enjoy no fewer than five Brümmerhof-bred winners, four of them in their own colours, including the listed race over a mile, which was won very easily by the much improved Marshmallow (Soldier Hollow), trained in Cologne by Peter Schiergen. The 4yo filly looks a typical late developer, having only made her debut in the late August of her 3yo season; she has been first or second on all her seven starts and this was her best performance yet; she looks capable of further improvement and clearly loves Hanover, where she was won all her three starts. Her dam Mill Marin (Pivotal) was a listed winner in Sweden and was also placed in two Scandinavian classics.

The other listed race, over 2,000 metres, had a much tighter finish with only about a length separating the first six home. The winner, Gestüt Auenquelle´s homebred Daring Light (Jukebox Jury), trained in Hoppegarten by Roland Dzubasz, led two out and held on well, and could run next in Italy. The unlucky horse of the race was Park Wiedingen s homebred Deia (Soldier Hollow), who fluffed the start but finished best of all. The full sister to Group One performers Dschingis Secret and Destino, trained by Schiergen, can certainly be expected to reverse the form should these runners ever meet again.

The undercard at Hanover was also dominated by fillies, and two 3yo´s that should be noted are the Brümmerhof homebred Artista (Areion), a very easy 6 furlongs winner from modest rivals, and Gestüt Etzean´s homebred Palmas (Lord of England) who won over a mile against probably much stronger opposition. The former is with Brümmerhof´s main trainer Dominik Moser, who has been very successful with sprinters, and he considers that she is also going to be a force to be reckoned with at distances up to seven furlongs. She is in Monday´s Group Three Silberne Peitsche at Cologne and gets in with an extremely low weight. Moser also trains the Brümmerhof-bred Namos, currently Germany´s best sprinter, and on Sunday also scored with his 4yo half-brother Narcos (Soldier Hollow), who made all to win a modest event by 4 ½ lengths. Namos has missed possible starts in York and Cologne, but could run in the Prix du Palais Royal at the end of next week at Longchamp.

Palmas is trained by Andreas Wöhler and made a very encouraging debut when quickening through a gap on the rails to win cosily. This looked a strong maiden, and Palmas, who is out of the listed-placed Peace Time (Surumu) can almost certainly make her mark in much better company. She is in the Preis der Diana (German Oaks), which is her main target and will probably run twice beforehand. She is currently quoted at 24-1 for the Düsseldorf classic by RaceBets, and although plenty of water will flow down the Rhine before that race, those odds may look very attractive come early August.

This coming Whit weekend is going to be busy, with two group races, both important classic trials, at Hoppegarten on Sunday, and two more at Cologne on Monday, including the Group Two Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen, Germany´s 2,000 Guineas. Unfortunately there will no foreign runners in the classic; several were interested, but the corona-related logistical problems make it impossible for them to come. So we are left with eight German-trained horses, with local hope, Stall Lintec´s Best Of Lips (The Gurkha) likely to start a very hot favourite, he was Germany´s top juvenile last year and started 2021 by winning the main trial, the Dr. Busch-Memorial. It is hard to see what can beat him, although trainer Andreas Suborics claims that his other runner Best Lightning (Sidestep) could be just as good. The only other runner with a chance would be appear to be Stall tmb´s homebred Mythico, trained by Jean-Pierre Carvalho, who won last autumn´s Ratibor-Rennen in good style, but was only third to Best of Lips last year in the Preis des Winterfavoriten and then runner-up to the same rival in the Dr. Busch. He is undeniably smart, but his pedigree (by Adlerflug out of a Monsun mare) suggests that he might need further. The likely soft going could however be a plus point for him.

The other group race at Cologne is the 1200 metres Preis der Annette Hellwig Stiftung (Silberne Peitsche), with nine runners declared, including a filly trained in France by Nicolas Caullery; this is the German-owned Angelinka (Pedro the Great) who has been very busy this season; she has already run 8 times in2021, all in claiming races and has won three of them. France is much less of a problem than the U.K. or Ireland, but it will still be quite a shock if she can defeat some of the best German sprinters. She does however get in with a very light weight, as does Artista (see above); both are partnered by top French lady jockeys, Delphine Santiago and Mickaelle Michel respectively. Andreas Wöhler´s consistent 6yo Majestic Colt (Clodovil) was third in this race last year, when it was run in Baden-Baden, and looks best of the older horses.

Hoppegarten´s two classic trials have attracted strong fields. Berlin has had less rain than the rest of Germany and the going should be good. Almost all the runners are entered in the two main German classics. 11 have been declared for the Diana trial over 2200 metres and then for the colts´ race over 2000 metres and every top stable in the country is represented. Both look wide open and while both races should be watched and studies in detail, they are not really events to bet on. We shall know much more after these races are run. For the record, this column´s fancies for the Diana Trial are Amazing Grace (Protectionist) and Elegie (Adlerflug), both trained by Waldemar  Hickst, and for the Derby Trial Peter Schiergen´s Lord Charming (Charm Spirit) and Marcel Weiss´Vallando (Lord of England), but we shall be much wiser after these events have been run.

David Conolly-Smith