The English page - The final Group One

Even though the Turf season continues with Dresden next Wednesday and Munich on Saturday and eventually weather permitting Mulheim on December 26th really last Sundays meeting in Munich Riem brought down the curtain especially on highlights and entertainment. 

Two weeks ago in my column I said that at this time of year it is not always the best horse that wins but the courageous one, the one with the biggest heart and the one that wants to win most.

Last Sundays Munich - Riem highlight the Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern, the last European Group I contest of 2024 and run over 2400m (1m 4f) saw exactly that. Now I dont want to take anything away from the winner Assistent (Sea The Moon) moreso I would like to praise him, because last Sunday he turned in the best performance of his career. Mind you people tend to forget he was fourth of twenty in the 2022 German Derby and ran fourth in the Preis von Europa that same year. He was third behind Simca Mille in the Grosser Preis von Berlin in 2023 and ended his season last year with a second placing behind Junko in this race the Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern, all his starts at top level. But its not only that its his first win at Group I level, its the way this pint sized battled to snatch victory in the dying strides away from the Sir Mark Prescott in England trained 4-year-old Farhh daughter Tiffany. Under stable jockey Luke Morris she took up the running turning for home and battled so hard herself fighting off the Godolphin horse Ancient Wisdom and William Buick and just when you thought the filly was on her way to a Group I victory, little Assistent found one last piece of strenght and came through on the inside to snap the victory by a neck. Ancient Wisdom (Dubawi) stayed on for third 1/2 lenghts behind the first two with Lordano (Adlerflug) another lenght away in third. Another big prize went the way of trainer Henk Grewe, who sits second behind Peter Schiergen in theTrainers Championship. Owner Eckhard Sauren and his retained rider Thore Hammer Hansen both lead the way in their category this year. 

 

The second highlight of the afternoon was the World Pool BBAG Auktionsrennen. The 52.000 Euro added event a Sale Race over the 1600m (1m) for 2-year-olds would bring further smiles to Eckhard Sauren and Thore Hammer Hansen. This 2-year-old race often throws up a pretty decent winner and this year the Dabirsim son Next Mine, making his debut here, ran out a facile seven and half lenght winner. Trained in Cologne by Waldemar Hickst, he was bred by Gestut Witteskindhof. 

Unfortunately on the day in one of the handicap, young talented rider Tomas Roman took a very nasty fall and had to be taken to hospital. Thankfully all that seem very dark on the racecourse was subsequently clarified and the young rider was diagnosed with a break of the Thoracic vertebrae and a puntured lung. From this side we wish Tomas a full and quick recovery. 

 

This weekend will see a seven race programme held in Krefeld featuring the Group III, Grosser Preis der Wohnstätte Krefeld for two-year-olds over 1700 m (1m 2f). Leading trainer Peter Schiergen relies on Nicoreni (Brametot). Gestut Ebbesloh's filly will have Sibylle Vogt in saddle and his two from two this year having won for this rider the Group III Carla Kellner Zukunftsrennen in Baden Baden.

 

That was over the mile on soft ground the same conditions she should meet in Krefeld. It is late in the year for fillies but a reproduction of that form makes her the one to beat. Biggest dangers could be Zunder (Lord of England) who has also won both his races this year including last time out the Listed race Premio Campobello in Milan. Koelsch (Millowitsch) ran fourth to next years Derby favorite Lifetimes in the Group III Preis des Winterfavoriten having won a maiden on this track in Krefeld. 

Bastion (another Brametot filly) who runs in the colours of Gestut Hachtsee and represents Maxim Pecheur won a maiden in Halle. Lips Vega (Lope de Vega) from Andreas Suborics although still a maiden has ran second in a Listed race in Cologne and fourth of nine at Group II level in milan. Pompeo Dream has two placed efforts to his name while one that is Interesting is the only foreign horse in the field. The War Command filly Place Fontenoy was formerly trained by Yann Barberot in France and had showned some decent form for him there. She was second behind Aidan O Brien's Mount Kilimanjaro in the 260,000 Euro Arqanq Series in Longchamp as well as been Listed placed secound of seven in Craon. She how finds herself in training in Poland and represents trainer Krzystof Ziemianski and owners Millenium Stud. This could turn out to be an very interesting contest.