The English page - Mixed results from the weekend

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.

Kronprinz had shown respectable form at two, but this was a huge improvement and his rating has been put up to 106, although that is in fact the lowest rating this century for a Dr. Busch winner. He was bred by Gestüt Etzean and was well bought at 16,000 euros at the BBAG October 2016 mixed sale, the second cheaply-bought yearling from this sale to win a group race this month. He has no fancy entries, but is of course qualified for the BBAG sales races and it will be interesting to see what trainer Peter Schiergen decides to do next. He is distantly related to two German champions of the 1970s, Group One winner Kandia and Derby winner and champion sire Königsstuhl. It has been a good month for BBAG graduates, and the sales topper at their 2016 Yearling Sale, a Sea The Stars filly from a top German family, was an impressive winner for André Fabre at Longchamp on Tuesday of this week.

Hoppegarten´s two day meeting featured a listed race for older horses on both days. The 2800 metres event was won in good style by Gestüt Ittlingen´s homebred Sound Check (Lando), an own brother to top class Scalo. Sound Check won a similar race at Baden-Baden last year and seems to be still improving, as this was his best performance yet. Adler and Moonshiner, two colts by Adlerflug, took the minor places, followed by Oriental Khan (Campanologist) and Berghain (Medicean). All five are likely to meet again in the Group Two Oleander-Rennen over two miles on Whit Sunday, although on this form Sound Check must currently be regarded as Germany´s best stayer.

The 2,000 metres race at Hoppegarten ended in the most exciting finish of the weekend. Three horses flashed by the line together and it took quite a while before Devastar was declared the winner by a nose from Itobo – both six-year-olds by Areion – with Northsea Star (Sea The Stars) a short head away in third. Devastar runs his best races at this track; a Gestüt Park Wiedingen homebred, he is very closely related to Horse of the Year Dschingis Secret (Soldier Hollow) – their dams are own sisters. Ittlingen´s Enjoy Vijay (Nathaniel), runner-up in last year´s German Derby, was an even money favourite here but could only finish sixth.

Apart from the disappointment with Wild Max, Andreas Wöhler´s three-year-olds are really firing now and it seems that a fortnight´s sun on their backs has done them the world of good. The stable won all the other four races for this age group last weekend. At Hoppegarten on Saturday, Soul Unlimited (Rock of Gibraltar) set the ball rolling by making all the running for a comfortable victory over ten furlongs; a 24,000 euros BBAG graduate, he has an entry in the German Derby. The next day, Chimney Rock, another Derby entry by Rock of Gibraltar, also made all the running to score over nine furlongs by four lengths. An hour later, Wöhler had two runners in the fillies´ ten furlongs race and they finished first and second, with Etzean´s Felora (Lord of England) holding Fährhof´s Realeza (Maxios) by three parts of a length. Both are very well bred, Felora being an own sister to Wöhler´s 2014 Preis der Diana winner Feodora (now in Japan), while Realeza is out of Preis der Winterkönigin winner Royal Dubai (Dashing Blade). Both these fillies are entered in the Preis der Diana, although that is still quite a long way off. At Krefeld Lord Leoso (Pastorius) was a very easy winner over an extended ten furlongs; he is also in the Derby and will go for the Derby trial at Hanover next.

Wöhler has the current favourite for the German Derby in Jaber Abdullah´s Royal Youmzain (Youmzain), who is expected to make his seasonal debut in Tuesday´s (May Day) Bavarian Classic at Munich.  He will face strong opposition from the Klug and Carvalho stables – among others – but a good showing here will strengthen his position at the top of the market. The top race this weekend is the Group Three Henkel Europa Meile at Düsseldorf. There are only six runners, just as there were three weeks ago for a similar race over this course and distance. On that occasion locally-trained Wonnemond (Areion) finished strongly to defeat the front-running Millowitsch (Sehrezad), with Cashman (Soldier of Fortune) fifth and Degas (Exceed and Excel) last. These four meet again on the same terms and it would be logical to expect the same result. The other runners are Fulminato (Excelebration) and the only filly in the field, the suppolemented French-trained Quasilage (Sageburg), but on ratings they face a tough task.

David Conolly-Smith