The English page: Breeding & Racing in Germany 1

The German classics are staged a month later than the equivalent races in England and France, but we have already seen some useful three-year-olds in action. The winter was miserably wet and windy, but not overly cold, so that most leading trainers already have their strings in good form. One example is Andreas Wöhler, who has already had some success in France, while at home four of his runners so far have won. They include three three-year-olds who all look to have classic potential.

First out of the blocks was the Aqlaam filly Full Rose, a most convincing winner at Düsseldorf a fortnight ago. She is owned by Jaber Abdullah, who is now the largest owner with over 30 horses, almost all two- and three-year-olds, in Wöhler´s Ravensberg stables. Full Rose is clearly on course for the German 1,000 Guineas to be run at Düsseldorf on May 31^st. She is likely to have a prep race in the listed Henkel Stutenpreis, also at Düsseldorf on May 3^rd.

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On Good Friday Wöhler saddled Stall Margarethe's homebred Fair Mountain to win equally easily over ten and a half furlongs at Bremen.  This Tiger Hill colt is the second live foal out of the smart racemare Fair Breeze (Silvano), winner of the Group Two Prix Corrida and twice Group One placed. The next dam Fairwind was a smart hurdler and in fact this family has produced several good N.H. performers, but the German Derby looks to be the obvious race for Fair Mountain, who will probably have his prep race in Frankfurt´s Frühjahrspreis des Bankhauses Metzler, also on May 3^rd and a race won last year by subsequent Derby star Sea The Moon.

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Two day´s later however Wöhler produced another colt who could go the same route, Qatar Racing´s Rogue Runner, who won over a mile at Hoppegarten. He only won by a neck, but was still very convincing, as Andrea Atzeni – Qatar Racing´s retained jockey who has flown to Berlin for just the one ride- had to switch him to the outside at the distance and he picked up really nicely. He is by King´s Best out of Italian Oaks runner-up Rosa di Brema and should certainly stay the Derby trip. He is also earmarked for the Frankfurt race and if he wins that one, could well go to the Epsom Derby. Rogue Runner won his only race last year, also at Hoppegarten, and then a slight setback which prevented him from running in Baden-Baden´s top two-year-old race. “I was very happy with the Hoppegarten run,” reported the trainer, “as he needs further and also better ground.” Wöhler has previously won this race with such stars as Waldpark (Deutsches Derby) and Novellist (King George) so Rogue Runner looks a serious horse.

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Easter Monday´s racing at Cologne featured a hat-trick by local trainer Peter Schiergen, but the one that really caught the eye was Gestüt Schlenderhan´s homebred Isidor, who came with a strong run to win over eleven furlongs. He is the first foal of the unraced Iojo (Giant´s Causeway), but has a pedigree which simply screams Deutsches Derby. His sire Adlerflug, also Schlenderhan-bred, won that race in 2007 and has already made a positive impression as a stallion. His dam may have been unraced, but she is from one of Schlenderhan´s best families. Her dam Iota (Tiger Hill) won the Preis der Diana and has already thrown the very useful Ito (also by Adlerflug),  winner of five starts and well up to group race class judging by the way he demolished a useful field at Krefeld three weeks ago; and also Iniciar (Galileo), who should be up to listed class. This family has produced numerous high class winners, including last-year´s dual Group One winner Ivanhowe and the top hurdler Irving.

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Main event on that Cologne card was the listed Grand Prix-Aufgalopp, in which Vif Monsieur (Doyen), conceding weight all round, made all the running and just held on in a desperate finish from Nicolosio (Peintre Celebre) and Firestorm (Dylan Thomas). He was entitled to win this, as he had clearly the best form in the field; he is trained at Düsseldorf by Sascha Smrczek, who said afterwards that he would like to step him up in distance and he might run next in the Oleander-Rennen over two miles at Hoppegarten.

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Hoppegarten in Easter Sunday also staged a listed race, this time for fillies and mares, which also went to the topweight, Lacy (Authorized), a Fährhof homebred. She won very easily, even though the mile was on the sharp side.  Racing manager Simon Stokes nominated the Prix Allez France over a more suitable trip at Chantilly as her next start.

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Düsseldorf this coming Sunday stages Germany´s first group race of 2015, the Wettenleip Frühjahrs-Meile. Eight have been declared, with Christophe Ferland´s Spoil The Fun (Julien Augé), a winner at this level in Milan last year, the only foreign runner. Germany´s top miler of recent years Amaron (Shamardal) won this last year and tries again; he is now six and has the distinction of having won a group race every year he has been in training. Bred by Genesis Green, he is a Tattersalls graduate and is trained in Cologne by Andreas Löwe for Gestüt Winterhauch. Andreas Wöhler saddles an interesting runner here in Wake Forest, owned by football manager Klaus Allofs. The Sir Percy five-year-old is best at ten furlongs, and the trainer commented: “the distance is not ideal, but we have to start somewhere and I would like to aim him at the Group One Premio Presidente della Repubblica in Rome in a month´s time.”