The English Page - The review 2024

With the Dortmund sand track keeping the sport rolling through the winter months, now is probably a good time to take a review of the German 2024 racing year as most titles have already been decided. One title however looks like it could go all the way down to the last race on Dortmunds sandtrack is the apprentice title. With two meetings on the sand and weather permitting Mulheim on the 26th December, there is approximately 20 races where it will be played out in. For most of the year my dad's apprentice Konstantin Phillip held a commanding lead but for some reason mid september he gave up on his career and cancelled his papers from the Novevember 1st. With both the Irish born Senan MacRedmond (Schiergen) and Italien Andrea Ricupa (Suborics) riding winners last weekend in Dortmund both have overtaken Phillip's. At the moment both young rider's have ridden twenty winners each with MacRedmond leading on a better amount of second places ridden. It will be unfortunate that one of them will loose out on the apprentice title as MacRedmond is a big lad that has fought bravely with his weight going to scales at 8st 12lbs whereas the much lighter Ricupa missed nearly two months of the season through injury, but both will fight this out down to the last race on December 29th.

By the jockey's it was a first title for Thore Hammer-Hansen as he beat previous multi champion Bauyrzhan Murzabayev by thirteen wins, 73-60 with three times leading apprentice 21 year old Leon Wolff back in third with 43 though he is keeping active on the sand in Dortmund. It has been a superb season for Hammer-Hansen as retained jockey to Eckhard Sauren. They were a formidable combination in 2024. Horses like Penalty, Downtown, Shootout and of course Assistent led to many big points in the year with the win from Assistent in the Group I Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern the icing on the cake for the team. Of course with most of the Sauren horses in training by Henk Grewe in Cologne, Hammer-Hansen was almost stable jockey for the stable which led to his first Derby win on Liberty Racing Gleneagles son Palladium. He has had a tremendous first season in Germany and no doubts will be Murzabayer's biggest challenger again เก๋ 2025. 

Although Henk Grewe could lead two Group I winners from the track Including a Derby winner and 10 more black type winners, his 45 winners on home soil was not enough to wrangle the trainers Championship from Peter Schiergen. Schiergens total of 53 wins amassed over 1,2 million in prize money to retain his title. Though he had a major fancy in the Derby with Narrativo, on the day he ran poorly, he didn't have much to say in the 3 year old division but where Schiergen was very strong was in the juvenile department. Youngsters like Square Carnot (Taj Mahal), Nicoreni (Brametot),Dhitjari (Mehmas), Lifetimes (Gleneagles) and New England (Brametot) leaves Schiergen with a strong hand for 2025. The last two above mentioned two year olds lead the Derby betting for 2025. Andreas Wohler finished behind Schiergen and Grewe in third with 38 wins. 

The owners title went to Eckhard Sauren. Cologne's racecourse President had 19 winners amassing a total of 533,560 € in prize money mainly due to the exploits of Assistent & Co as already mentioned. Gestut Ittlingen came home second with some good horses like the Marcel Weiß trained duo Lordano and Alleno and Schiergen's Narrativo helping to collect €486.175 in total to stay ahead of Liberty Racing 2022 who's main earners were the Derby winner Palladium and Argentum. 

The Derby winner was bred by Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof and they had another 35 wins throughout the season so with €875.597 they were the most successful breeders of 2024. Gestut Rottgen finished second with their Reliable Man filly Erle taking the Gr. I Henkel-Preis der Diana the German Oaks. Gestut Karlshof produced some nice horses like Straight, Three Havanas and Spanish Eyes and finished third in the statistiks. 

In the non profi categories, Romy van der Meulen from Holland. again took the trainers title with thirteen wins in front of Janina Boysen, who also had to settle for second spot behind Nina Baltromei in the amature Women's class. Baltromei though was one of the finds of season and rode a total of 19 winners including winning a listed two year old event on Lazio for trainer Waldemar Hickst. She's different class in the amature league and can hold her own against professionals. In a weaker division the mens amature title went to Kevin Braye with 3 winners with only one other rider winning more than one race.

So that leads us to our four legged friends. What was the best horse we have seen on α German Racecourse in 2024? The Derby, as so often mentioned, went to Palladium. The Gleneagles son was a 23/1 outsider when he took the Derby but was only seen once more on a German racecourse when finishing last of six in the Gr. I Preis von Europa. He was later sold at Arqana Arc Sale for a tidy 1.4 million Euro to Lady Bamford and will continue his career over jumps in England for trainer Nicky Henderson. Erle took the Gr I Preis der Diane, the German Oaks, for Gestut Rottgen to give trainer Maxim Pecheur a win at the highest level in his first season as trainer. The Gr. II Mehl Mulhens Rennen, the German 2000 Guineas, found its way to England and to the David Menusier stables when his New Bay colt Devils Point held off Penalty and Ghorgan in a thrilling finish of necks. The fillies equivalent also went to England. Trainer Karl Burke sending Darnation over to take the spoils under Adrie de Vries, and our St Leger again to England when the six year old Camelot gelding Prydwen held on by a short head under Callum Shepherd to deny Tres Rock Women. George Scott was the successful trainer, so from our five classics, three went to England but we did keep both the Group 1s here at home. 

German Group Is still attract some high established performers and it was no different this year. The Bayerische Zuchtrennen saw Calif for France beat Fantastic Moon and Westminster Moon in Munich while the Grosser Preis von Berlin saw Joseph O Brien send Al Riffa, a horse who had ran second to City of Troy in the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, from Ireland to beat Narrativo. In Baden Badens Grosser Preis, Fantastic Moon managed to keep the Gr. I at home when he got the better of Dubai Honour. 

Assistent put up a career best to beat the English pair Tiffany and Godolphins Ancient Wisdom in the Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern in November. For me though the best horse we saw on a German track in 2024 and even when he had to battle hard to beat Straight in Cologne was Godolphins Globetrotter Rebel's Romance. The six year old Dubawi gelding took out the Amir Trophy in Qatar, the Sheema Classic in Dubai, the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup as well as Germany's Preis von Europa and the Breeders Cup Turf. It was the  second time this horse had won our Gr 1 and went on to take the Breeders Cup, a feat he also  managed in 2022. 

So what does the future of German Racing look like ? 

German Racing is finding the going very hard at the moment. Racing in general has its topics like Animal Rights etc but Germany economically is in an unsound state like never before. One has to remember that whereas in Ireland, England, France, Australia, America and the Asian countries racing is still a big business and is lobbied for at Government level. In Germany on the other hand the racing although for the big players a business, it is still considered a rich man's hobby and gets no Government financial backing, no racing on TV though bookmakers and the Jockey Club use the Internet to show racing live .There is very little advertisements even bookmakers and betting is frowned upon. 

Football through betting platforms gets TV advertisement but Racing doesn't. When a country is unstable a hobby sport will be hardest hit. The basic sport is very poor and prize money at that level is terrible. New sponsors are becoming harder to encourage into the sport. At the sales you can really see whats happening, for the top quality horses of course there is money and there always will be, a lot of these horses though are finding their way to other lands. The middle market is fast non- existent and the lower graders you just cant sell them. Numbers in the breeding sheds, mares and foals have dropped again significantly and the entries for next years classics and top two year old races are at a low. It is becoming increasingly harder to stay in the game.

The one positive is the people still go racing and there are plenty of dieharts on the German Racing scene. So with this last positive statement I would like to wish everybody a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Shannon Spratter