Germany
MERCEDES-BENZ GROSSER PREIS VON BADEN
(250,000 Euros) Baden-Baden G1 1½m 3-y-o and upwards
Historic middle-distance race, run in 2002 for the 130th time and won by Godolphin's Marienbard, who went on to land the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Godolphin's Mamool followed in Marienbard's footsteps in 2003. Warrsan gained his third Group One triumph for owner-breeder Saeed Manana when winning the 2004 event. He also provided Australian jockey Kerrin McEvoy with his first European Group One success. It was a repeat performance in 2005 when the Australian jockey teamed up again with Warrsan to win by a length and a quarter for Newmarket trainer Clive Brittain. Prince Flori was the surprise winner of the 2006 renewal. Trained by Sascha Smrczek, the three-year-old Lando colt ridden by Filip Minarik burst through the field over a furlong out to win easily by three lengths. The 2007 renewal saw Quijano, trained by Peter Schiergen and ridden by Andrasch Starke, get the better of Adlerflug in an all out battle to the wire inside the final furlong. The five-year-old gelding dug deep to win by a neck. A year later Adlerflug was again caught up in a fight to the line as Kamsin, trained by Peter Schiergen, pulled away from his rival inside the final furlong to win by a comfortable two and a half lengths. The 2009 renewal saw Getaway run out the decisive winner. Trained by Jens Hirschberger, the six-year-old horse took over the lead more than a furlong out, lengthening nicely all the way to line under Adrie de Vries, to win in style by three lengths. In 2010, Night Magic, the only filly in seven-runner field, left the boys behind her when she ran home with one and three quarters length to spare at the line. It was the second Group 1 win for Night Magic, following her victory in the German Oaks in 2009.
DEUTSCHES DERBY
(500,000 Euros) Hamburg G1 1½m 3-y-o
Germany's leading race and the target for the country's top three-year-olds. Winners include Samum (2000), Boreal (2001), Next Desert (2002) and Dai Jin (2003). In 2004, Shirocco gave trainer Andreas Schutz his fifth success in this Classic. A year later, veteran German trainer Horst Steinmetz saddled his first Group One winner at the age of 72 when Nicaron obliged under jockey Davy Bonilla. While in 2006, Schiaparelli scored for trainer Peter Schiergen and owner Franz Gunther von Gaertner under an excellent ride from Andrasch Starke. The Monsun colt quickly shook off the attentions of a fast-finishing Dickens to win by three quarters of a length. A year later, Adlerflug claimed the valuable prize for trainer Jens Hirschberger. Ridden by Fredrik Johansson, the In The Wings colt left his rivals for dead when skipping to an impressive seven-length victory from Antex. Peter Schiergen and Andrasch Starke were back in the winner’s enclosure in 2008, this time with Kamsin. The son of the 2000 winner, Samum, Kamsin led the field after three furlongs and went on to record a three-length victory over stablemate Ostland. Wiener Walzer’s win in the 2009 event gave the Gestut Schlenderhan stud farm their 18th success in the race. Ridden by Fredrik Johansson and trained by Jens Hirschbergers, the Dynaformer colt battled on to score by one and a quarter lengths from Sordino. A determined Buzzword captured the 2010 event by one and a quarter lengths for Godolphin’s first-season trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni. Royston Ffrench produced the Pivotal colt with a powerful challenge in the straight to reel in leading domestic hope Zazou. Buzzword became the first overseas winner of the Deutsches Derby since the race was first opened to foreign competition in 1993.
DEUTSCHLAND PREIS - GROSSER HANSA PREIS
(155,000 Euros) Dusseldorf G1 1½m 3-y-o and upwards
Another German contest picked up by Godolphin's Marienbard in 2002 and won two years earlier by the Godolphin horse Mutafaweq, who went on to win the Canadian International Stakes. Albanova trained by Sir Mark Prescott was successful in 2004 for her owner-breeder Kirsten Rausing. Gonbarda made the most of her 19lbs weight allowance to land the 2005 race for trainer Uwe Ostmann. While in 2006, Donaldson scored an all the way win for trainer Peter Rau and jockey Tursten Mundry. Mundry set a steady pace but quickened up in the straight to win by three quarters of a length. Schiaparelli, 2006 Deutsches Derby winner, returned to Group One success when winning the 2007 event after an all out battle to the wire with race favourite Conillon, ridden by Ted Durcan. The son of Monsun was given a strong ride by regular jockey Andrasch Starke to claim the race by a nose. It was an all the way success for Adlerflug in the 2008 renewal. Ridden by Fredrik Johansson for trainer Jens Hirschberger, the four-year-old colt pulled away to easily defeat his rivals by an impressive seven lengths. Getaway’s victory in 2009 enabled trainer Jens Hirschberger to return to the winner’s enclosure for the second consecutive year. Ridden by Stephen Hellyn, the six-year-old horse was always up close to the leaders but when asked he ran on readily to score by three quarters of a length.
IVG - PREIS VON EUROPA
(155,000 Euros) Cologne G1 1½m 3-y-o and upwards
First staged in 1963, and one of the country's richest races, the Preis Von Europa was won three times by the Russian champion Anilin. Monsun won in consecutive years in 1993 and 1994 while Godolphin's Kutub and Mamool were successful in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Albanova won the 2004 event completing a hat-trick of German Group One victories for trainer Sir Mark Prescott. Gonbarda, runner-up to Warrsan in the Preis Von Baden in early September, got up in the last few strides to beat Simonas by a head in the 2005 renewal. In 2006, Kieren Fallon delivered Mick Channon's Youmzain with a perfectly timed late run up the inside to win the valuable prize by half a length from Martin Dwyer on board Egerton. The 2007 renewal went to Schiaparelli, trained by Peter Schiergen and ridden by Andrasch Starke. The four-year-old son of Monsun took command of the 12-furlong event with a furlong to run and ran on gamely to hold off a fast finishing Poseidon Adventure by three quarters of a length. Poseidon Adventure had to settle for second place again in 2008 as Baila Me, trained by Werner Baltromei, won the battle to the line by a head under Dominique Boeuf and in doing so landed her first win at the highest level. In a thrilling renewal of the 2009 event Jukebox Jury, trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by Royston Ffrench, hung on a by a nose to beat Godolphin’s Eastern Anthem by the shortest of margins.