The English page - The last "Grand Prix"

Last WeekendsMunich race programme included the running of the last Group I race in Europe this year. The Grosser Allianz Preis von Bayern, one of Germanys late turf seasons highlights over the 2400 meters distance, was disappointingly contested by only four horses. With rain in the area the days before the event and the forecasted soft ground, the Godolphin English challenger Rebels Romance was withdrawn.

The German filly India (Adlerflug) was sent off favorite here, having won the Group I, 61. Preis von Europe over the trip in Cologne on her last start. From opening of the startboxes one could see this would become a very tactical race. No runner wanted to make the running and the four contenders crawled up the straight first time to the winning post in a hack canter till jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev on French challenger Junko (Intello) in the Wertheimer Brothers colors decided enough was enough and took up the running and although he kept the pace extremely slow, he built it up to his liking to go pillar to post for a decisive 3 length victory over Assistent (Sea the Moon) with India 2 ½ lengths back in third and Best of Lips trailing in last of four. On all counts though it was a disappointing Group I race albeit take nothing from the winning performance.

On the same card Murzabayev showed just how good he is here in Germany taking the 52.000€ added Wettstar.de-BBAG Auction race on Va Bene (Amaron) for Stall Unikat and the Roland Dzubasz Hoppegarten stable. The 2-year-old Gelding ran out a ½ length winner from the two Markus Klug runners Koelle (Make Believe) and Backes (Millowitsch) both in the colors of owners Holger Renz.

Looking forward to this week and we have the Group III Herzog von Ratibor race in Krefeld. Run over the 1700 meters (1m ½ f) it has attracted six runners with Like Magic (Magician) a comfortable winner of his Maiden over a mile in Duesseldorf on debut, being supplemented. Peter Schiergen is responsible for three of the six runners with stable Jockey Rene Piechulek opting for the Eckard Sauren owned Shootout (Areion) over. Novemberrose (Camelot) now with jockey Wladimir Panov and Flamingo Moon (Sea the Moon), jockey Martin Seidl will ride. All three are previous winners with Shootout and Flamingo Moon winning on debut. Wonderful Boy (Sea the Moon) will have Andrasch Starke to help his cause and the field is made up of Thekingofmyheart (Magna Grecia) for Mario Hofer. Thekingofmyheart off a mark of 85.5 GAG is the highest rated and has the most experience this being his fifth start to date.Will we see something for next years Derby, Pastorius won this for the Hofer stable back in 2011 and went on to take the next year´s Derby. It´s all about Dreams!

Shannon Spratter