The English page - Small programm in Dortmund

With this being the first issue of the New Year, I would like to start off by wishing all our readers a happy and prosperous 2024. One of the unfinished pieces of the 2023 race season, was the trainers championship which went down to the last day's racing in Dortmund on the 30th of December. It was very quickly decided though as Peter Schiergen who had a three-win lead over nearest rival Henk Grewe, produced the first winner on the card. Schael (Isfahan) ran out a very very easy 10 length winner in the hands of apprentice Shuichi Terachi, giving Schiergen his 7th German Trainers title. The 2024 racing got underway on the 8th of January in Dortmund. The first winner of the new season was Bavaria (Kingsman) who battled hard to win by a head. Erika Mäder was the successful trainer and Thore Hammer Hansen rode her to victory.

This weekend will see the next winter meeting take place but its only small handicaps which at least keeps the show on the road and gives the smaller trainers a chance of a winner or two before the grass season begins. The Dortmund dirt track will also be used by Peter Schiergen and Christian Von der Recke to keep their St. Moritz horses fit. The snow racing in Engadin kicks off on the 4th of February with the Grand Prix on Sunday 18th. This unique event is always on the calendar of the above-mentioned trainers.

From the very cold climates in St. Moritz other German trainers have preferred to sent teams to the meeting on the cote d`Azur. Stefan Richter will have the biggest team there and has successfully started the meeting when winning a 22,000€ added handicap with Flamingo Hollow (Soldier Hollow) for owner Stall Quattro Canaletto. Other trainers stationed in Cagnes are Hans Blume, Peter Schiergen, Michael Figge and the Weißmeier brothers. Not only German trainers though, our jockeys are also flying the flag abroad.

Rene Piechulek joined Richard Kingscote, Luke Morris, Aurelian Lemaitre and Rachel King as guest jockeys in Japan and rode his first winner on Roselle in Nakayama. Bauyrzhan Murzabayev had a decent spell there also up to the New Year. Actually in 2023 he rode 25 winners in Japan, Adrie de Vries sits in 5th place in the jockey statistic in the Emirates with 11 winners to date. Leading jockey there is young Conor Beasley with 28 Winners to his credit. Martin Seidl had a spell in Bahrain where he rode a winner.

Some other interesting news, the good German filly Muskoka (Sea The Moon - Morning Mist) has ended her racing career. Her owner Yueshang Zhang has sent the German Oaks winner back to England where she will have a date with star stallion Frankel as a first partner. Muskoka won 4 races for owners Stall Golden Goal in 2023, aside from the Oaks she was also successful in the Bruemmerhof Stuten Meile (1600m) Group 3 in Hamburg and the Henkel - Stutenpreis Listed race in Dusseldorf. She was sold on to her present owner for 1.3 million Euro at the 2023 Arc Sale and stayed in training by Henk Grewe. She was bred by Antje and Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten.

Shannon Spratter