GaloppWeekly - March 4/25
- Luis Kimmel
- 26. März
- 4 Min. Lesezeit
What happened in the racing world last week? GaloppWeekly takes a look back on everything important happening in Germany and around the world!
At Düsseldorf on Turf
Düsseldorf opened the 2025 turf season with its annual raceday in partnership with the football club Fortuna Düsseldorf. It was already the 12th edition of this traditional race day. Some representatives of Fortuna Düsseldorf were also in attendance. Fortuna currently occupies eighth place in the second Bundesliga, just six points behind a direct promotion place. Klaus Allofs, ex German national player, has a strong connection with racing. He is a board member of Fortuna Düsseldorf and also the vice-president of Düsseldorf racecourse. As an owner his most famous racehorse was G1 POTEMKIN (New Approach).
The sporting highlight of the season opener was a class I handicap over 1400 metres. ThePreis der Fortuna ended with a victory for the six-year-old mare VINNARE (Es Que Love). Ridden by Martin Seidl, Vinnare pulled away decisively in the final straight and relegated the strong local hero AGGENSTEIN (Amaron) with champion Thore Hammer Hansen to second place. PACHARAN (Bated Breath), ridden by French rider Corentin Berge, finished third.
The most important race of the day for the future, however, was probably the second. The Rent4Event Cup was the first race for the 2022 crop on turf and ended with a commanding victory for STUGARDIA (Tai Chi). The filly, who was bred by Gestüt Karlshof, has entries for the G3 Karin Baronin von Ullmann - Schwarzgold-Rennen, the G2 105th German 1000 Guineas and the G1 167th Henkel-Preis der Diana - German Oaks. Third-placed QUERENCIA (Too Darn Hot) could also be a candidate for the 1000 Guineas. Second place on Sunday went to MEHMAS CHAMPION (Mehmas), who could start in the colt equivalent, the G2 Coolmore City Of Troy German 2000 Guineas.
Stugardia is owned by Rudolf and Cecilia Helber's Cometica AG. Earlier this month, we spoke to Cecilia Helber about the future of horse racing and classic hopes. You can find the full interview here:
The next race day at Düsseldorf is on 13 April. Then it's time the first German group race in 2025! Germany's best miler PENALTY (Frankel) could make his seasonal debut in the G3 Kalkmann-Frühjahrs-Meile.
Luis Kimmel: "Finally back on the turf and from now on you have to look closely again. One horse in particular caught my eye. NORDSTREAM (Reliable Man) ran for only the second time and that at the age of five. He last competed in October 2022. Back then, he finished sixth. If you take a closer look, you could debate whether this form was perhaps worth 80OR. The winner back then was LIPS FREEDOM (Free Eagle), later Listed winner and seventh in the G1 German Derby. Third was the later G1 German Oaks runner-up KASSADA (Sea The Moon). SOMMERSBY (Amaron) won two class 2 handicaps in 2024, the fifth-placed NACHTGEIST (Highland Reel) was third in the G2 Union-Rennen, now owned by Middleham Park Racing. And even BUFFALO (Pour Moi), who finished behind Nordstream, later achieved an rating of 75,5. Nordstream will certainly have had a break of almost three years for a reason, but I am confident that he will reach a rating of 75 in the medium term. A horse for every notebook.”
Entries closed for the Union-Rennen - Oleander-Rennen closes next Tuesday
Entries for two Group 2 races should’ve closed yesterday, Tuesday. The most important Derby trial, the G2 Sparkasse KölnBonn - 190th Union-Rennen and the G2 Oleander-Rennen. While the Union is closed, the Oleander-Rennen will probably remain open for another week. However, there have been no reports about this. Only the website of Deutscher Galopp now shows the new entry deadline, 01 April.
G2 Sparkasse KölnBonn - 190th Union-Rennen - 2200 metres - 09 June - Cologne
All roads lead to Hamburg. The most important stopover is the Union-Rennen. There were 38 entries in 2025, including the current Derby favourite LIFETIMES (Gleneagles). Peter Schiergen also entered PATH OF SOLDIER (Path Of Soldier), the half-brother of reigning Derby winner PALLADIUM (Gleneagles) and five other Derby contenders. Liberty Racing has the most irons in the fire. Eight horses have been entered. Only ZAUBERKÖNIG (Teofilo) has been seen at the start so far. Four entries came from abroad, all of them from France. Francis-Henri Graffard entered two Aga Khan colts and CHAUNCEY GARDINIER (Sottsass). Christophe Ferland entered the second of the G3 WETTSTAR.DE - Preis des Winterfavoriten THINK GIANT (Lope De Vega) for Eckhard Sauren.
The Union winner went on to win the G1 German Derby six times this millennium. Most recently SAMMARCO (Camelot) in 2022.
25.000 times Yutaka Take
The Japan legend has been in the saddle since 1987. On Saturday, he rode his 25,000th race on a JRA racecourse - a record!
Take won at least one Group 1 race every year for 23 years until 2010 and has also won at least one Blacktype race every year for 36 consecutive years. He has won the G1 Japan Cup five times so far. Most recently with DO DEUCE (Heart's Cry) last year. In 2005, he won the Japanese Triple Crown with DEEP IMPACT (Sunday Silence). Yutaka Take has also won the Jockey Championship a whopping 18 times!
In addition to the 25,000 JRA rides, there are of course several rides abroad. Take was successful twice in Germany. In 1998 he won a Listed race at Baden-Baden on MANGUSTA (Shareef Dancer) and in 2002 a maiden race for Wilfried Kujath at Frankfurt.
Yutaka Take turned 56 on 15 March.
Germany's most successful jockey of all time Andrasch Starke is five years younger. According to the Deutscher Galopp database, Starke has 14,676 rides in Germany to date. He is currently riding in Japan and is looking for his 100th JRA win.
That's it for GaloppWeekly – but it'll be back next week!
Until then, you can take a look at our latest interview. We talked to Oliver Sauer, the managing director of Dortmund racecourse. The conversation covered happy faces, water, social media and wishes.
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