Glorious Dortmund - English version
- Luis Kimmel
- 18. März
- 6 Min. Lesezeit
Germanys only active racecourse over the winter months is located in Dortmund-Wambel. The races in the winter are held on sand. After 10 racedays the season came to an end last Sunday. Reason enough to talk to Managing Director Oliver Sauer about the past few months.
Oliver Sauer has been Managing Director of Dortmund Racecourse since spring 2023. Following the death of Andreas Tiedke, the search was on for a suitable candidate to manage the only racecourse in Germany that is active in winter.
"Initially, Günther Gudert stepped in on an interim basis for six months. In spring 2023, Manfred Ostermann called me and asked if I was interested. We then met twice and discussed the whole thing and that's how it all came about," Sauer recalls.
"Everyone is more convinced of our product than we are ourselves"
Oliver Sauer's father Norbert trained at the racecourse in Dortmund for over 30 years. Oliver himself was amateur jockey champion three times. So Dortmund has always been very familiar to him. "Everything here is very concrete and cobblestone-heavy and functionally designed so that everything can be used in different ways. This may mean that it lacks character. But nevertheless, no matter who I spoke to, everyone thought it was a great area. It's always quite funny. Everyone is more convinced of our product than we are."
A lot has happened in Dortmund in recent years. Visitors, trainers, jockeys and owners are very satisfied with the conditions at Germany's only winter racecourse. "Of course, we always have lots of ideas. You also look abroad and ask yourself what you could adopt. The advantage here is that you can achieve a lot with just a few resources. The disadvantage, of course, is that there is a lot to do."
In addition to the feeling that Dortmund is moving in the right direction, there is of course always a look at the figures. Turnover and visitors are essential for every racecourse. After reaching a new attendance record of 20,000 spectators on the 2023 Sparkassen race day, 2024 also got off to a very strong start, according to Sauer. Last year, there were an estimated 15,000 visitors on the track on this race day. "Unfortunately, things didn't go so well towards the end of the year. We weren't as aggressive in our marketing and external communication, so we missed out on a lot," says Sauer, self-critically analyzing the past turf year.
The winter season, on the other hand, was, by all accounts, satisfactory. The race day on March 9 was the highlight so far. Around 4,000 visitors flocked to Dortmund-Wambel in perfect weather. "60% of them were at the flea market that was also held here, but I still see it as a joint event and there were far more visitors overall than we had here last year for the G3 Preis der Wirtschaft."
What is success?
Success has many faces. Is it the turnover, the number of visitors, the atmosphere on the course or the satisfaction of the athletes? For Managing Director Sauer, the question is quickly answered:
"The most important thing is a full track! Happy faces are the most important thing for me. People have to go home and say I had a cool day at the races. They have to go to work and say, we were at the racecourse yesterday and had a great day. So that you gradually build up the structure here and move forward again. In general, we want to improve from event to event."
But not only satisfied visitors are important. A lot has also been done for the owners, jockeys and trainers in the last 24 months or so. The fact that Blacktype horses such as BEST LIGHTNING (Sidestep), SHOOTOUT (Areion) or MAIGRET (Counterattack) come to Dortmund in winter is not a matter of course. A lot has been done on the sand track. Gestüt Röttgen was also be represented with a starter on the last sand track race day. WELTBESTE (Soldier Hollow), a sister of the Derby winners WINDSTOSS (Shirocco) and WELTSTAR (Soldier Hollow), ran last Sunday at Dortmund. Weltbeste has an OR of 96 and ran in both the Derby and the Oaks in 2024. Her trainer Maxim Pecheur also seems to be very happy with the situation in Dortmund. In the Sport-Welt podcast, he says that the sand track is reportedly in very good condition. He hears from all sides that the surface is much better than it was a few years ago.
But what exactly has been done?
"With the help of the Munich Racecourse, we were able to sieve the sand to remove larger impurities. After every raceday, we sweep the inner stones by hand so that the water can drain away. A long trench was once dug with the help of Mr. Miebach. Of course, it is extremely time-consuming to ensure that the water can drain away well everywhere at 1600 meters. Our tractor, for example, not only drove along the track in parallel, but also across it, creating grooves in the sand track so that the water can drain away. That always takes three days of work, which fortunately has shown its effect."
Hans-Hugo Miebach was Predsident of Dortmund Racecourse for 38 years and is the owner of Gestüt Wittekindshof, breeders of Hong Kong Superstar PAKISTAN STAR (Shamardal)!
"The feedback has always been very positive"
"It's incredible and phenomenal how positively and unanimously positive people are about everything we do here. Of course, we are extremely grateful that it is seen that way and that the effort we put in here is recognized."
In addition to measures on the racecourse, they have also come up with something for the owners. "As a small thank you, we have issued vouchers to our owners. We are of course aware that this is nothing earth-shattering and does not outweigh the costs, but the feedback has always been very positive. Many were very happy to receive vouchers that allowed them to eat for free or sit in the second terrace stand."
Luis Kimmel and Oliver Sauer agree on one thing. Social media plays an important role in racing. And while Kimmel is of the opinion that Dortmund has some of the best content in Germany, even without being a Group 1 track, Sauer still sees a lot of room for improvement.
"Our social media is actually still not optimal, as it is still too much made for racing and not for the city of Dortmund. Of course it's cool, but I have to reach the Dortmund residents at Borsigplatz and not the horse enthusiasts from Munich. That's why I think we still have some work to do. In a way, social media is also an incentive to change and improve things. We can only post things when we have something new and so we have to constantly think about what we can improve. That's how you try to keep turning and keep moving forward."
The Dortmund 2024/25 winter season ended with the race day on March 16, and now all eyes are on the four days of racing on grass. "We are gradually focusing completely on the turf season. We have to prepare everything and get it in shape so that it is at the right level to hold group races."
"We're not doing our homework well enough"
At the end of our interview, we asked Oliver Sauer what he would like to see in racing in Germany. And the answer was not so easy to find. "We're already on the right track. We are already becoming extremely professional. If you look at the individual tracks - Munich, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Baden-Baden, Hoppegarten - these are all tracks that are doing a great job and where things are really moving forward and there is a level of professionalism that hasn't been there for a long time. What we simply lack is great marketing."
When asked whether he would like to have a major regional sponsor that doesn't come from racing, Sauer gives a very positive answer: "It's our fault that we don't have such a sponsor. We're not doing our homework well enough. If the product is right, the demand will come. And that's where we are in the medium term. I'm convinced that our sport is cool enough to market. But you have to approach potential sponsors with a broad chest and say "this is what we can offer, how does it look?" We used to wait until sponsors came and I don't think it works like that anymore. Everyone I talk to is enthusiastic and much more enthusiastic about the sport than we are. You just have to be more aggressive going forward, that's perhaps what I would like to see.”
Four race days will be held on turf at Dortmund this year
29. May - Sparkassen Raceday - Grosser Preis der Sparkasse Dortmund (L)
22. June - G3 36. Preis der Wirtschaft
21. September - G3 WETTSTAR.de - 141. Deutsches St. Leger
11. October - BBAG-Auktionsrennen (auction race)
Click here for the social media channels of Dortmund Racecourse:
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