It‘s already Derby time? - Derby Dozen I
- Luis Kimmel
- 30. März
- 13 Min. Lesezeit
Aktualisiert: 30. März
In the Derby Dozen section, we look ahead to the G1 IDEE 156th German Derby on 6 July at Hamburg. There are currently 75 colts and fillies entered for the Derby.
We have taken a closer look at all the candidates and compiled a power ranking. Only the pure ability of the horses was assessed. The probability of whether they will actually compete at Hamburg was not taken into account! The German Derby runs over 2400 metres and therefore not only the basic talent was assessed, but also how suitable the Derby distance could be in the end. In short, we are looking for the best stayer.
In the Derby Dozen we present the current top 12 - all of course a subjective opinion, which may change frequently in the coming months. Only the horses that have already debuted have been rated. At the end there is a small overview of interesting candidates whose debut is still pending.
1 - TENNESSEE STUD
Wootton Bassett x In My Dreams (Sadler's Wells)
Owner: Coolmore & Westerberg
Trainer: Joseph O'Brien
Breeder: Ann Marie O'Brien
Odds: 250:10
OR: 110
Tennessee Stud is the only group 1 winner on the entry list for the Derby. Do we think he will actually start at Hamburg? Absolutely not. But as we said, that's not what the Derby dozen is about. We are only looking at the talent on show, and Tennessee Stud obviously has plenty of that. The Wootton Bassett son comfortably broke his maiden at his second time out in Tipperary with a 2 1/4-length victory over SHACKLETON (Camelot), who later finished in a group 3 race. Despite his group 1 victory in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Tennessee Stud's career best performance was probably in the G2 Beresford Stakes, when he finished second behind HOTAZHELL (Too Darn Hot), who also went on to win at group 1 level.
The Criterium de Saint-Cloud should be treated with a little caution, as only three horses took part. In the end, it was a race between Tennessee Stud and GREEN STORM (Circus Maximus), with the former still able to pick up the pace in the distance. The Criterium was run over 2000 metres and therefore the Derby distance of 2400 metres should not be a problem for Joseph O'Brien's charge.
As expected, the G1 Epsom Derby is the big goal for Tennessee Stud. This was confirmed by Joseph O'Brien's racing manager Kevin Blake when asked by GaloppDaily.
2 - LAZY GRIFF
Protectionist x Linarda (Rock Of Gibraltar)
Owner: Middleham Park Racing & G. Griffiths
Trainer: Charlie Johnston
Breeder: Gestüt Westerberg
Odds: 500:10
Sold at the BBAG-Jährlingsauktion: 75.000€
OR: 101
Lazy Griff would not be competing for a German owner, but at least for a German breeder at Hamburg. Gestüt Westerberg sold the full brother of the former derby hopeful LAMBO to Middleham Park Racing. Lambo surprisingly won the G3 Pferdewetten.de Bavarian Classic in 2021 and then placed in a group 2 race in France.
Lazy Griff has already had five runs as a two-year-old and is the best two-year-old of his sire PROTECTIONIST (Monsun) so far. He lost his maiden at the third start in a small race at Beverley. He already showed a good performance in his debut with a second place. The winner WOLF OF BADENOCH (Pinatubo) placed in the G2 Vintage Stakes in the following start and was entered for the G2 Coolmore City Of Troy German 2000 Guineas. Lazy Griff grabbed his first black type in a €120,000 listed race at Deauville. The son of Protectionist fought his way to third place in the last few metres. SILIUS (Dubawi) came in fourth. Silius has now won twice it Cagnes Sur Mer in 2025, including the Prix de la Californie (L) by 3 1/2 lengths. The winner from Deauville, APPLES AND BANANAS (Wootton Bassett), then placed at group 1 level.
Lazy Griff became a group winner on 21 September at Chantilly. In the 1800-metre G3 Prix de Conde, he dictated the pace for a long time and ultimately won by a comfortable margin from start to finish. Runner-up GEZORA (Almanzor) went on to win the G3 Prix de Reservoirs.
In an interview, trainer Charlie Johnston described Lazy Griff as one of his three-year-olds with real Group 1 ambitions. A planned start in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud could not be realised due to a minor injury. Whether he will actually show up at Hamburg at the end is, of course, questionable. The son of Germany's only G1 Melbourne Cup winner will not be lacking in stamina. Lazy Griff has also been entered for the G1 Epsom Derby, the G1 Irish Derby and the G1 Grand Prix de Paris. He is scheduled to start the season in the G3 Chester Vase at the beginning of May.
3 - NEW GROUND
Owner: Juddmonte
Trainer: Henri-Francois Devin
Breeder: Juddmonte
New Bay x Gaining (American Post)
Odds: 500:10
OR: -
New Ground is next on the first Derby dozen list and also the next foreign representative. After two starts at Saint-Cloud and Chantilly, the New Bay son is still unbeaten. The G1 Prix du Jockey Club will probably be New Ground's number one goal. Since he has also been entered for the 2400-metre G1 Grand Prix de Paris, there is no doubt about his stamina.
New Ground's debut was in a 2000-metre race, and he won by a margin of 5 1/2 lengths. The next race, over 200 metres less, was not exactly easy either, but the style was still pleasing. Time and again, he fought his way back on the home straight and thus kept his white vest.
Even though New Ground's opponents so far have not really been able to attract attention in retrospect, the Juddmonte colt should have a lot of talent. Based on the breeder/owner alone, it can be assumed that New Ground could improve even more this year.
4 - LIFETIMES
Owner: Stall Hanse
Trainer: Peter Schiergen
Breeder: Stiftung Gestüt Fährhof
Gleneagles x La Petite Virginia (Königstiger)
Odds: 150:10
Sold at the BBAG-Jährlingsauktion: 85.000€
OR: 108
Lifetimes is the first German representative on our list. The champion two-year-old (together with LAZIO) already has a OR of 108. The Stall Hanse representative remained unbeaten in two starts last year. He made a brilliant debut at Dortmund, winning by ten lengths under Bauyrzhan Murzabayev. He probably didn't face the best opponents that day, even though second-placed BRIGHT SMILES (Kodi Bear) won at his next start at Leipzig.
In 2023, Peter Schiergen and Stall Hanse provided the winner of Germanys most important race for two year olds. That year, GEOGRAPHY (Holy Roman Emperor) won the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten. However, Geography's stamina meant that he was never really considered for the Derby. That now looks quite different with Lifetimes. His half-sister LA PETITE COCO (Ruler Of The World) won the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes over 2000 metres in Ireland in 2022 and was placed at the highest level again over 2400 metres the following year. Only the later Arc winner ALPINISTA (Frankel) and the winner of the G1 Epsom Oaks TUESDAY (Galileo) were ahead of her. Lifetimes is bred like a champion and his father GLENEAGLES (Galileo) produced, not to forget, the winner of the German Derby in 2024. Lifetimes has done nothing wrong in his career so far and, with SERIENADLER (Gleneagles), convincingly beat another good German contender for the Derby in the G3 WETTSTAR.de - Preis des Winterfavoriten. Second was THINK GIANT (Lope De Vega), trained by Christophe Ferland for Eckhard Sauren, who brought good form from France, which should give Lifetime's performance from Cologne some international value. Of the German representatives, Lifetime's has been the best so far.
5 - SOME PERFORMANCE
Oscar Performance x Princely Sum (Lemon Drop Kid)
Owner: Fergus Galvin
Trainer: Jessica Harrington
Breeder: Jory Sherman & Don Blowe
Odds: 800:10
OR: 85
Some Performance is the first maiden in the ranking. The son of OSCAR PERFORMANCE (Kitten's Joy) is trained in Ireland, which of course makes a start in the German Derby rather unlikely. It is striking, however, that Some Performance was not entered for either the English or the Irish Derby. He seems to be intended only for the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. His father won several group 1 races on turf in the USA. Among others, he was successful in the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, the G1 Belmont Derby, the G1 Secretariat Stakes and the G1 Woodbine Mile. In 2025, he stands at $45,000 at Mill Ridge Farm. So now his son Some Performance is supposed to win ‘our’ Derby? Not impossible, given his form. Although he has not yet placed in two starts, coming in fourth twice, he has already faced opponents that he would certainly not have met in Germany in terms of class. Right from his debut, Some Performance ran a decent race and was only a 3/4 length behind the winner EXPANDED (Wootton Bassett) at the end. Expanded was subsequently placed in Group 1 and is currently 13/1 for the English Derby. Jessica Harrington's charge should improve further in 2025 and will certainly be able to compete at group level. For a place in the top 5, it was enough here.
6 - RAFALE DESIGN
Starspangledbanner x Fashion Design (Montjeu)
Owner: Laurent Dassault u.a.
Trainer: Yann Barberot
Breeder: Newstead Breeding
Odds: 600:10
OR: 102
And we continue in France with the Starspangledbanner son Rafale Design from the stable of Yann Barberot. Barberot won the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden in 2023 with ZAGREY (Zarak) and is therefore no stranger to Germany. Rafale Design was unable to achieve anything in his debut, finishing sixth out of seven starters in a maiden race. But he showed that he is a very fine racehorse after that, on the PSF track at Deauville. First, on 3 November, he broke his maiden against the Godolphin representative STARLORD (Too Darn Hot). This horse had also come in second behind Eckhard Sauren's Think Giant. Rafale Design beat Starlord by 1 1/2 lengths, with Think Giant coming in 3/4 of a length ahead of the Godolphin colt. He also performed well in comparison with Germany's top horse, Lifetimes.
Three weeks later, Rafale Design won by three lengths over 1900 metres in the style of a better horse. He extended his lead at the finish by 7 1/2 lengths. Even though his sire only raced over short distances, we would expect Rafale Design to be right up there at Hamburg at the moment. With STATE OF REST, Starspangledbanner has already produced a group 1 winner over 2100 metres. Rafale Design has won twice over 1900 metres and looked as though he would be able to handle a slightly longer distance. In addition to aan entry for the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, he was also entered for the G1 Grand Prix de Paris, which is run over 2400 metres.
7 - DRIVERS SEAT
Sea The Stars x Loveheart (Dubawi)
Owner: Ullmann Brothers
Trainer: Jospeh O'Brien
Breeder: Lordship Stud & Sunderland Holding
Odds: 500:10
Sold at the BBAG-Jährlingsauktion: 80.000€
OR: 79
Now it's getting really exciting. A 79OR horse in the top 7. Drivers Seat is owned by the von Ullmann brothers and, surprisingly, has not been entered for the G1 Epsom Derby or the G1 Irish Derby. So only Hamburg? Of the foreign-trained gallopers mentioned so far, Drivers Seat is probably the most realistic candidate for Hamburg due to his owners. When asked, Kevin Blake commented: ‘He will be running in handicaps and should continue to improve.’ On paper, he has so far only an OR of 79, but if you look at his opponents so far, you quickly realise that Drivers Seat should have quite a bit of talent. He has not yet won any of his three starts, but let's take a closer look at his races. In his debut, he came in fifth. He was 2 1/2 lengths behind SWAGMAN (Wootton Bassett), who went on to finish second in a group 3 race. Drivers Seat was 6 3/4 lengths behind the winner, but the winner was the subsequent group 1 winner Hotazhell, who now has an OR of 117! In his second start, Drivers Seat finished third. The fourth-placed TRINITY COLLEGE (Dubawi) received a new OR of 105 for his victory at Naas last week and was placed on group level as a two-year-old. The winner HILL ROAD (Quality Road) then placed in the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile.
In short, it is hard to imagine that Drivers Seat would've been winless in Germany. We don't need to talk about the quality of his sire. Joseph O'Brien knows how to a Group 1 race in Germany since last year, as knows the von Ullmann family.
8 - THINK GIANT
Lope De Vega x Think Of Me (So You Think)
Owner: Eckhard Sauren
Trainer: Christophe Ferland
Breeder: Clear Light SAS
Odds: 350:10
OR: 106kg
Think Giant is of course the second from the most important German race for two-year-olds to be on the list. His father LOPE DE VEGA (Shamardal) is beyond reproach and his dam was a stayer through and through. She competed at group and listes level, sometimes over distances of over 3000 metres. In France and Germany, Think Giant came across very decent horses in the aforementioned Lifetimes and Starlord. We expect that the German Derby is a realistic goal for the Sauren colt. Before that, however, he could also go for his French counterpart, for which he was also entered. He should not fail in terms of stamina and as a son of Lope De Vega, he could develop into an even better three-year-old in 2025.
9 - PATH OF SOLDIER
Soldier Hollow x Path Wind (Anabaa)
Owner: Gestüt Park Wiedingen
Trainer: Peter Schiergen
Breeder: Stiftung Gestüt Fährhof
Odds: 200:10
Sold at the BBAG-Jährlingsauktion: 64.000€
OR: 78
The brother of the reigning Derby winner PALLADIUM (Gleneagles) is ranked ninth on our list. Path Of Soldier has been to the track twice so far and, unlike his famous half-brother, he has already won as a two-year-old. He made his debut in what was perhaps the best-filled maiden race of last year at Düsseldorf. Starting as 2.6 favourite, he finished a respectable third behind the surprise winner and subsequent group 2 winner LAZIO (Make Believe) and ORIENTAL STAR (Reliable Man). Oriental Star starts his season at Cologne today. Then at the latest, we will know what Path Of Soldier's debut was really worth. The Soldier Hollow son was able to successfully complete his second start. Again starting as the favourite, he again came to the finish line in Düsseldorf over 1600 metres as the favourite and comfortably beat the subsequent BBAG auction race winner VALERINA (Best Solution).
Path Of Soldier seems to have been blessed with enough talent to finish well at Hamburg. SOLDIER HOLLOW (In The Wings) already provided a winner of the German Derby with PASTORIUS. Peter Schiergen should be well equipped for the German Derby with Lifetimes and Path Of Soldier.
10 - SERIENADLER
Gleneagles x Serienheilige (Holy Roman Emperor)
Owner: Michael Wachowitz
Trainer: Marcel Weiß
Breeder: Gestüt Wittekindshof
Odds: 260:10
OR: 101
With huge speed, Serienadler flew in for his debut at Cologne in September. At that time, under René Piechulek, he caught the later placed DELGARDO (Best Solution) on the line and made a splash right at the beginning of his career. Even before this start, Serienadler had a good reputation in Marcel Weiß's yard. He made his next start in the already mentioned G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten. Although he didn't have much to do with the victory there, he still ran a very good race behind two more than decent horses.
Serienadler is the first foal of a mare from a successful Wittekindshofer line. His second dam SALDENEHRE (Highest Honor) was fifth in the 2003 German Oaks. Other members of his extended family include the Group 1-placed SALTAS (Lomitas) and SALDENTIGERIN (Tiger Hill). As already mentioned, his father Gleneagles is responsible for the current Derby winner Palladium. A glance at his pedigree suggests that Serienadler should have no problem covering the required Derby distance. As a two-year-old, he has so far competed in two 1600-metre races.
11 - DELGARDO
Best Solution x Delegation (Mount Nelson)
Owner: Stall Bergholz
Trainer: Andreas Wöhler
Breeder: Barbara Holubova
Odds: 250:10
Sold at the BBAG-Jährlingsauktion: 43.000€
OR: 102
How good Delgardo is may be revealed as early as today at Cologne. It was at Cologne that the Andreas Wöhler-trained colt first competed as a two-year-old. At the time, he looked set to win for sure before being overtaken by Serienadler on the line. It was a debut that could be built on. And so it proved. In the next race, the Best Solution son competed in a 2000-metre Listed race at Hannover. Six horses started, but in the end it was a ‘two horse show’ between Delgardo and the Liberty Racing horse NEW ENGLAND (Brametot). The two gave each other nothing away and pulled out a full 14 lengths over third-place WALKOVER (Lord Of England). Delgardo had to admit defeat to New England, but he also showed on this day that he is a true stayer. Whether it is enough for a derby victory is of course difficult to say, but it is very possible that Delgardo could become the first group winner for his sire. In the current betting market for the derby, Delgardo is currently among the second favourites. A victory today at Cologne is therefore almost a must.
12 - LAZIO
Make Believe x La Caldera (Hernando)
Owner: Stall Lucky Owner
Trainer: Waldemar Hickst
Breedser: Roland Lerner
Odds: 250:10
Sold at the BBAG-Jährlingsauktion: 30.000€
OR: 108
Like Lifetimes, Lazio can also call himself ‘Champion Two-Year-Old in Germany’. He also came in with an OR of 108 in 2024. However, he is ten places behind Lifetimes in our list. Why? Lazio can be judged by two standards - his performance in Germany and his group 2 victory in Italy. In Germany, he surprised as the longest outsider in his debut against the good Oriental Star and the already mentioned Path Of Soldier. In his second start in Germany, he again came from last place and secured a Listed race over 1600 metres just ahead of NAME LORD (Lord Of England). Despite the listed status, it was certainly the worse form if you look at the rest of the field. Based purely on the German forms, a 108 for Lazio could not be justified. But there is still his impressive group victory from Milan. He broke away by a proud eight lengths in the G2 Gran Criterium. In our opinion, however, even this performance was weaker than his debut form. The runner-up in Milan placed in the next race at Group 3 level, but was 9 1/2 lengths behind the winner this time. The rest of the field does not appear to have been the crème de la crème either. None of the ten opponents has yet achieved an OR of 100 or higher. This year, the Gran Criterium was downgraded to Group 3 level by the European Pattern Committee.
And so we are sceptical as to whether Lazio could keep up with the previously named German representatives over 2400 metres.
Interesting candidates for the derby, whose debut is still pending:
AMICO (Camelot) - Son of group 3 winner ANNA KATHARINA (Kallisto)
AQUAMAN (Cracksman) - The new number one for Liberty Racing?
ARELLA (Reliable Man) - Half-sister to the dam of ASSISTENT (Sea The Moon)
DI MAGGIO (Teofilo) - Own-brother to group 1 winner DONJAH
ISMAHANE (Isfahan) - Own-sister to G1 German Oaks second ISFAHANI
ROSENFLÜGEL (Wings Of Eagles) - Son of German Oaks winner ROSENREIHE (Cather In The Rye)
SCHIERGEN (Brametot) - Half-brother to group 2 winner STRAIGHT (Zarak)
SEA THE MAN (Sea The Stars) - Own-brother to German Derby winner SEA THE MOON
ZUCKERHUT (Almanzor) - Son of the German Oaks runner-up and group 2 winner ZAMRUD (Samum)
That should be it, the first Derby dozen. As I said, of course, all subjective opinion.
Who is your derby favourite? Let us know on Instagram or Facebook or here in the comments!
The next edition of the Derby dozen will be after the G3 Bavarian Classic at the beginning of May.
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