THE Group 1 Deutsches Derby at Hamburg in July was won in the last strides by a neck by Palladium, an outsider ridden by Thore Hammer Hansen and trained by Henk Grewe. Ridden over three furlongs out, he crossed to the nearside rail entering the straight, driven and kept on well in the final furlong to beat his rivals on the far rail.

The son of Gleneagles ran just once more, sixth of six in the Group 1 Mehl-Mulhens-Stiftung - 62nd Preis von Europa behind Rebel’s Romance and was later bought for €1,400,000 by Nicky Henderson at the Arqana Arc sale.

The Group 1 Preis der Diana at Dusseldorf in August was won by Erle, ridden by Martin Seidl and trained by Maxim Pecheur. A daughter of 2011 Prix du Jockey Club winner Reliable Man, she made all and kept on strongly to finish a length to the good over outsider Spanish Eyes.

Away from the classics, the four older Group 1s run in Germany went to a variety of nationalites. One Irish, one British and one French, before Fantastic Moon and Assistant held fast for the home team.

In July’s Group 1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis, Munich it was the French-trained, German-bred Calif who won by a length from the favourite Fantastic Moon. Ridden by Adrie de Vries, the Lerner-trained led over a furlong out, drawing clear towards the finish.

Irish eyes

Into August and it was Irish eyes smiling after the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten, when Dylan Browne McMonagle partnered the Joseph O’Brien-trained Eclipse runner-up Al Riffa to run out an impressive winner. The son of Wootton Bassett beat the three-year-old Narrativo by five lengths.

The Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden at Baden Baden saw Germany’s best colt Fantastic Moon get on the Group 1 scoreboard again when Rene Piechulek partnered the four-year-old to hold off William Haggas’ international traveller Dubai Honour to give trainer Sarah Steinberg another big win, with Narrativo back in third.

In September Rebel’s Romance won the Group 1 Preis von Europa for the second time. Sent off the odds-on favourite, William Buick’s mount challenged inside the final furlong, and just held on by a neck from Straight.

British raiders went close again in the final Group 1 of the season in the November Grosser Preis von Bayern, in Munich

Thore Hammer Hansen and Henk Grewe struck again with Assistent who ran on strongly inside the final furlong, to lead close home to just touch off the British raider Tiffany, trained by Sir Mark Prescott with Charlie Appleby’s Ancient Wisdom back in third.