Grosser Preis von Bayern (Group 1)

LAST Sunday’s Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich over 2,400 metres was the final European Group 1 of the year and in line with this crazy season ended with the victory of 22/1 outsider Sunny Queen, a three-year-old filly trained by Henk Grewe and ridden by René Piechulek.

She is a daughter of Coolmore’s Camelot and was a €35,000 BBAG yearling, and in retrospect a bargain at that price, especially considering her pedigree. She was bred by Anahita Stables, i.e. Dr. Stefan Oschmann who races under the Darius Racing nom de course.

Henk Grewe is by now well stablished in the front rank of German trainers. He was leading trainer here last year for the first time and is certain to repeat that feat this year, as he is well clear of his rivals, both by prize money and number of races won. This past weekend was certainly one of his best ever, as he was firing on all fronts in three different countries.

On Saturday, he sent out Sir Polski to win the St Leger Italiano in Milan, on Sunday he had another group race winner in Italy when Darius Racing’s homebred two-year-old Isfahani won the Premio Guido Berardelli on her debut in Rome – rather luckily, as she passed the post in second place only to be awarded the race as the winner had hampered the third horse home.

Main support

He also had two winners in France, and in Munich he won the main supporting feature as well, a valuable sales race, with 16/1 shot Surin Beach.

In both that race and the Group 1, Grewe saddled three runners and in each case won with the “wrong one,” but he is not complaining.

For jockey René Piechulek however, it was a first ever victory at the top level. He is based in Munich as stable jockey for top local trainer Sarah Steinberg, also his partner in private life.

The ground was much softer than expected and quite testing, but that did not prevent Tabera, the other three-year-old filly in the field, haring off at top speed, closely pursued by Manuela De Vega, one of two Ralph Beckett entries.

The pair were fully 10 lengths clear down the far side, but were soon beaten once the straight was reached.

William Buick, on Godolphin hope Secret Adviser was the first to make a move, taking the lead on the inside, while the favourite Torquator Tasso was charging down the centre of the track, and Grewe’s other runners Dicaprio and Tax For Max were also well in contention.

But it was Sunny Queen who was the last to challenge and she produced an excellent turn of foot, considering the conditions, to lead 50 yards out and score by a neck from Torquartor Tasso with Dicaprio two lengths back in third, Secret Adviser fourth and Tax For Max fifih. There was then a long gap back to the rest, headed by Beckett’s Antonia De Vega.

Grewe’s three runners finished first, third and fifth, a great result for the stable.

Sunny Queen was sold a few days before the race to Cayton Park Stud, which belongs to the wealthy South African Rupert family, so she was doubly a bargain buy. Firstly for her previous owner Stefan Hahne, who had paid €35,000 for her at the BBAG and now collected a sum rumoured to be middle of six figures, but also for Cayton Park, who have bought themselves a Group 1 filly whose value has probably trebled within a few days.

Sunny Queen showed by far her best form here and her rating has been put up from 104 pre-race to a current 115.

The form can easily be rated through Torquator Tasso and Dicaprio, Germany’s top three-year-olds and both very classy and consistent performers.

Sunny Queen is also extremely well-bred and is a direct descendant of the celebrated champion racehorse and blue hen Schwarzgold. She is closely related to multiple Group 1 winner Stacelita, herself dam of Japanese Group 1 and classic winner Soul Stirring, and more distantly related to international stars such as Derby winner and sire Slip Anchor.