149th Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden (Group 1)

LAST week’s “Grosse Woche” in Baden-Baden must be regarded as a great success. It was the first meeting there under a new management team (Baden Galopp), and apart from some minor teething problems, and in particular a false start in a race which had to be voided, (hardly the fault of the race club), all went well, helped by glorious late summer weather on the final weekend.

In all over 27,000 racegoers were present over the four days, with 8,600 on the final Sunday; in theory up to 10,000 spectators would have been allowed, but this was never a serious possibility.

The track was comfortably crowded and the mood excellent, with most racegoers staying until the final event of the 11- and 12-race cards.

And we saw some excellent racing and, just like in the good old days here, international successes. Spanish trainer Guillermo Arizcorreta won two group races – believed to be the first ever Spanish victories in Germany – while the final weekend also had winners trained in France (the race for purebred Arabians), Holland, Belgium and Austria.

The top race of the week, the Group 1 149th Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden, ended with the “right” result from, the German point of view, with the top German four-year-old Torquator Tasso defeating this year’s German Derby winner Sisfahan by a length, with Godolphin’s Passion And Glory over three lengths back in third.

Trouble

The latter was partnered by Oisin Murphy, who reported that “it was a messy race,” which was certainly true. The trouble started early when 25/1 longshot Pessemona was left at the start; she eventually condescended to race but was tailed off. Then French raider Millebosc, whose best form had been a third place in the Prix du Jockey Club, ran very wide at both the first and second bend and had to be pulled up. Adrian de Vries, his jockey, said afterwards that Millebosc had never run before on a left-handed track and could not handle it.

Murphy was then in front on the Godolphin raider and set a steady pace from outsider Vallando, with the three remaining runners well in touch. Rounding the final turn Rene Piechulek, on the favourite Torquator Tasso, moved up on the outside to challenge Passion And Glory with Sisfahan tracking him.

Passion And Glory was briefly caught in a pocket between them, but he was soon beaten as Torquator Tasso and Sisfahan fought it out to the line with the former always just holding the upper hand.

Torquator Tassso, a son of the late German champion sire Adlerflug, has been a most consistent performer at this level; this was his second Group 1 success and he has been placed in his four runs in this grade, all in Germany.

His rating has been adjusted upwards to German GAG 99½ (equals an international 119) and Sisfahan has also been upgraded to 98½ (117), so the form of this year’s German Derby is probably better than we thought.

It did not look an especially fast pace, but the time of the race was very good at 2m 29.21 secs, the fastest since 2007. The winner now goes to the Arc – though he will need further improvement to have a chance there – with the Japan Cup a possible late season target.