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Viva España As Kitty Marion Has The Whip Hand

BADEN-BADEN, Germany–It is not often you hear the Spanish national anthem ringing out across Germany but there was an emotional rendition of the 'Marcha Real' on Saturday as Kitty Marion (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) became the first Spanish-trained group winner at Baden-Baden racecourse in the G3 Goldene Peitsche.

Guillermo Arizkorreta is well known in his native country as the multiple champion trainer with the largest string based at La Zarzuela racecourse in Madrid. He has also made a number of international forays in the past, to France and Dubai, but this was the first time he had brought any runners to Baden-Baden. Along with Kitty Marion, he saddled Hold On Now (GB) (Farhh {GB}) to finish fifth in the listed Wackenhut Mercedes Benz Fillies Cup earlier on the card. On Sunday, he will be represented by Rodaballo (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the G2 Kronimus Oettingen Rennen.

“This is an experiment, our first time here,” said the trainer. It is unlikely to be the last.

Jumping smartly to take an early lead under Czech-born jockey Vaclav Janacek, the well made chestnut filly bossed the race along the six furlongs of Baden-Baden's curved sprint course, hanging on defiantly to repel the fast-finishing favourite Majestic Colt (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}).

Previously trained in France by Henri-Alex Pantall, Kitty Marion was let go by Godolphin last July for 3,000gns at Tattersalls, where Edgar Byrne selected her for his friend Arizkorreta and a group of 10 owners made up of friends and family of Angel Saenz. A group of 20 supporters made the trip from Madrid to the outskirts of the Black Forest to cheer the mare home.

And they have had much to cheer about in the 14 months that they have owned the 5-year-old. Kitty Marion won over 1600 metres on debut as a 4-year-old for Godolphin at the rural French track of Lignieres en Berry. Two disappointing starts followed before she was sent to the sales. Since moving to Spain she has won three of her six starts in the country as well as finishing runner-up in the listed Premio Certosa at San Siro back in April.

Bred by Julia Scott, formerly of Glebe Stud, along with her brother James Dean and Lady Fiona Trenchard, Kitty Marion has only enhanced what was already a very promising pedigree as her dam, the six-furlong winner Pretty Primo (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sought-after sire Wootton Bassett (GB), who shares his sire with Kitty Marion.

“We bought her at Tattersalls and since we dropped her in trip she has improved a lot,” said Arizkorreta after welcoming his new stable star back to Baden-Baden's winner's enclosure. “Sometimes she doesn't jump very well from the stalls but today she was very quick, and she was very brave to hold on. She had run very well in a listed race in Milan but this is our first Group 3 win.”

As the translation of the race name suggests, the race trophy is a gold whip inscribed with the previous 150 winners of the historic contest. The list includes the former Spanish-trained Silverside (Pleasantly Perfect), who won the Goldene Peitsche 10 years ago when it was still a Group 2 contest, but he was based in France at the time of his victory.

It will be worth keeping an eye Rodaballo, last year's Spanish 2000 Guineas winner, in his Group 2 contest on Sunday.

The highly consistent colt, bred by Spencer Chapman's Aston House Stud, has won four of his eight starts in Madrid and finished runner-up in the other four, as well as being listed-placed in France last September. He too was bought at Tattersalls, but this time from the Ardglas Stables draft at the 2019 Guineas Breeze-up Sale.

Arizkorreta said on Saturday, “It is a tough race but we were actually more confident about his chances than for Kitty Marion.”

Watch this space.

Saturday, Baden-Baden, Germany
151ST CASINO BADEN-BADEN GOLDENE PEITSCHE-G3, €50,000, Baden-Baden, 9-4, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:09.05, g/s.
1–KITTY MARION (GB), 127, m, 5, by Iffraaj (GB)
1st Dam: Pretty Primo (Ire), by Kyllachy (GB)
2nd Dam: Balladonia (GB), by Primo Dominie (GB)
3rd Dam: Susquehanna Days, by Chief's Crown
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (28,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT; 3,000gns HRA '20 TATJUL). O-Gonzalo Usandizaga; B-Glebe Stud, J F Dean & Lady Trenchard (GB); T-Guillermo Arizkorreta Elosegui; J-Vaclav Janacek. €30,000. Lifetime Record: SP-Ity, 12-5-1-1, €102,500. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Majestic Colt (Ire), 130, h, 6, Clodovil (Ire)–Majestic Dubawi (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). (19,000gns RNA Ylg '16 TAOCT). O-Jaber Abdullah; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Andreas Wohler. €11,000.
3–Manjeer (Ire), 130, g, 5, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Navajo Moon (Ire), by Danehill. (€50,000 Ylg '17 GOFORB). O-Natalie Steinmann; B-Brittas House Stud & Grange Stud (IRE); T-Carina Fey. €5,250.
Margins: NK, 4, HF. Odds: 30.20, 3.90, 12.70.
Also Ran: Ainsdale (GB), Dibujaba (Ger), Waldersee (Fr), Schwesterherz (Fr), Worth Choice (Ire), Kodi Beach (GB), Rubaiyat (Fr), Crushing Power (GB), Ninario (Ger). Scratched: Juanito (Ger). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Middle Market Strong As Frankel Colt Heads BBAG

BADEN-BADEN, Germany–After a day of a few false starts and high-priced vendor buy-backs, BBAG's major yearling sale presented its headline act late in the afternoon when Gestüt Haus Ittlingen's Frankel (GB) half-brother to the G3 Hamburger Meile victrix Calyxa (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) sold for €350,000 to Godolphin.

From a smaller catalogue this year,195 horses went through the ring and though some of potential star acts were returned to their breeders, the day's clearance rate was greatly improved on recent years at 79.5%, with 155 yearlings sold. That upturn from 66.5% in 2020 led to a small boost in the figures for all sectors, with the average up by 5% at €43,448 and the turnover of €6,734,500 representing an improvement of 4%.

“I'm delighted to see a very strong middle market, which is a really good sign for the German racing industry,” said BBAG managing director Klaus Eulenberger as the sale concluded.

Janet Ostermann's Gestüt Haus Ittlingen offered the only two yearlings by Frankel in the catalogue, sons of mother and daughter Chantra (Ger) (Lando {Ger}) and Calyxa, and though the latter's colt was bought in at €475,000, later in the session, the bay son (lot 176) of 17-year-old dual listed winner Chantra hit the mark.

Anthony Stroud is a regular visitor to BBAG on behalf of Godolphin, which has enjoyed notable success with Frankel this year via its homebred Derby winner Adayar (Ire) and Irish Derby winner Hurricane Lane (Ire).

“Of course Frankel goes without saying,” Stroud noted. “This colt was a really good walker, very athletic. He'll go back to England.”

Godolphin are not only good supporters of the main German yearling sale but also regularly field runners over the road at Baden-Baden racecourse. The team's royal blue silks have made it to the winner's enclosure following the last three runnings of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and this Sunday Saeed Bin Suroor is set to saddle Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who will be ridden by Oisin Murphy. Among his opponents will be this year's G1 Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan (Fr) (Isfahan {Ger}), the current leading light of Dr Stefan Oschmann's Darius Racing operation.

Oschmann's racing manager and agent Holger Faust was active at BBAG through the day and among his purchases was an Australia (GB) half-brother to another of the outfit's Group 1 winners, Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}). Sold for €240,000 as lot 181, the colt was bred and consigned by Gestüt Karlshof.

Miss Yoda (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is one of the leading graduates of the BBAG Yearling Sale in recent years. After selling for €280,000 to Georg Von Opel three years ago and sent into training in Newmarket she progressed to win last year's G1 Preis der Diana. Her breeder Gestüt Etzean repeated that Classic success with this year's winner of the German Oaks equivalent, Palmas (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}), and took the decision to buy out Ling Tsui in the foal share agreement for Miss Yoda's yearling full-sister, offered as lot 192.

Ralf Kredel of Etzean went to the same price as her elder sister had made, €280,000, to keep the chestnut daughter of G2 Diana Trial winner Monami (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}). He said, “She is a May foal and she'll go back to the stud. We'll take our time and break her in in the spring.”

One of the potential box-office lots, Gestüt Rottgen's Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to Derby winners Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) and Weltstar (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), was led out unsold at €680,000 but the next lot into the ring (55), a half-brother to Godolphin's listed Blue Riband Trial winner Wirko (Ger) (Kingman {GB}) from the same stud, was the leading light for much of the day when knocked down at €220,000 to second-season Berlin trainer Friederike Schloms.

The son of Reliable Man (GB) out of the treble listed winner Weltmacht (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) was bought for owner Jurgen Sartori, who later added lot 43 to his string for next year. The Lope De Vega (Ire) filly from Gestüt Fahrhof had earlier been led out of the ring unsold until a private deal was struck by Andreas Suborics to buy her on Sartori's behalf for €200,000.

Moritz Becher of Stall Hanse stepped in to buy lot 63, a Lord Of England colt, whose illustrious family has been enhanced further this year by the Derby and King George winner Adayar, at €120,000. His Sea The Stars half-sister had set a new BBAG record when selling to Godolphin for €820,000 in 2019. Now named Anne d'Autriche (Ger), she is as yet unraced. Her younger sibling will remain in Germany to be trained by Peter Schiergen.

Gestüt Park Wiedingen's sister to Group 1 winner and young sire Dschingis Secret (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) caused a flurry of excitement when bringing the hammer down at €700,000 before it was confirmed by breeder Helmut von Finck that she had been bought back. The stud did however provide a notable result for Coolmore's freshman sire Saxon Warrior (Jpn) when lot 72 was signed for at €160,000 by Peter Brauer of Panorama Bloodstock.

The agent confirmed that the second foal of Faizeh (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) had been bought for owner Hans Bierkamper of Stall Mandarin. A grand-daughter of Von Finck's champion 3-year-old Flamingo Road (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}), she will be trained at Mulheim by Yasmin Almenrader.

The Deutsches Derby winner Sea The Moon (Ger) may stand in Newmarket at Lanwades Stud but he retains his popularity in his native country and was the leading sire at the sale with 11 yearlings sold at an average of €64,364. Heading that group was a filly from the sire's breeder Gestüt Gorlsdorf (lot 75), who will go into training in England having been bought by Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock for €115,000.

“She'll be going to Newmarket,” said Goff. “The stallion is going great guns and she was a delightful filly, one of the nicest here, and she is out of a good Iffraaj mare.”

That mare is Gülden Gorl (Ger), who was a winner and listed-placed at two and is a half-sister to French listed winner Princess Charm (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}).

There were a number of French trainers on the sales ground at Iffezheim and though Fabrice Chappet was not among them he will be receiving one of the leading lots of the day. Lot 60, the only yearling by France's champion sire Siyouni (Fr) in the catalogue was bought for €100,000 by Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International, who said that the Gestüt Brummerhof-bred son of the German 1000 Guineas winner Akua'da (Ger) (Shamardal) will go into training at Chappet's Chantilly stable.

Ongoing uncertainty over access for potential overseas buyers to the U.S. for the forthcoming Keeneland September Sale led to an increase in breeze-up pinhookers at BBAG.

Tom Whitehouse, Roger Marley and Johnny Collins all appeared on the buyers' sheet, as did Brendan Holland of Grove Stud, who made three purchases on the day. The trio included lot 135, a son of the Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist (Ger) out of a Soldier Hollow half-sister to the 2016 German Derby winner and second-season stallion Isfahan (Ger). The colt was bought in partnership with Marley of Church Farm Stables.

“We still don't know if we will be able to travel to Keeneland, so that's the reason I'm here and I'm glad I came,” Holland said. “I haven't been for a few years and there's a lovely selection of quality, scopey horses. I've bought three and I will definitely come back in the future.”

He added of the Protectionist colt from Ronald Rauscher's consignment, “I'll bring him back to Arqana in May. He's not a typical breeze-up horse, he's a quality staying horse. And while he's a staying horse in the making he looked quite together physically and I'm quite sure he'll be capable of galloping two furlongs in May. I loved him, he's such a lovely horse.”

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Starman Primed For Cup Double

Bidding to follow in the steps of Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}), Starman (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) is the latest G1 July Cup hero to attempt a notable double in Saturday's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.

Only third behind Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) on unsuitably soft ground in the 6 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville Aug. 8, David Ward's homebred is back on his favoured fast surface over the six-furlong trip of his July 10 Newmarket victory.

Trainer Ed Walker is happy that the stars have aligned for the 4-year-old and said, “I am quite surprised to be here really. We always wanted to come to the Sprint Cup, but historically we thought it would be unlikely given the horse's preference for good ground. It's a real bonus to be going into the race with conditions likely to be in his favour. It was a career highlight when he won the July Cup. It was great that he was able to show what he can really do, as I've always believed he is a truly exceptional horse.”

“He still ran a massive race at Deauville and ran better than he did in the really heavy conditions at Ascot on Champions Day last year. It was proper stamina-sapping ground in France, it was drying quite quickly and it was tacky. He coped with it and was bang there at the six-furlong pole–I think with the extra half-furlong and the conditions his stamina was really tested. He has trained great since France and came out of the race well. We've just freshened him up. He is a big horse but doesn't take a huge amount of work. He goes there in great shape. I think he is the best horse in the race and if he is in the same form that he was at Newmarket, he will prove that.”

Fifth in the July Cup and subsequently second in the seven-furlong G2 Lennox S. at Goodwood July 27, Godolphin's June 19 G3 Jersey S. winner Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) tries again with Charlie Appleby hoping he can bridge the gap to Starman.

“We have been very pleased with Creative Force's preparation. We thought it was a very respectable first run at this level in the July Cup, when he learned plenty about sprinting and we are hoping that a more polished performer will be turning up here,” he said. “James Doyle felt that he rode like a sprinter in the Lennox S. He hit the lids that day, was up in the van the whole way and possibly did a bit too much early on, so the return to six furlongs should suit.”

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal) has turned around his fortunes with a confidence-restoring win in a five-furlong conditions race at Hamilton at the end of last month and a second in the G1 Nunthorpe S. at that distance Aug. 20. He has the ground he likes here and is equally at home over six, but more importantly comes into this on a high. That is not the case for Jason Goddard's Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who needs to bounce back from two surprisingly tame efforts this term including a latest 15th in the July Cup. Successful in last year's G1 Middle Park S. and G2 Richmond S., it is disappointing that he has run so far below form in 2021 and would be a major threat if able to regain his momentum.

2-Year-Olds on Display at Haydock

Haydock's card begins with the Listed Betfair Exchange Ascendant S. for 2-year-olds over a mile, where Godolphin are represented by the 2.1million gns Book 1 graduate Hafit (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). He beat two subsequent winners including the TDN Rising Star Razzle Dazzle (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) on his debut over seven furlongs at Newmarket Aug. 6 and could be anything, but lying in wait is Dr. Ali Ridha's Aug. 20 Listed Stonehenge S. runner-up Power of Beauty (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}). Hafit's trainer Charlie Appleby has a line to that Hugo Palmer-trained colt through the Stonehenge winner Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), while Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 9 1/2-length course-and-distance novice scorer Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) is another of the quartet with abundant promise.

Kempton Hosts Group 3s

At Kempton, the feature is the G3 Unibet September S. over a mile and a half, where Shadwell's July 10 G3 Silver Cup and Aug. 14 G3 Geoffrey Freer S. winner Hukum (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) looks to continue his sequence under a three-pound penalty.

“This looks another nice opportunity for him, all being well, and he won around Kempton as a 2-year-old,” trainer Owen Burrows said of the 4-year-old, who missed the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville due to a dirty scope. “He has got the penalty again, but he had that at Newbury and we go there very hopeful. He did a little bit of work on Wednesday and we were very happy with him and there were no signs that he should not be running.”

Also on the card is the six-furlong G3 Sirenia S. for the juveniles, with Kevin Phillipart De Foy pitching in Bernard Havern's July 7 course-and-distance novice winner Scot's Grace (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). “I've been a bit unlucky, as she needs fast ground,” he explained. “She has had a couple of entries over the summer, but the ground has turned against her. She handled the track there first time out, so we thought this was worth taking a punt and see how she gets on in the race. I never put my fillies under too much pressure at home and we will learn a lot more on Saturday. She has improved a bit, but she will need to on Saturday.”

Hugo Palmer is represented by David Howden and Qatar Racing's Hierarchy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who has registered wins in novices over this trip at Wolverhampton Aug. 9 and at Salisbury Aug. 24. “His heart is in the right place and he seems to be improving as a 2-year-old,” he said. “He is showing the general public what he can do in the afternoon opposed to showing it in the morning, as he definitely saves his best for racing. He handles the surface, has a nice draw and has got the momentum behind him. He is very much a 2-year-old and though I'm not saying he will not make it at three, he would need to grow and develop.”

Festival Continues at Baden-Baden

There is also pattern-race action at Baden-Baden, with Darius Racing's Aug. 1 G1 Preis der Diana runner-up Isfahani (Ger) (Isfahan {Ger}) taking on the likes of Team Valor's Hanover listed scorer Loveisthehigherlaw (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) in the 12-furlong G2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis. In the six-furlong G3 Casino Baden-Baden Goldene Peitsche, another Darius Racing representative in Rubaiyat (Fr) (Areion {Ger}) is a leading contender based on his success in Hanover's Apr. 25 Listed Waldpfad Cup reverting to sprinting. Runner-up on that occasion, Jaber Abdullah's Majestic Colt (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) has since won the G3 Silberne -Peitsche at Cologne May 24 and July 2 G3 Grosser Preis von LOTTO Hamburg and finished fourth behind Dibujaba (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) in the Aug. 8 Listed Hoppegartener Fleiger-Preis.

A Sextet for the Moulin

Sunday's G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp has attracted six, with Jim Bolger opting to withdraw Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}). Shadwell's unbeaten Baaeed (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is certain to occupy favouritism based on his impressive successes in Newmarket's Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. July 8 and the G3 Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood July 30, with fellow British raider Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) standing in his way. Rockcliffe Stud's 'TDN Rising Star' captured the star-studded G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 9 before finishing third in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood July 28 and trainer Richard Hannon has been forced to saddle her with her signals all vibrant since that race.

“Hopefully this race will show her in a better light–I think she could have been closer at Goodwood,” he said. “It's a very good race and we'll find out where we stand. We can always go back to fillies-only company in the Sun Chariot after this. Baaeed has looked very good and I'm sure he'll take a lot of beating. He travels very well in his races and in some of his races he's looked unbeatable. I'm sure it will be a good race and I'm looking forward to it–we have nothing to lose.”

Click here for the full group fields.

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Stars Come Out For BBAG

BADEN-BADEN, Germany–There was a dramatic start to the day on the eve of Germany's premier yearling sale at BBAG when a number of agents, vets and consignors were evacuated as the Radisson Blu Badischer Hof Hotel caught fire in the early hours of Thursday morning. Solenn Gouesnard of Haras d'Ombreville was taken to hospital temporarily with smoke inhalation but everyone else escaped unscathed, though many were left without clothes and passports.

“We spent all night on the street in pyjamas,” said Matt Coleman, who had arrived with a group which had travelled straight from the Tattersalls sale in Newmarket the evening before.

Despite disruptions to the start of viewing for some of the international visitors to Iffezheim, there was an air of optimism on the sales grounds ahead of Germany's major sale.

BBAG's managing director Klaus Eulenberger said, “The pedigrees are really good this year and the horses are nice too. The vendors have done an excellent job.”

A slightly smaller catalogue of 223 yearlings, down from 257 in 2020, has been reduced further by 27 scratchings.

“The only small disappointment is to have so many withdrawals, that's unusual for this sale,” Eulenberger continued. “We have the usual major buyers here so we're happy with that. There's a good mood in Germany and it's great with the Baden-Baden racetrack now under new management. We have had two fantastic race days here on Sunday and [Wednesday] already.”

The usual six race meetings during the Baden-Baden Festival has been reduced to four this year, with the action set to continue on Saturday and Sunday. BBAG is also now a shareholder in the racecourse which sits alongside the complex.

“It's very important for us selling horses here to have a racetrack that is working well,” Eulenberger explained. “This is the best racetrack in Germany and we are quite happy that we have a foot in the door and are partly responsible for what's going on. We've all known each other for a long time and we have a great collaboration with the guys there. We're running a racecourse with friends and the whole region is behind it.”

The action on the track on Wednesday provided a superb double update in consecutive races for lot 84, a Sea The Moon (Ger) filly offered by Gestüt Ohlerweierhof on behalf of breeder Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten. The chestnut filly's half-siblings, 3-year-old Morning Eagle (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and 2-year-old Manolas (GB) (Rajsaman {Fr}), are both trained by Henk Grewe and shed their maiden status within an hour of each other at Baden-Baden.

Eulenberger said, “After the first race the dam had no winner on the page but after the third race she had two! And they won in style. It was great to see.”

Their dam Morning Mist (Ger) is a Peintre Celebre half-sister to dual French Classic winner and Gestüt Ebbesloh-based sire Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}), while the family also boasts the most celebrated German stallion of the modern era in Monsun (Ger), who was a half-brother to grandam Morning Light (Ger) (Law Society {Ire}).

Gestüt Görlsdorf's full-sister to the German Derby winner and popular sire Sea The Moon was the most expensive yearling at last year's sale at a record-equalling €820,000, the second year in a row that a filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) had topped trade. In 2018, the co-sale-topper at €280,000 was another daughter of Sea The Stars who would go on to be named Miss Yoda (Ger) and win last year's G1 Preis der Diana for her owner Georg Von Opel.

For breeder Gestut Etzean, this was only the first half of a remarkable double, however, as the farm run by the Kredel family also bred the winner of the same Classic this year in Palmas (Ger). She is a daughter of their own stallion Lord Of England (Ger), who also featured as the grandsire of the runner-up Isfahani (Ger) and of the G1 Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan (Fr), both by Isfahan (Ger). Etzean this year offers a full-sister to Miss Yoda as lot 192, their dam Monami (Ger) being a former champion 2-year-old and by another previous resident of the stud, Sholokhov (Ire). Also in the draft is a Soldier Hollow (GB) colt out of a full-sister to Palmas (lot 202), the Classic winner having been the final foal of her dam Peace Time (Ger) (Surumu {Ger}).

Will it be another big year for Sea The Stars in Iffezheim? There is certainly every chance as another of his standout lots from six yearlings catalogued and five on the sales ground after withdrawals is the half-sister to the Derby winners Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) and Weltstar (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). The elegant dark brown filly is consigned as lot 54 by her breeder Gestüt Röttgen.

“She shows herself very well and I am quite hopeful that the market will like her,” said Röttgen's manager Frank Dorff on Thursday morning. “She has a very good pedigree–it's very German but I hope that this rare opportunity to buy into a strong German family which is a bit of an outcross for some breeders will appeal.

It's not a foal share, she is being offered because we have so many fillies out of the dam and I thought she would be attractive to an international market. So we'll see.”

The filly's dam Wellenspiel (Ger), a dual-winning daughter of Sternkonig from a family which has been developed by Röttgen “almost forever”, according to Dorff, has a full-sister to Weltstar, the second of her consecutive German Derby winners, on the ground but she is not in foal this year.

Dorff added, “We kept her Dubawi [2-year-old] because she had an X-ray issue but she is in training now and is cantering.”

Also among the Röttgen draft are four yearlings from the first crop of one of the farm's resident stallions, Millowitsch (Ger). The 8-year-old son of Sehrezad (Ire) who was himself by Machiavellian's son Titus Livius (Ire), was a seven-time winner between six furlongs and an extended mile. Millowitsch was bred by the farm's longstanding client Dr. Alexandra Renz and has covered a small number of mares owned by his breeder and by Röttgen.

“Millowitsch was born and raised at Röttgen so I have known him all his life,” Dorff explained. “He was a very tough racehorse and won five group races, and placed or won on 20 of his 21 starts at two, three, four and five. He was very tough and honest and for Germany he is an outcross for everyone. His sireline is a bit curious but they were all tough racehorses so this is a bit of an experiment for us. We are happy with what we have seen as they are very deep horses, compact, and good movers. In Germany we need some fast horses.”

Alongside the Millowitsch yearlings is the stallion's half-brother by another Röttgen resident Protectionist (Ger), who is offered for Renz as lot 83. Their dam Muriel (Ire) (Fath) was placed in the G3 Goldene Peitsche at Baden-Baden and has produced four black-type earners among her five winners.

Another first-crop sire with a sibling in the sale is Dschingis Secret (Ger), who was bred by Helmut von Finck at Gestüt Park Wiedingen and won six group races, including the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin. His sole representative at BBAG has been withdrawn but his full-sister, a filly by Soldier Hollow (GB), who is also owned by von Finck, and out of Divya (Ger) (Platini {Ger}) is consigned as lot 180. Along with Dschingis Secret, who is now at Haras de Saint Arnoult in France, the filly is a full-sister to group winners Destino (Ger) and Deia (Ger) as well as the group-placed Diana Storm (Ger) and Dschingis First (Ger).

The sale will commence at 10am local time.

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