The eventual winner, sent postward as the crowd's 13-5 pick, raced in mid division during the opening exchanges and went through halfway in fifth. Bustled along rounding the home turn, Shagara made relentless headway in the straight to take a share of third entering the final furlong–where she received a hefty bump from Lady Mary–and kept on strongly under continued rousting to deny that rival by a head on the line for a career high. New York City held a slender advantage inside the furlong pole, but was usurped in the closing stages and finished 1 1/2 lengths adrift in third.

“She has the heart of a lion and fought incredibly hard,” said winning rider Andrasch Starke. “She was really strong at the finish and what a racehorse she is.” Trainer Markus Klug added, “It's crazy what a fighter's heart Shagara has. She put in so much effort to win and now she will take her well-deserved winter break.” Gestut Schlenderhan's general manager Gebhard Apelt continued, “She wasn't in the best position at first and it is very rare to see a 2-year-old fight like that.”

Pedigree Notes
Shagara, who becomes the 12th pattern-race winner for her sire, is the sixth of seven foals and one of five scorers produced by a winning sibling of Listed Hannover Derby-Trial runner-up Sargas (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}). Her second dam, Listed Henkel-Trial victrix Servenya (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), is a full-sister to G2 Maurice Lacroix-Trophy runner-up Slawomira (Ger) and a half to Listed Preis der Hotellerie Baden-Baden victor Skythe (Ger) (Spectrum {Ire}) and the stakes-placed duo Stoikov (Ger) (Platini {Ger}) and Salomea (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}). Servenya is also kin to the dam of this race's 2004 winner Sorrent (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). The March-foaled homebred bay is a half-sister to G2 Union-Rennen third Sky Out (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and a weanling colt by Ito (Ger) named Shejtan (Ire).

BBAG – Preis der Winterkönigin (G3)
1.600 m – 155.000 EUR – for 2yo fillies
Baden – Baden

Shagara (IRE)
( Zarak – She Bang , by Monsun)
J : Andrasch Starke
T :Markus Klug
O :Gestüt Schlenderhan
Lady Mary (Lawman)
New York City (Sea The Moon) pic.twitter.com/9AD9ised7N

— (@WorldRacing1) October 15, 2023

Sunday, Baden-Baden, Germany
BBAG – PREIS DER WINTERKONIGIN-G3, €155,000, Baden-Baden, 10-15, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:42.22, g/s.
1–SHAGARA (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Zarak (Fr)
1st Dam: She Bang (Fr), by Monsun (Ger)
2nd Dam: Servenya (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
3rd Dam: Slawa (Ger), by Polish Precedent
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Gestut Schlenderhan (IRE); T-Markus Klug; J-Andrasch Starke. €85,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, €95,400. *1/2 to Sky Out (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}), GSP-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lady Mary (Ger), 128, f, 2, Lawman (Fr)–La Reine Noir (Ger), by Rainbow Quest). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Graf & Grafin von Stauffenberg (GER); T-Andreas Suborics. €31,000.
3–New York City (Ger), 128, f, 2, Sea The Moon (Ger)–Nouvelle Neige (Ger), by Big Shuffle. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Gestut Ebbesloh (GER); T-Sarah Steinberg. €20,500.
Margins: HD, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.60, 4.20, 6.60.
Also Ran: Words Of Peace (Ger), Saman (Ger), Princess Valentina (Ger), Anna Riva (Ger), Linzona (Ger), Princesa (Ger), Go Quick (Ger).

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Bred by Stall Ullmann and raced by Gestut Schlenderhan and Andre Fabre, the 5-year-old won on debut at Munich in November of his juvenile year. In three starts at three, he scored in the Listed Prix de l'Avre second up and was then second in the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris. Runner-up in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt when making his 4-year-old bow in 2020, he ran out a 1 3/4-length victor of the G1 Prix Ganay that May. From five starts this term, he was third in the Prix d'Harcourt and later added the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly. Mare Australis retires with a mark of 11-4-2-1 and $408,989 in earnings.

He is out of multiple stakes placed Miramare and is her last living foal. His dam is a half-sister to group winners Montclaire (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Macleya (Ger) (Winged Love {Ire}), who was also second in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak. The family has also been effective Stateside, with GI Manhattan S. and GI United Nations S. hero Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) also under the second dam.

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Mendocino had garnered prizemoney in each of his nine prior runs, winning two, and arrived for his date with destiny off the back of a third in ParisLongchamp's May 12 G3 Prix d'Hedouville and a fifth in June's G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly last time. The eventual winner found comfort behind all three rivals and raced fourth, with his head in his chest, passing the judge first time. Inching closer as Torquator Tasso and Sammarco locked horns early and lit each other up off the home turn, he fanned widest of all to the stands' side rail in early straight and refused to yield once hitting the front with 100 metres remaining, holding the late rally of the former by a head in game fashion. Sammarco kept on to finish 1 1/4 lengths further adrift in third.

“I had a mega race, Mendocino switched off well at the back and showed tremendous speed at the end,” said Piechulek after claiming back-to-back victories in the contest. “The result is just awesome and everything worked out wonderfully.” Winning trainer Sarah Steinberg added, “He was coming back off a break, the competition was very strong and we would have been satisfied if Mendocino had finished in the first three. In the race, he was able to stay out of everything and pulled out big at the end. This is a very emotional moment for me. He's supposed to come home before we commit to anything, but of course the [G1 Prix de l'] Arc [de Triomphe] is a very likely destination.” Stall Salzburg's Hans-Gerd Wernicke, who also raced Night Magic (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}) to farm this contest in 2010, commented, “The break was worth it. We thought long and hard about running here and, ultimately, we made the right decision. Sarah Steinberg is not only first class as a person, but also a first-class trainer.”

“Unfortunately he had the worst race of all participants, he couldn't find any cover and was always galloping freely,” reflected Torquator Tasso's trainer Marcel Weiss. “It's not his ideal track, even though he'd won here before.” Frankie Dettori added, “There wasn't enough pace in the race and the ground wasn't soft enough either. I started working with a half mile to go, but the winner accelerated faster in the straight.” Gestut Auenquelle's Peter-Michael Endres continued, “It was anything but a good race for him, but that's horse racing. It could look different again in Paris and I've just booked Frankie for the Arc.”

Despite a first reversal in four starts, Peter Schiergen was satisfied with the performance of Sammarco, who looks bound for Cologne and the G1 Preis von Europa. “He attacked well, he ran a great race again today and we didn't disgrace ourselves,” the trainer said. “Sammarco always runs great and the Preis von Europa is an option.”

Mendocino, who becomes the eighth Group 1 winner for his ill-fated sire (by In The Wings {GB}), is the first elite-level scorer for the stakes-winning Mill Marin (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Her first foal is G3 Grosser Preis der Landeshauptstadt Dusseldorf victrix Marshmallow (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) while her fourth is last year's Listed Junioren-Preis third Millionaire (Ger) (Adlerflug {GB}). The March-foaled chestnut's stakes-placed second dam Mill Guineas (Salse), who also produced Listed Prix Herod second Olvia (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), is kin to G2 Falmouth S. victrix Ronda (GB) (Bluebird) and stakes-winning G3 Prix de Conde runner-up Silver Gilt (GB) (Silver Hawk). Ronda, who is the dam of GIII Ack Ack H. scorer Istan (Gone West), is also a half-sister to the dam of G3 Prix du Calvados and G3 Ridgewood Pearl S. victrix Purr Along (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}), Listed Land O'Burns Fillies' S. winner Katawi (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the dual stakes-placed Lady Francesca (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}). Mendocino's fourth dam Memory Lane (Never Bend) won the G3 Princess Royal S. and is a full-sister to G1 Derby hero and leading sire Mill Reef (Never Bend). Mill Marin has a yearling colt by Gleneagles (Ire) to come.

Sunday, Baden-Baden, Germany
152ND WETTSTAR.DE GROSSER PREIS VON BADEN-G1, €200,000, Baden-Baden, 9-4, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:38.71, g/s.
1–MENDOCINO (GER), 132, c, 4, by Adlerflug (Ger)
1st Dam: Mill Marin (Ire) (SW-Swe, $148,712), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Mill Guineas, by Salse
3rd Dam: Memory's Gold, by Java Gold
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€58,000 RNA Ylg '19 BBAGS). O-Stall Salzburg; B-Gestut Brummerhof (GER); T-Sarah Steinberg; J-Rene Piechulek. €115,000. Lifetime Record: 10-3-2-1, €204,050. *Full to Millionaire (Ger), SP-Ger; and 1/2 to Marshmallow (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), GSW-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Torquator Tasso (Ger), 132, h, 5, Adlerflug (Ger)–Tijuana (Ger), by Toylsome (GB). (€24,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO). O-Gestut Auenquelle; B-Paul H Vandeberg (GER); T-Marcel Weiss. €44,000.
3–Sammarco (Ire), 125, c, 3, Camelot (GB)–Saloon Sold (Ger), by Soldier Hollow (GB). (€120,000 RNA Ylg '20 BBAGS). O/B-Gestut Park Wiedingen (IRE); T-Peter Schiergen. €23,000.
Margins: HD, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 6.90, 0.70, 2.20.
Also Ran: Alter Adler (Ger). Scratched: Ardakan (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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So says Paul Vandeberg, breeder not only of the reigning Arc hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) but also of Tünnes (Ger) (Guiliani {Ire}), who as a 2-year-old last season won the G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen. The colts are half-brothers and, remarkably, their dam Tijuana (Ger) (Toylsome {GB}) is the only mare owned by the Dutch breeder.

It is no case of beginner's luck for Vandeberg, however. For many years before thoroughbred breeding cast its spell over him he had been breeding Dutch warmbloods. And once he turned his hand to racehorses, it wasn't just the breeding that enthralled Vandeberg as he also trained for a time at Duindigt racecourse in The Hague, with a third-place finisher in the Dutch Derby the closest he came to major-race success.

He crept one position closer to Classic glory when Torquator Tasso finished second to In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in the German Derby of 2020, and it wasn't long before the colt Vandeberg had sold for €24,000 at the BBAG Yearling Sale was a Group 1 winner in his own right. Torquator Tasso won the Grosser Preis von Berlin later that season, but it is of course what he achieved the following year that has brought him to the wider attention of the racing public.

Having beaten the 2021 German Derby winner Sisfahan (Fr) (Isfahan {Ger}) in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, Torquator Tasso left his home nation for the first time for his famous 80-1 victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His breeder, not daring to believe he could win, did not go with him.

“I had a good feeling about him, and I thought maybe he could have finished fifth,” Vandeberg admits. “But winning? That was a surprise.”

Based in The Netherlands at Hilleshagen, just kilometres from the German border, Vandeberg was active for decades in the Dutch thoroughbred breeding association but gradually based his breeding interests at Bergheim, not far from Cologne, as his home country's pool of broodmares dwindled. 

“In the beginning, for the first 25 years, I bred only Dutch horses, and then when I became involved with Dutch racing, at that time we had a lot of good owners,” he says. “Some of them went to England to have their horses trained. Then after 20, 25 years, the sport in Holland started going backwards. When I sat on the breeders' committee we had about 250 broodmares. Now at the moment in Holland, there are maybe five, six [thoroughbred] broodmares.”

Vandeberg continues, “Then I bought a filly in Germany. I went to stallions in Germany, and for a long time now I have kept mares at a stud in Germany.”

That stud is Gestüt Erftmühle, just two kilometres down the road from the legendary Gestüt Schlenderhan, which plays a significant role in the Torquator Tasso story as the breeder of his dam.

“When I lost my last mare, I asked around in Germany about buying a filly,” Vandeberg recalls. “Then sometimes at the track I saw Gebhard Apelt, the manager of Schlenderhan, and I asked him. 

“I got Tijuana with one condition: that Schlenderhan could have the first filly out of the mare. So when Tellez was born, I gave her back, and they are her breeders on paper.”

Tellez (Ger) is a full-sister to Tünnes, both of them being by the Erftmühle resident and Schlenderhan-bred Group 1 winner Guiliani, whose pedigree combines two of Schlenderhan's most noted stallions in his sire Tertullian–who is closely related to Urban Sea–and his damsire Monsun (Ger). 

Tijuana managed just one placed finish from an underwhelming racing career but there was plenty to encourage a small breeder to take her on. For starters she is a half-sister to the Group 2-winning filly Tusked Wings (Ger), who is by Torquator Tasso's German Derby-winning sire Adlerflug. Her granddam is Turbaine, the Trempolino half-sister to Urban Sea who features as the dam of Tertullian. In sending Tijuana thrice to Guiliani and four times to the late Adlerflug for her first seven matings, Vandeberg was thus inbreeding to Germany's most influential family.

Using a suffix local to him for those horses he has named, Vandeberg currently has Torquator Tasso's 2-year-old sister Tiara Hilleshage (Ger) in training with Marcel Weiss alongside her illustrious elder brother. He also wants to keep hold of the yearling full-brother named Tiamo Hilleshage (Ger). Tellez, now four, races for Schlenderhan, while the mare's first foal, Tibo Hilleshage (Ger), also by Guiliani, broke his leg while in training and never raced.

The 11-year-old mare, who has a Guiliani foal at foot, was covered this season by Gestüt Fahrhof's newcomer Alson (Ger), a son of Areion (Ger) who was also bred by Schlenderhan.

This year's BBAG Yearling Sale takes place on Friday and Vandeberg admits to an internal tussle over whether or not to capitalise on the success of the Arc winner in offering his brother for sale.

He says, “I could have taken him to Arqana in Deauville. I could bring him to Baden-Baden. I spoke with a lot of people, and if I used my brains I would have decided sell him, but if I use my heart, I say, 'I don't want to sell him'.”

While offers will doubtless continue to be made for members of Tijuana's family, Vandeberg can in the meantime continue to enjoy the exploits of her offspring, especially, imminently, the return of the 'big two'.

The 'Grosse Woche', Baden-Baden's most prestigious week of racing, gets underway this weekend. Tünnes, the one-time German Derby favourite, is set to make his long-awaited comeback after a setback ruled him out of the first half of his Classic season. The Peter Schiergen-trained colt is set to run in the BBAG sales race at the track on Wednesday, while Torquator Tasso, with Frankie Dettori booked to ride for the first time, will attempt to defend his crown in next Sunday's Grosser Preis von Baden.

“Torquator Tasso has many fans at the moment because he was Horse of the Year in Germany in 2020 and '21. I hope he has a chance for the third year to be Horse of the Year,” says the justifiably proud breeder.

“It is fantastic what has happened with this horse and what has happened for me in that time because we have been breeding horses for more than 50 years, and then suddenly we have not just a Group 1 winner but one of the best horses of the world. It's absolutely like a film.”

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Lightly-campaigned for his age and raced only twice since his career highlight at ParisLongchamp last May, Mare Australis had posted a respectable return when third behind Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) back at that venue Apr. 10 before finishing fourth in the latest edition of the Ganay there at the start of last month. Trainer Andre Fabre is keen to go where the underfoot conditions suit. “This horse had been away a long time and he needed his two starts this year to reach his top condition,” he explained. “Softer ground today was also a help. If the ground is suitable and the weather not too dry, he might take his chance in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. If not we will wait for the autumn to race him again.”

Mare Australis is the last live foal out of the dual listed-placed Miramare (Ger) (Rainbow Quest), whose listed-winning dam Minaccia (Ger) (Platini {Ger}) produced five black-type performers headed by the G2 Prix de Pomone and G3 Prix Allez France winner Macleya (Ger) (Winged Love {Ire}) and the G3 Prix de Barbeville scorer Montclair (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Also the second dam of the G2 Prix du Muguet-placed Mer et Nuages (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and the GI United Nations H. hero Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), she is connected to the dual Classic-winning German champion Majoritat (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}) and the legendary Monsun (Ger), while this dam line is also responsible for the G1 Japanese Derby hero Eishin Flash (Jpn) (King's Best).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
GRAND PRIX DE CHANTILLY-G2, €130,000, Chantilly, 6-5, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:29.16, sf.
1–MARE AUSTRALIS (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Australia (GB)
     1st Dam: Miramare (Ger) (MSP-GB), by Rainbow Quest
     2nd Dam: Minaccia (Gee), by Platini (Ger)
     3rd Dam: Maji (GB), by Shareef Dancer
O-Gestut Schlenderhan; B-Stall Ullmann (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Olivier Peslier. €74,100. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Fr at 9 1/2-11f, G1SW-Fr, 9-4-2-1, €354,084. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Bubble Gift (Fr), 126, c, 4, Nathaniel (Ire)–Bubble Back (Fr), by Grand Lodge. O-Zak Bloodstock; B-A Hakam (FR); T-Mikel Delzangles. €28,600.
3–Glycon (Fr), 126, g, 6, Le Havre (Ire)–Glorious Sight (Ire), by Singspiel (Ire). O/B-SCEA Haras de Saint Pair (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €13,650.
Margins: 2, 1, HF. Odds: 3.10, 4.50, 12.00.
Also Ran: Grocer Jack (Ger), Mendocino (Ger), Road To Arc (Fr), Mutabahi (Fr), Fenelon (Fr), Soho (Ger). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Mountaha is not entered in the June 12 G2 German 1000 Guineas and will target Dusseldorf's Aug. 7 G1 Preis der Diana – German Oaks, for which she now shares 5-1 joint-favouritism with last month's G3 Dr Busch-Memorial victrix Mylady (Ger) (The Grey Gatsby {Ire}). “She is something very special,” winning rider Andrasch Starke told GaloppOnline. “She had been working very well at home and looked an absolute picture in the parade ring beforehand. The [one-mile] trip isn't her ideal distance, but she did everything well and confirmed what we knew she could do.” Trainer Markus Klug, who registered a treble on the day's card, added, “Mares with a lot of class can also run to the front at the wrong distance. She looked very good today and, of course, her main goal is the [Preis der] Diana. We'll get her home, see how she is and we'll continue from there.” Baron Georg von Ullmann made a sporting gesture at the prize-giving ceremony for the contest sponsored by the Ullmann family. “She is a very good mare and the victory is something very special,” he said. “I passed the honorary prize on to the second-placed finisher, as I think that's how it should be.”

Mountaha, who becomes the second pattern-race winner for her sire (by Tertullian), is the 10th of 11 foals and one of seven scorers out of a half-sister to three stakes performers headed by GSW sires Mr. Mellon (Red Ransom) and Seeking the Best (Ire) (Seeking the Gold). The April-foaled homebred is kin to G1 Doomben Cup-winning sire Mawingo (Ger) (Tertullian) and a 2-year-old colt by Adlerflug (Ger). Her GIII Busher S.-winning second dam Mackie (Summer Squall) ran third in the GI Ashland S. and is a half-sister to MGISW sires Sea Hero (Polish Navy) and Hero's Honor (Northern Dancer).

Sunday, Cologne, Germany
KARIN BARONIN VON ULLMANN – SCHWARZGOLD-RENNEN-G3, €55,000, Cologne, 5-8, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:37.01, gd.
1–MOUNTAHA (GER), 128, f, 3, by Guiliani (Ire)
1st Dam: Montfleur (GB), by Sadler's Wells
2nd Dam: Mackie, by Summer Squall
3rd Dam: Glowing Tribute, by Graustark
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Gestut Schlenderhan (GER); T-Markus Klug; J-Andrasch Starke. €32,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, €35,150. *1/2 to Mawingo (Ger) (Tertullian), G1SW-Aus, GSW-Ger & G1SP-Sin, $992,288. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Chaussons Roses (Ire), 128, f, 3, New Approach (Ire)–Go Lovely Rose (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mme Anne-Marie Hayes; B-Knocktoran Stud (IRE); T-Fabrice Chappet. €12,000.
3–La Estrellita (Ire), 128, f, 3, Churchill (Ire)–La Merced (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire). (€26,000 Ylg '20 BBAGS). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-El Sur Racing; B-Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof (IRE); T-Michael Figge. €6,000.
Margins: 6, HF, 1. Odds: 2.10, 6.60, 10.70.
Also Ran: Lacuna (GB), Rondina (Ger), Barina (Ire), Valpolicella (Ger), Quarantini (Ger), Enjoy The Dream (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The Gestut Schlenderhan colourbearer kicked off his career with a win at Lyon Parilly in May of his 3-year-old year and was third in the G2 Prix Greffulhe last June before his German Derby score. Second to Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp in September, the Stall Ullmann-bred filled that spot again in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 4. His 4-year-old bow was a second in a French listed race, before adding the G3 Prix d'Hedouville and G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly to his ledger. He was a last out fourth in the July 4 G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. In Swoop, who had been pointing toward another Arc attempt, retires with a mark of 9-4-3-1 and $1,654,289 in earnings.

In Swoop is the eighth foal of his dam, who scored her biggest victory in the 2005 G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks). Besides In Swoop, she has already produced German champion and G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern victor Ito (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), the New Zealand Group 3 winner Igraine (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}) and the stakes-placed Iniciar (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}).

Although In Swoop's second dam was unraced, besides Iota, Iora (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}) had the German champion and Group 1 placed Ioannina (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and German Group 3 winner Illo (Ger) (Tertullian) to her credit.

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“It was a tactical race as everyone could see and there was no pace or rhythm, which was definitely not in his favour,” said trainer Francis Graffard. “Olivier [Peslier] did well to cover all moves by going forward on the final turn and it was only then that I felt that he had everything under control. He'll never win in spectacular fashion or by a wide margin, but he's getting stronger and stronger. He's certainly more professional in all that he does, his last race did him the world of good and there is more to come. He's entered in all the big races and will head to the [G1] Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and [G1] King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. [at Ascot]. We'll give him a break after that and he'll come back for an autumn campaign with the [G1 Prix de l'] Arc [de Triomphe] in mind.”

In Swoop, half-brother to a 2021 Highland Reel (Ire) filly, is one of three pattern-race winners and the leading performer produced by G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) heroine Iota (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), who is also the dam of In Swoop's G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern-winning full-brother Ito (Ger) and Group 3 victrix Igraine (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}). Iota is herself kin to G3 Grand Prix Premiere Aufgalopp victor Illo (Ger), G1 Preis von Europa third Ioannina (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and to the dam of G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft victor Itobo (Ger) (Areion {Ger}). In Swoop's second dam Iora (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}) is the sole produce out of Listed Festa-Rennen runner-up Incitation (Be My Guest), who in turn is a daughter of Listed Fruhjahrs Stutenpreis victrix Iberica (Ger) (Green Dancer). Descendants of the latter include G2 German 2000 Guineas hero Irian (Ger) (Tertullian) and GSW G1 Preis von Europa runner-up Ibicenco (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}), with this being the dam line of G2 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) heroine Idrissa (Ger) (Tamerlane {GB}).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
GRAND PRIX DE CHANTILLY-G2, €130,000, Chantilly, 6-6, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:45.37, sf.
1–IN SWOOP (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Adlerflug (Ger)
1st Dam: Iota (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire)
2nd Dam: Iora (Ger), by Konigsstuhl (Ger)
3rd Dam: Incitation (Ger), by Be My Guest
O-Gestut Schlenderhan; B-Stall Ullmann (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Olivier Peslier. €74,100. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger & MG1SP-Fr, 8-3-3-1, €1,398,630. *Full to Ito (Ger), Hwt. Older Horse-Ger at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger & GSP-Fr, $321,458; and 1/2 to Igraine (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), GSW-NZ, SW & MGSP-Aus, $218,379; and Iniciar (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sublimis (Ire), 126, g, 5, Shamardal–Be Fabulous (Ger), by Samum (Ger). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €28,600.
3–Vaucelles (Fr), 122, f, 4, Le Havre (Ire)–Vaunoise (Ire), by Teofilo (Ire). O-Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Franklin Finance SA (FR); T-Pascal Bary. €13,650.
Margins: HF, NK, 1 3/4. Odds: 0.60, 3.60, 3.80.
Also Ran: Lord Achilles (Fr), Nagano Gold (GB), Influx (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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In 2019, the stud, which is the oldest of its kind in Germany, celebrated its 150th anniversary. Since 1869, Schlenderhan has remained almost exclusively under the ownership of the same family, its current owner Baron Georg von Ullmann being the great great-grandson of the stud's founder Eduard von Oppenheim.

It was in von Ullmann's own colours that the stud's great flagbearer of the modern age, the legendary stallion Monsun (Ger), raced, as well as a number of his most successful offspring. Monsun was himself bred at Gestut Isarland, but the likes of his G1 Coronation Cup and GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Shirocco (Ger), and Group 1 winners Getaway (Ger) and Guadalupe (Ger) were among those to have been bred by Ullmann during Monsun's long reign at Schlenderhan, which in turn played its part in bringing the stud to greater worldwide prominence. Its reputation does not lie solely with the dark brown son of Konigsstuhl (Ger), however. In fact, far from it.

As with all breeding operations, success depends on the depth, development and durability of the female lines. Schlenderhan's most prodigious family is that of the homebred German Derby and Oaks winner Asterblute (Ger) (Pharis {Fr}), which has had an incalculable influence on the modern-day breed via the great mare's fifth-generation descendant Allegretta, the dam of Urban Sea (Miswaki), Allez Les Trois (Riverman) and King's Best (Kingmambo).

This family is represented still in the paddocks at Bergheim, to the west of Cologne, though one particularly appealing member of the dynasty was lost recently just as it appeared that his star was very much in the ascendant. Germany's reigning champion stallion Adlerflug (Ger), a son of In The Wings (GB), died of an apparent heart attack not long after covering a mare in early April. The homebred Deutsches Derby winner was a grandson of Anatevka (Ger) (Espresso {GB}), who is also the dam of Allegretta. Last season he provided Schlenderhan with its 19th winner of the Deutsches Derby, In Swoop (Ire), who went on to run second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

“We were very unlucky this year to lose Adlerflug, because in my opinion he was really one of the up-and-coming stallions,” says Baron von Ullmann.

“For the first time he had a very international book, so there was to a degree a fantasy looking forward, but unfortunately that was not to be. The same happened with Monsun. At the beginning, he covered only about 40 mares.”

Adlerflug was crowned champion for the first time in 2020, in the year in which he had covered just 39 mares. His book for this season was set to be larger, though still nowhere near the number that some stallions cover in Britain, Ireland and France.

The breeder adds, “We don't have the kind of stallions who cover big books. Firstly, we don't have the capacity, but second, I don't believe in IKEA, I believe in Faberge. In my opinion, if a stallion covers a smaller number of mares and then they really fire, then the value of their stock is much higher. It took Monsun a couple of years to get recognised, but he was one of the three stallions worldwide to be voted to the Hall of Fame while still alive. He was a darling really.”

Shirocco, Getaway, and former Horse of the Year Manduro (Ger) helped to bring  Monsun's name to greater international attention on the racecourse sporting the yellow-and-blue silks which have now been passed to the baron's son, Philip. In Swoop and recent G1 Prix Ganay winner Mare Australis (Ire) (Australia {GB}) race in the historic Schlenderhan colours inherited from their owner's mother, Baronin Karin von Ullmann, the breeder of Adlerflug, who died in 2009.

“Philip has a couple of horses in training in France with Francis Graffard and four in Germany,” explains his father. “He also has a couple of mares at Schlenderhan. He reads a lot and asks a lot of questions, some good, some stupid, but for my wife and I, it is nice to see that the future is safe. We are very thankful that Philip is really interested and we are very sure that at one point when our feet are not on the ground here any more that he will take over.”

It is indeed a reassuring position to be in as the fortunes of the Thoroughbred breeding industry worldwide wax and wane with the passing of some significant figures. Continuity has long been the watchword at Schlenderhan, with the development of the equine families being every bit as important as the extension of the human dynasty charged with their care.

“We really try to be very careful to our old bloodlines,” says Baron von Ullmann. “This is the essence of Schlenderhan. Of course sometimes you have to let go. Our 'P' family of Priamos (Ger) (Birkhahn {Ger}), from Palazzo (GB) (Dante {GB}), who we bought in Newmarket in the 60s, this is dead. We have nothing left. But I am a strong believer in taking care of families and giving them a chance. We try to have the minimum of three of their offspring on the racecourse to judge, and then if they have gone to good sires and they don't produce, then you have to say, 'okay, this isn't working'. But I am very much against this idea of commercial breeding. The words 'commercial breeding' in my opinion are false. Either you breed or you don't breed. Commercial breeding is neither fish nor meat. You have to give these animals a chance. If you are not willing to do so or you don't have the patience, then, in my opinion, you shouldn't breed. You need patience with the mares and with the sport. There are so many things that go wrong, but there is mostly a reason they went wrong and you have to give it a second chance.”

The baron's lessons have been long learned since his days of walking out to the paddocks as a toddler alongside his grandmother. “I grew up with it absolutely,” he says. “Though in the 50s and at the start of the 60s, children were not particularly popular at the racetracks, but that has changed.”

The stud is home to 27 active broodmares as well as some notable retirees.

He adds, “We always have one paddock for the old ladies and they are friends forever and get treated exactly like every other horse. Guadalupe is there at the moment along with Walzerkoenigin and they are very happy. They get a huge thank you and when they die they get a stone in our cemetery alongside the great horses like Schwarzgold, Oleander, and of course Tertullian, who died a few years ago.”

Ullmann takes deserved pride in the widespread influence of his family's breeding endeavours.

“If you look at the old studs and you go through the bloodlines, with at least 50 per cent you will find some Schlenderhan blood,” he says.

“[Ewald] Meyer zu Duete, the old manager in the 1950s and 60s with my grandmother, when there was still the Iron Curtain, organised the swap of Birkhahn with a stallion from here. And without Birkhahn coming here, there wouldn't be a Surumu (Ger), there wouldn't be a Galileo (Ire). If Meyer hadn't done this then worldwide breeding would have a huge gap.”

Indeed, just a cursory glance at the potential field for this year's Derby shows the extent of the sprawl of this influence, with eight of the first 10 in the betting being sired either by Galileo, his half-brother Sea The Stars (Ire), or his sons Frankel (GB) and New Approach (Ire).

The loss of Galileo's close relative Adlerflug means that the Schlenderhan sire ranks are reduced to two, standing just down the road in the stallion wing of Gestut Erftmuhle. The 10-year-olds Ito (Ger) and Guiliani (Ger) both provide memories of formers residents, with the former being a son of Adlerflug out of the G1 Preis der Diana winner Iota (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}) and thus a brother to In Swoop, while Guiliani is by Tertullian out of Monsun's aforementioned Classic-winning daughter Guadalupe.

Both were trained by Schlenderhan's former retained trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho but the stud's private training centre was sold several years ago, with the racehorses now being trained by Markus Klug and Andreas Wohler in Germany as well as Andre Fabre, Francis Graffard and Gavin Hernon in Chantilly. Graffard and Fabre have provided the owner/breeder with his two most recent Group 1 winners, In Swoop and Mare Australis, and the relationship with Fabre stretches back almost two decades.

“The first horse I had with Fabre was Shirocco and I told him at Belmont [at the Breeders' Cup] that it was the beginning of a new friendship,” Von Ullmann recalls.

“Fabre just really has this feeling. He was very happy when Mare Australis came to him as a 2-year-old, then he called me up and said, 'You will be surprised, but I will give him a rest and he will say thank you'. After the Prix Ganay, he called me again and I said, 'I have one question: from what star are you coming?'”

“He is different from the others. They are top trainers, no doubt, but he is in a completely different league. He is a gifted horseman. And I think what he likes with us is that we are patient. There is no rushing a horse to this race or that, everything is step by step.”

He continues, “We give Fabre later [-maturing] horses, as we know that he likes to take his time, and we give him the horses that–as far as we can see it–have the most potential. But that doesn't mean anything, because if you had asked me last year in March to judge In Swoop, I wouldn't have said that he would come second in the Arc. And if you had asked me three years ago to judge Well Timed, who won the German Oaks, I would have said she was a nice filly that I thought would get black-type. But sometimes in March, April and May they can make a huge jump.”

The leap made by In Swoop last year was perhaps helped by there being no racing until mid-May. But he was ready to go when racing resumed, breaking his maiden on debut three days after the resumption before running third in the G2 Prix Greffulhe and then heading straight to Hamburg for the German Derby. His success will no doubt have helped confirm von Ullmann's favourable impression of his trainer Francis Graffard, who recently saddled the 4-year-old to win the G3 Prix d'Hedouville.

He says, “In my opinion, Graffard is the future. Of course he has to learn, he is young, but he is absolutely perfect.”

The trainer's stock will surely rise yet higher if Martial Eagle (Ire), another son of Adlerflug, can convert his own recent third-place finish in the Greffulhe to bring Schlenderhan a 20th victory in Germany's most important race. Along with In Swoop and Mare Australis, he has also been given an Arc entry.

The breeder is still clearly supportive of the German racing and breeding industry while acknowledging that it is in decline. The country's Thoroughbred bloodlines, however, with many of them etched deep in the fabric of Schlenderhan, continue to have an impact on top-class racing the world over.

“Germany has its problems, there is no doubt about it,” says von Ullmann. “With betting, with the racecourses, which, bar one or two, all need a facelift. We are fortunate that in Schlenderhan we have extremely good land and we don't have to add anything to it for the mares or the young horses. Then we have the bloodlines and through that, the sport is fundable. It would be nice if Germany was in better shape,  but there is nothing stopping us racing elsewhere–in France or Ireland or Australia. The only place I would not have a horse is in America with all its problems. But from Cologne to Paris is not much farther than Cologne to Hoppegarten or Munich, so it's no problem for us. I had horses in England with Geoff Wragg and Henry Cecil and it was a delight to be in Newmarket. It is the same delight to be in Chantilly.”

No doubt the French experience will be sweetened still if, come October, Schlenderhan can add a homebred Arc winner to its list of achievements. To have three potential chances from a broodmare band of less than 30 throws into sharp relief the stud whose influence runs deep through the breed as we have come to know it.

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In Swoop's dam Iota (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), who collected the G1 Preis der Diana, is also the dam of his G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern-winning full-brother Ito (Ger) and the New Zealand group 3 scorer Igraine (Ger) by Adlerlfug's close relative Galileo (Ire). She is kin to the group 3 winner Illo (Ger) (Tertullian) and the G1 Preis von Europa-placed Ioannina (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and to the dam of the G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft winner Itobo (Ger) (Areion {Ger}). Also connected to the G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen winner Irian (Ger) (Tertullian) and the G3 Geelong Cup scorer and G1 Preis von Europa runner-up Ibicenco (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}), her as-yet unraced 3-year-old filly by Australia (GB) is named Iffy (Ger) while she also has a filly foal by Highland Reel (Ire).

Thursday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX D'HEDOUVILLE-G3, €80,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-13, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:36.81, sf.
1–IN SWOOP (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Adlerflug (Ger)
1st Dam: Iota (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire)
2nd Dam: Iora (Ger), by Konigsstuhl (Ger)
3rd Dam: Incitation (Ger), by Be My Guest
O-Gestut Schlenderhan; B-Stall Ullmann (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Olivier Peslier. €40,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger & MG1SP-Fr, 7-2-3-1, €1,324,530. *Full to Ito (Ger), Hwt. Older Horse-Ger at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger & GSP-Fr, $321,458; and 1/2 to Igraine (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), GSW-NZ, SW & MGSP-Aus, $218,379; and Iniciar (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Good Man (Fr), 128, c, 4, Manduro (Ger)–So Good (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Adrian Pratt, Martin Ingram, Peter David Anwyl-Harris, Stephane Wattel & Lord Clinton; B-SARL Haras de Saint-Faust, Haras d'Idernes & SAS Gerard Larr (FR); T-Stephane Wattel. €16,000.
3–Sublimis (Ire), 128, g, 5, Shamardal–Be Fabulous (Ger), by Samum (Ger). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1HF, SHD. Odds: 0.50, 15.00, 2.20.
Also Ran: Influx (Ire), Lord Achilles (Fr), Home Sweet Home (Fr), Nagano Gold (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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