Tag: Shared News Europe

Former German Champion Jockey Filip Minarik Dies at 48

Filip Minarik, the former four-time champion jockey in Germany, died on Monday at the age of 48.

Born in the Czech Republic, Minarik rode in Germany from 1992 and by the time of his enforced retirement following a race fall in July 2020 had posted 1,669 wins in the country that had become his second home. He was champion jockey in 2005, 2011, 2016 and 2017, and rode 14 Group 1 winners during that time, including four victories in each of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern.

As well as riding in France and Japan, he captained the winning European team in the Shergar Cup of 2019 when riding Stone Of Destiny (GB) to victory at Ascot for Andrew Balding. 

The following year, Minarik was seriously injured in a race fall at Mannheim and spent four weeks in an induced coma after being hospitalised with head injuries and a broken leg and ankle. He was eventually released from hospital in November 2020 but the extent of his brain injury meant he was unable to resume his career in the saddle.

Daniel Krüger, managing director of Deutscher Galopp, said, “With Filip Minarik we are losing a valued colleague and true friend who loved horse racing since he was a child. I am shocked and deeply saddened.”

Minarik is survived by his wife Katja and daughter Finja.

Speaking to Germany's Galopponline website, Katja Minarik said, “We fought so hard, but in the end we lost the battle against the ever-increasing depression. We need time to realise and process what has happened.”

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Irish 2,000 Guineas Winner Native Trail To Stand At Kildangan Stud

Irish 2,000 Guineas winner and unbeaten European Champion Two-Year-Old Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) will stand at Kildangan Stud for 2024. 

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Native Trail carried the Godolphin blue throughout his career, which featured a stellar unbeaten juvenile campaign in 2021 which culminated with spellbinding performances in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien S at the Curragh followed by the G1 Dewhurst S. at Newmarket. 

After landing the G3 Craven S. on his seasonal return at three, he found only stablemate Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) too tough in the 2,000 Guineas, but made the Classic breakthrough in the Irish equivalent. 

Sam Bullard, Darley's director of stallions, commented, “What a horse. He never failed to take the eye, and when you watch those big wins of his, across two demanding seasons, it's very impressive.”

He added, “We are privileged to be standing a champion like him at Kildangan Stud. It's a while since our first Champion Two-Year-Old who went on to win a Classic retired to stud at Kildangan; that horse was Shamardal, and who's to say Native Trail won't do just as well?”

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‘He’s Been Fantastic’ – Muir Brings Curtain Down On Pyledriver’s Career

Dual Group 1 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), who won over £2 million in prize-money and took his trainers William Muir and Chris Grassick to some of the top races around the world, has been retired. 

Pyledriver suffered a setback ahead of an intended appearance at Kempton on Saturday leaving Muir with a straightforward decision to retire his horse of a lifetime.

Winner of the 2021 Coronation Cup at Epsom and last year's King George at Ascot, the six-year-old had been preparing for a possible tilt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but his joint-trainer says now is the right time to retire the classy performer.

“He worked on Saturday and to be honest he was sensational. He's never a horse we've galloped off the bridle and done anything stupid with, but it was just the way he did it, the way he moved, the way he looked and he marched off the gallops like a lion,” Muir said on Tuesday.

“I actually said to the owners 'you've just seen your next winner' and he was fine 90 per cent of the way home, but when he got back to the yard he was just a little bit sore in the same place we first got the suspensory injury before.

“I called my vet and he said he'd just tweaked it and had a bit of inflammation round it and he was really sore to touch it, but like Pyledriver does on Sunday morning he was 100 per cent sound and bucking and kicking.

“We had him on the walker on Sunday and cantered him on Monday and the vet came back and looked at him and couldn't believe it.

“We could run him on Saturday and he might win, but the horse has done so much for us and I just feel if I ran him and he tweaked it there's a good chance he could do some damage, or like all of us if you've got a little niggle somewhere do you put more weight somewhere else and cause a problem?”

Muir added, “This horse has been fantastic to all of us, to the owners, to me, to the yard and to the jockeys that have ridden him and he doesn't deserve anything to go wrong, so I think it's the right time.

“He's been a fantastic servant, but it isn't just him. I'd be the same if this was a small-time runner at Southwell on a Saturday night. It's just the case that I'm in this game because I love animals, I've worked with horses all my life and we've got to do what's right. My mind and my heart is telling me it's the right thing to do at this time.”

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Irish Equine Centre Celebrating 40 Years

The Irish Equine Centre, opened in 1983, will host a 40th anniversary celebration at its headquarters in Johnstown, Naas Co. Kildare on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 13.

In addition to the centre's founders, trustees, board members and staff members expected to be in attendance, the Irish Equine Centre has formally invited Martin Heydon, Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, as the guest of honour and to speak about the centre's commitment to protecting the national equine herd for the past four decades.

Leo Powell of The Irish Field will serve as the celebration's Master of Ceremonies and IEC's chairman John Malone will speak to the attendees.

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