By Sean Cronin
Hamburg avoided a clash with Sunday's knockout phase of soccer's European Championships and its early-bird programme featured the €55,000 G3 Sparkasse Holstein Cup (Hamburger Stuten Meile) as the opening day highlight of the venue's G1 Deutsches Derby festival. This year's renewal of the one-mile staging post played host to a match-up of Classic distaffers, with last term's G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) third Sea The Lady (Fr) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) eyeballing this year's G2 German 1000 Guineas third Three Havanas (Ger) (Havana Grey {GB}–Three Ducks {GB}, by Diktat {GB}) in a 10-runner field.
It was the latter, with her tactical speed a key factor here, who claimed bragging rights for the sophomore generation and made all to register a belated first black-type triumph. Three Havanas, a Henk Grewe trainee, was greased lightning from the outside gate and seized an immediate lead. In command throughout and clear by halfway, the 33-10 second choice was stirred into action passing the two pole and kept on strongly in the latter stages to comforably hold the stakes-placed Armira (Ger) (Muhaarar {GB}) by 1 1/2 lengths. Sea The Lady fared best of the remainder and ran on well inside the final quarter-mile to finish 2 3/4 lengths further adrift in third. The winner's former stablemate Muskoka (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) annexed the 2023 renewal of this contest en route to Diana glory at Dusseldorf.
“[Gestut Karlshof's] Holger [Faust] explicitly told me that we must make the running, or at least be in the leading group, and our only real concern was the [one-mile] trip,” revealed in-form jockey Thore Hammer-Hansen, who is Germany's leading rider this year. “Keeping her along the rail throughout really helped her and she responded well in the straight. She is a high-class performer and has confirmed as much in each of her races. She has improved with every run and, hopefully, there is more to come.”
Pedigree Notes
Three Havanas, who also ran second in last season's G2 Premio Dormello, becomes the ninth pattern-race winner for her sire and the first out of a dual-winning half-sister to Listed Prix de Boulogne-winning G2 Prix Noailles third Thames (Fr) (Fabulous Dancer) and Listed Dick Hern Fillies' Stakes victrix Three Wrens (Ire) (Second Empire {Ire}). Descendants of her second dam Three Terns (Arctic Tern) also include G1 Al Quoz Sprint victor The Right Man (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and stakes-winning G3 Legacy Cup (Arc Trial) third Tashaar (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The March-foaled homebred's third dam is G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, G1 Prix Saint-Alary and G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Three Troikas (Fr) (Lyphard).
G3 Sparkasse Holstein Cup (Hamburger Stuten Meile) over 1600m👀
🥇THREE HAVANAS (Havana Grey)
🥈ARMIRA (Muhaarar)
🥉SEA THE LADY (Sea The Moon)THREE HAVANAS is bred and owned by Gestüt Karlshof, trained by Henk Grewe and was ridden by @ThoreHammer pic.twitter.com/jnE1KDoxpG
— Luis Kimmel (@Lskmml_) June 30, 2024
Sunday, Hamburg, Germany
SPARKASSE HOLSTEIN CUP (HAMBURGER STUTEN MEILE)-G3, €55,000, Hamburg, 6-30, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:42.13, g/s.
1–THREE HAVANAS (GER), 118, f, 3, by Havana Grey (GB)
1st Dam: Three Ducks (GB), by Diktat (GB)
2nd Dam: Three Terns, by Arctic Tern
3rd Dam: Three Troikas (Fr), by Lyphard
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€80,000 Ylg '22 BBAGO). O/B-Gestut Karlshof (GER); T-Henk Grewe; J-Thore Hammer-Hansen. €32,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Ity, 8-3-1-1, €177,500. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Armira (Ger), 126, f, 4, Muhaarar (GB)–Artistica (Ger), by Areion (Ger). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Gestut Brummerhof (GER); T-Peter Schiergen. €12,000.
3–Sea The Lady (Fr), 128, f, 4, Sea The Moon (Ger)–Blumenfee (Ger), by Soldier Hollow (GB). (€300,000 3yo '23 ARQDEC). O-Mme Rebecca Hillen; B-Avatara SA (FR); T-Christopher Head. €6,000.
Margins: 1HF, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 3.30, 8.20, 2.30.
Also Ran: Emily (Ger), Hope And Believe (Ire), Pacifica (Swi), Navare (Ger), Royal Night (Ger), Namoa (GB), Wild Perfection (Ger).
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