The Kirsten Rausing-Sir Mark Prescott axis enjoyed a nine-week spree in 2004 when Albanova (GB) (Alzao) registered a trio of German Group 1 successes and her homebred granddaughter Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will bid to emulate that quick-fire feat for the same connections in Sunday's G1 Allianz Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich. Making her mark one year ahead of her illustrious grandmother's schedule, the 4-year-old grey easily accounted for subsequent G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in Hoppegarten's Aug. 8 G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin and she heads postward as a warm order coming back off a comfortable 1 3/4-length defeat of Nerium (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who had run fourth at Hoppegarten, in Cologne's Sept. 26 G1 Preis von Europa.
“Of course we hope that she can emulate her grandmother,” Prescott told Sport-Welt. “It's late in the season now, and the ground has changed compared to previous months, but Alpinista has been in good shape since her last run in Germany.”
Walkaway (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) finished sixth in the latter contest before making a stakes breakthrough in Hannover's Oct. 24 G3 Herbst Stuten Preis while Alpinista's fellow British raider Believe In Love (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) steps back in trip and holds solid claims returning off a short-neck second for Roger Varian in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix de Royallieu on Arc weekend.
Stella Thayer's Control Tower (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}) ran sixth in that 14-furlong stamina test and the Nicolas Clement trainee made a pattern-race breakthrough of her own when annexing Saint-Cloud's Oct. 23 G3 Prix Belle de Nuit by six lengths last time. Stall Salzburg's G2 Prix Eugene Adam fourth Mendocino (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), representing the Sarah Steinberg stable, completes the six-strong cast.
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