By Sean Cronin
After the dust had settled on another edition of the Breeders' Cup extravaganza Stateside, elite-level action continued apace in Germany with Munich staging Sunday's Allianz-sponsored G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern, the country's penultimate pattern-race event of the season, and Cayton Park Stud's Sunny Queen (Ger) (Camelot {GB}) stepped forward to claim a career high in the 12-furlong feature. The February-foaled bay, untested as a juvenile, registered a May 7 debut third at Hannover when the German season rebooted in earnest and pounced for a first stakes success in the Listed Goddert Sybrecht-Erinnerungsrennen back there two weeks' later. On a brief sabbatical until running fourth in Baden-Baden's Sept. 12 G2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis, she returned to Hannover and regained the winning habit in the Oct. 4 Listed Gorilla Millions Cup, but was narrowly denied when a short-head second in the Oct. 25 G3 Grosser Preis der Mehl-Mulhens-Stiftung back at the Neue Bult venue last time. Making her first start in the Cayton Park Stud silks here, Sunny Queen settled several lengths off the pace as Tabera (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and Manuela de Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) established a clear advantage up front. Making eyecatching headway under urging as the pacesetters were swamped in the straight, the 23-1 chance moved to within striking distance with 300 metres remaining and kept on resolutely under a late drive to deny G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) by a neck nearing the line for a career high. The winner's stablemate Dicaprio (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) finished another two lengths adrift in third.
“I'm speechless,” jockey Rene Piechulek told GaloppOnline after registering a first Group 1 win of his own. “The filly has a huge heart, I knew that she could fight and that was amazing.” Trainer Henk Grewe added, “I don't know if [former owner] Stefan Hahne is happy or not, there have already been many offers for her and now she is worth even more. I paid slightly more attention to Dicaprio during the race and when they turned for home I realised that Sunny Queen also had a very good chance of winning.”
Sunny Queen becomes the fourth Group 1 winner this year, and seventh overall, for her sire and she is also the first top-level scorer for multiple winner Suivi (Ger) (Darshaan {GB}), herself kin to a quartet of black-type scorers, headed by G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis and G2 Grosser Mercedes Benz-Preis scorer Simoun (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}). Suivi, whose five winners also feature Listed Neue Bult Derby Trial victor Suestado (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), is also half to the stakes-winning dams of GSW G1 Deutsches Derby runner-up Savoir Vivre (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and MG1SW US champion Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), who in turn produced MG1SW dual Japanese champion Soul Stirring (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}). Sunny Queen's third dam Sea Symphony (Faraway Son) is kin to four stakes winners, most notably MGISW Breeders' Cup Mile hero Steinlen (GB) (Habitat) and the stakes-winning dam of G1 Irish Derby hero Zagreb (Theatrical {Ire}). Suivi has an unraced 2-year-old filly and a yearling colt by Isfahan (Ger) to come.
Sunday, Munich, Germany
ALLIANZ – GROSSER PREIS VON BAYERN-G1, €155,000, Munich, 11-8, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:40.94, sf.
1–SUNNY QUEEN (GER), 125, f, 3, by Camelot%20(GB)#tot">Camelot (GB)
1st Dam: Suivi (Ger), by Darshaan (GB)
2nd Dam: Suivez (Fr), by Fioravanti
3rd Dam: Sea Symphony (GB), by Faraway Son
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€35,000 Ylg '18 BBAGS). O-Cayton Park Stud Ltd; B-Anahita Stables (GER); T-Henk Grewe; J-Rene Piechulek. €100,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-1, €124,450. *1/2 to Suestado (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), SW-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Torquator Tasso (Ger), 128, c, 3, Adlerflug (Ger)–Tijuana (Ger), by Toylsome (GB). (€24,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO). O-Gestut Auenquelle; B-Paul H Vandeberg (GER); T-Marcel Weiss. €30,000.
3–Dicaprio (Ger), 128, c, 3, Adlerflug (Ger)–Donna Lavinia (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger). (€10,000 RNA Ylg '18 BBAGO). O-Christoph Holschbach & Thomas Krauth; B-Christoph Holschbach (GER); T-Henk Grewe. €15,000.
Margins: NK, 2, 3. Odds: 22.70, 2.40, 3.10.
Also Ran: Secret Advisor (Fr), Tax For Max (Ger), Antonia de Vega (Ire), Morando (Fr), Tabera (GB), Indian Soldier (Ire), Walderbe (Ger), Manuela de Vega (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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