By Tom Frary
Bouncing back to form at Cologne on Sunday, last year's G1 Deutsches Derby hero Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) registered a first success since the G2 Prix Niel in September in the re-scheduled G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft.
Keen early under restraint from Rene Piechulek racing in mid-division, the Sarah Steinberg-trained 4-year-old was delivered in the centre of the track and had a slight edge with a furlong remaining.
Asserting from there, the 3-1 second favourite had a neck to spare over the 11-5 market-leader Lordano (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}). Jockey Rene Piechulek was excited to see his mount put a substandard effort when last in the G1 Prix Ganay firmly behind him. “Now that's my boy again! I had a perfect race and he made it easy for me,” he said. “I asked him for more and today he didn't let me down.”
Pedigree Notes
Fantastic Moon, whose 3-year-old half-sister Fang Mich (Ger) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) scored at Dresden on Saturday, is out of Frangipani (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) who is kin to the G3 Sveat Minnelop winner Fearless Hunter (Ger) (Alhaarth {Ire}). Also related to the G3 Prestige S. scorer Kilmah (GB) (Sepoy {Aus}) and the Stateside heavyweights Jack Christopher (Munnings) and Street Boss (Street Cry {Ire}), her yearling filly by Masar (Ire) is named Fire And Ice (Ger).
G2 Großer Preis von @wettstar_de over 2200m at Cologne👀
🥇FANTASTIC MOON (Sea The Moon)
🥈LORDANO (Adlerflug)
🥉ASSISTENT (Sea The Moon)FANTASTIC MOON is bred by @StauffenbergBS, owned by Liberty Racing, trained by Sarah Steinberg and was ridden by @RenePiechulek 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/CfMLJBXmmD
— Deutscher Galopp (@DeutscherGalopp) June 16, 2024
Sunday, Cologne, Germany
GROSSER PREIS VON WETTSTAR.DE (GROSSER PREIS DER BADISCHEN WIRTSCHAFT)-G2, €70,000, Cologne, 6-16, 4yo/up, 11fT, 2:16.05, g/s.
1–FANTASTIC MOON (GER), 130, c, 4, by Sea The Moon (Ger)
1st Dam: Frangipani (Ger), by Jukebox Jury (Ire)
2nd Dam: Firedance (Ger), by Lomitas (GB)
3rd Dam: Fraulein Tobin, by J. O. Tobin
(€49,000 Ylg '21 BBASEP). O-Liberty Racing 2021; B-Graf & Grafin von Stauffenberg (GER); T-Sarah Steinberg; J-Rene Piechulek. €32,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ger & GSW-Fr, 11-6-2-1, €662,951. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lordano (Ger), 128, g, 5, Adlerflug (Ger)–Labrice (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). O/B-Gestut Ittlingen (GER); T-Marcel Weiss. €15,500.
3–Assistent (Ger), 128, h, 5, Sea The Moon (Ger)–Anna Kalla (Ger), by Kallisto (Ger). (€58,000 Ylg '20 BBASEP; €590,000 RNA HRA '23 ARQARC). O-Eckhard Sauren; B-Gestut Rottgen (GER); T-Henk Grewe. €8,000.
Margins: NK, 3/4, SHD. Odds: 3.10, 2.20, 4.50.
Also Ran: Tunnes (Ger), Straight (Ger), Petit Marin (Ger), Napolitano (Ire), Quantanamera (Ger).
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