Baden-Baden

BADEN-BADEN, Germany--After a day of a few false starts and high-priced vendor buy-backs, BBAG's major yearling sale presented its headline act late in the afternoon when Gestüt Haus Ittlingen's Frankel (GB) half-brother to the G3 Hamburger Meile victrix Calyxa (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) sold for €350,000 to Godolphin. From a smaller catalogue this year,195 horses went through the ring and though some of potential star acts were returned to their breeders, the day's clearance rate was greatly improved on recent years at 79.5%, with 155 yearlings sold. That upturn from 66.5%...

Bidding to follow in the steps of Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}), Starman (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) is the latest G1 July Cup hero to attempt a notable double in Saturday's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock. Only third behind Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) on unsuitably soft ground in the 6 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville Aug. 8, David Ward's homebred is back on his favoured fast surface over the six-furlong trip of his July 10 Newmarket victory. Trainer Ed Walker...

BADEN-BADEN, Germany--There was a dramatic start to the day on the eve of Germany's premier yearling sale at BBAG when a number of agents, vets and consignors were evacuated as the Radisson Blu Badischer Hof Hotel caught fire in the early hours of Thursday morning. Solenn Gouesnard of Haras d'Ombreville was taken to hospital temporarily with smoke inhalation but everyone else escaped unscathed, though many were left without clothes and passports. "We spent all night on the street in pyjamas," said Matt Coleman, who had arrived with a group which...

Off the mark on debut at Mulheim July 11, Stall Domstadt's Rocchigiani (GB) provided The National Stud's first-season sire Time Test (GB) with a first group winner and second black-type winner overall in Wednesday's G3 Renate und Albrecht Woeste Zukunftsrennen at Baden-Baden. Buried in mid-pack early, the Peter Schiergen-trained 19-5 second favourite was delivered by Bauyrzhan Murzabayev to take over with two furlongs remaining and deny Arnis Master (Ger) (Tai Chi {Ger}) by 1 1/2 lengths. The dam Ronja (El Corredor), who was successful in the Listed Dusseldorfer Henkel-Stutenpreis, also...

Baden-Baden's 'Grosse Woche', which includes some top-class racing action alongside music festivals and Germany's major yearling sale at BBAG, begins on Sunday, with the G3 Preis der Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe as the highlight of an 11-race card. After a 10-month break, and with the racecourse at Iffezheim under new management, the 'Super Sunday' fixture ushers in four meetings--down from six in previous years--throughout the week, culminating in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden the following Sunday. Among those set to line up in this Sunday's Group 3 contest over 2,000 metres is...

The BBAG August Sale, a new sale comprised mainly of horses-in-training that have entries during German racing's Big Week at Baden-Baden, was announced by the sales company on Wednesday. A single-day sale, action will begin at 2 p.m. local time on Aug. 20, with the Big Week of racing kicking off from Aug. 29-Sept. 5. Bids will be accepted in person, by phone or online. All horses in the catalogue can be viewed at their respective racing stables. Registration deadline for the auction is Friday, Aug. 13. Buyers can register...

Manfred Schmelzer's Noble Heidi (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) added to trainer Henk Grewe's regular Tours de France tally with a July 1 debut win over seven furlongs at Compiegne, slipping to third in an Aug. 21 heat over the same distance at Clairefontaine, and she regained the winning thread upped to one mile at Chantilly last month, defeating subsequent G3 Prix Thomas Bryon second Homeryan (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in that Sept. 1 test. She was sent postward as the 17-10 selection for Sunday's G3 Preis der Winterkonigin, Germany's premier...

After Ascot's Qipco British Champions Day, it is time again to look to the future and Sunday's action features some choice German juvenile fillies in Baden-Baden's G3 Preis der Winterkonigin. Manfred Anton Schmelzer's Noble Heidi (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) caused a stir when beating the subsequent G3 Prix Thomas Bryon runner-up Homeryan (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) by five lengths in a mile conditions race at Chantilly on Sept. 12 and understandably occupies favouritism. Gestut Auenquelle's unbeaten Reine d'Amour (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) has course form, having taken the seven-furlong G3...

Godolphin's well-travelled Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}), fresh from success in July's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis - Bayerisches Zuchtrennen at Munich and a fourth in last month's G1 Preis von Europa at Cologne, added another elite-level victory to his resume with a battling victory in Sunday's Longines-sponsored 148th Grosser Preis von Baden. Rider James Doyle employed patient tactics, passing the judge in fifth, before improving one spot along the backstraight. Scrubbed along and fanning wide for his challenge off the home turn, the 4-1 second favourite was ridden to the fore...

Mario Hofer trainee What's Up (Fr) (Bow Creek {Ire}) secures a short-head verdict at Baden-Baden to become the first winner for his Haras du Logis-based freshman sire (by Shamardal). 2nd-Baden-Baden, €5,000, Mdn, 5-24, 2yo, 5fT, 1:01.39, gd. WHAT'S UP (FR) (c, 2, Bow Creek {Ire}--Perfect Bounty {GB}, by Bahamian Bounty {GB}) stalked the pace in second from the outset of a contest reduced to a match by three late scratchings. Angled into a clear lane with 300 metres remaining, the 8-5 second choice received one flick of Mikki Cadeddu's persuader...

Baden-Baden's Spring meeting takes place over the next two days, with Saturday's action featuring the G2 pferdewetten.de Badener Meile and G3 Preis der Annette Hellwig Stiftung Silberne Peitsche. In the former contest, Team Valor's 4-year-old filly Axana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) looks to get her season into full swing having proven a classy member of 2019's Classic generation. Successful in the G3 Karin Baronin Von Ullmann Schwarzgold-Rennen at Cologne in April and G3 100 Jahre Hugo Phohe-Rennen at Hamburg in July either side of a neck second to Main Edition...