Helmut von Finck

A day after his daughter Tamfana (Ger) was beaten just a length in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, leading German sire Soldier Hollow (GB) has died at the age of 24. The stallion's death was announced on social media by his owner Helmut von Finck of Gestut Park Wiedingen. He said, "Soldier Hollow the horse of my life...You were my hero, my life and infinitely more. Rest in peace, I'm lost for words today but I'll carry you in my heart forever." Bred in England by Car Colston Hall Stud,...

A Ghaiyyath (Ire) half-brother to 2022 G1 Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) arrived on Tuesday. Said Gestut Park Wiedingen's Helmut von Finck on Twitter, "[A] very nice Ghaiyyath colt, [who is a] half-brother to Derby winner Sammarco, was born yesterday [Tuesday]." The duo are out of the two-time winner Saloon Sold (Ger) (Spectrum {Ire}), who placed third in the Listed Winterkonigin Trial. Her juvenile filly by Saxon Warrior (Jpn) made €11,000 at the BBAG October Mixed Sale, and her yearling colt, by Areion (Ger), has been named Shootout...

This season we appear to have been gifted an above average crop of 3-year-olds, along with some truly exciting older horses who have remained in training. It is as it should be, but things don't always work out that way.  France and England exchanged Group 1 races at the weekend: on Saturday it was a case of veni, vidi, vici for Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}), who gave France a first victory in the race since 1960, when it was won by the Percy Carter-trained Javelot (Fr) (Fast Fox {Fr}). The...

The German breeding industry was dealt a blow this week with the death of 17-year-old Adlerflug (Ger). In 2020, the Gestüt Schlenderhan stallion wrested the German sires' championship from another son of In The Wings (GB), Soldier Hollow (GB), who was runner-up and who had the highest number of winners overall. Soldier Hollow had previously been champion sire in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Adlerflug, whose grandam Alya (Ger) (Lombard {Ger}) was a sister to Allegretta (GB), the dam of Urban Sea (Miswaki), hails directly from the family of Galileo (Ire)...