Henk Grewe

Germany gets ready to crown its leading 2-year-old on Sunday, with Cologne's G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten aiming to do exactly that; to unveil the ante-post Deutsches Derby favourite to keep the purists warm during the cold months. Sarah Steinberg saddles Liberty Racing 2021's exciting Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), who starred on debut over seven furlongs at Munich Sept. 12, while Gestut Ebbesloh's Peter Schiergen-trained Arcandi (Ger) (Zarak {Fr}) shares a similar profile having scored on debut at this mile trip at Hoppegarten Sept. 16. Cometica AG's See...

ParisLongchamp and Baden-Baden are the vital ingredients for a Champions Day hangover cure with the former's €130,000 G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris taking centre stage as Europe's Sunday highlight. The 11-furlong contest's honour roll includes G1SW globetrotters Vallee Enchantee (Ire) (Peintre Celebre), Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) and Cirrus des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top {Ire}), but this year's edition lacks for that calibre of entrant. Likely favourite in an open affair is AB Racing and Ecurie Ades Hazan's G1 Prix Ganay fourth Monty (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), who sandwiched a short-head...

Fresh off his nine-length victory in the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten on Sunday, Sea Bay (Ger) (New Bay {GB}) was diagnosed with a fracture in his left foreleg about an hour after that win. The operation, to insert four screws to stabalise the limb, was successful on Monday morning Galopp Online reported. "He's back in his box," trainer Henk Grewe told Sport-Welt later that day. "It's still plastered, we hope that the plaster will come off quickly. The forecast is very positive that next year we will see the same...

Gestut Winterhauch's 2-year-old colt Sea Bay (Ger) (New Bay {GB}) graduated with a one-length win in his Aug. 22 debut over seven furlongs at Hannover, but slipped to fourth when upped to one mile for Dusseldorf's Sept. 12 Listed Junioren Preis in his only other start. He had finished behind the reopposing Ariolo (Ger) (Reliable Man {GB}) and Millionaire (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) on stakes bow last time, but overturned that form and found plenty more besides to make Sunday's G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten all his own as he took the...

Darius Racing's Group 3 winner Isfahani (Ger) (Isfahan {Ger}--Identity {Ger}, by Manduro {Ger}), who was runner-up in the 2021 G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks), died suddenly on Thursday. An autopsy is pending. Dr. Stefan Oschmann's Racing Manager Holger Faust said in a statement, "Unfortunately we have to announce that Isfahani passed away suddenly and surprisingly today. We requested an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. It's very sad, she was Dr. Oschmann's favorite horse." Bred by Gestut Karlshof, the chestnut filly was purchased by Faust for €36,000...

Following in the steps of his sire Isfahan (Ger), Sisfahan (Fr) came out on top of the cluster of contenders for Sunday's G1 IDEE Deutsches Derby at Hamburg to realise a dream for Darius Racing. Runner-up in the 11-furlong Listed Derby Trial at Dusseldorf May 30, the €20,000 Arqana Autumn Sale purchase was waited with in rear of the pack early by Andrasch Starke from his wide draw. Remaining towards the tail but in touch straightening for home, the Henk Grewe-trained chestnut was sent towards the far rail as Stall...

Haras d'Etreham, which recently welcomed Group 1 winners Hello Youmzain (Ire) and Persian King (GB) to its roster after the sale of Wootton Bassett to Coolmore this year, has bought into another stallion prospect in top German 3-year-old Wonderful Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). Wonderful Moon will race at four under the partnership of Etreham and the horse's original owners Stall Wasserfreunde with trainer Henk Grewe. Wonderful Moon announced himself as a top-class prospect when winning last year's G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen by 12 lengths. He built on that...

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...

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...

Gestut Auenquelle's Virginia Storm (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), a full-brother to Saturday's €975,000 Arqana Arc Sale topper Virginia Joy (Ger), registered a narrow debut verdict tackling 8 1/2 furlongs at Dusseldorf on Sunday. 1st-Dusseldorf, €5,100, Mdn, 10-4, 2yo, 8 1/2fT, 1:46.43, g/s. VIRGINIA STORM (GER) (c, 2, Soldier Hollow {GB}--Virginia Sun {Ger} {Hwt. Older Mare-Ger at 14f+ & GSW-Ger}, by Doyen {Ire}) was allowed time to find a comfortable rhythm and raced in a prominent second for most of this debut. Rowed along at the top of the straight, the...

The G1 Preis von Europa winner Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}) will miss the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and will be aimed instead towards the Breeders' Cup meeting at Keeneland. The 4-year-old, who races for Dr Stefan Oschmann's Darius Racing, made her most recent start in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, in which she was fourth, finishing less than two lengths behind the winner Barney Roy (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}). "We had a discussion today and Dr. Oschmann decided that Donjah shouldn't run in the Prix de l'Arc de...

German Group 1 winner Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}), who won the G1 Preis von Europa at Cologne on Aug. 15, is pointing toward the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as her season finale on Oct. 4. The Darius Racing colourbearer will first step forward in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden on Sept. 13, but trainer Henk Grewe is pleased with how the 4-year-old filly has come out of her latest effort. "Donjah is a horse apart," Grewe told the France Galop notes team. "She is fantastic. Our...