Lordano (Ger)

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)...

With the late scratching of Germany's leading marathoner and morning line favourite Lordano (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), jockey Rene Piechulek made the switch to Gestut Ittlingen's alternate Alessio (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}--Alandia {Ire}, by Adlerflug {Ger}) and made the most of that ownermate's absence to register a career high in Sunday's G2 Comer Group International 53rd Oleander-Rennen at Hoppegarten. Alessio, who ran sixth in 2022's G1 Deutsches Derby, notched a first pattern-race win in October's G3 The Land Trophy at Baden-Baden and brought the curtain down on 2023 with a runner-up finish...