Peter Schiergen

The unforgettably named Thore Hammer-Hansen bade farewell to British racing at the end of last season to take up a retainer with leading German owner Eckhard Sauren. On Sunday he will go to post for the G1 Deutsches Derby as the leading rider in the country.  In many respects it was a homecoming for the young jockey, who was born in Cologne and spent some of his formative years in Baden-Baden, where his Danish-born father Lennart was riding and later training. It can also be regarded as a wise move. ...

Gestut Ittlingen's 3-year-old colt Narrativo (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}--Nicella {Ger}, by Lando {Ger}), who hit the board in last month's G3 Prix Hocquart at ParisLongchamp, was too good for eight domestic rivals on home soil and booked his ticket to next month's G1 Deutsches Derby with a decisive victory in Sunday's G2 Sparkasse KolnBonn 189th Union-Rennen at Cologne. Trainer Peter Schiergen's four prior winners of the 11-furlong contest include 2022's subsequent Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ger) (Camelot {GB}). Last term's G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten runner-up employed patient tactics from flagfall and...

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...

Stall Hanse's Geography (Ger) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}--Guajara {Ger}, by Montjeu {Ire}) followed up a debut success at Dusseldorf in August with a fifth in Baden-Baden's G3 Zukunfts-Rennen and bounced back to claim a career high in Sunday's G3 Wettstar.de - Preis des Winterfavoriten, Germany's premier juvenile contest, at Cologne. The 21-10 second choice was the sharpest of seven into stride and tanked along under a firm on the lead from flagfall in this first attempt at this one-mile distance. Shaken up to poach a decisive advantage with 500 metres...

Stall Hanse's Calif (Ger) (Areion {Ger}--Cherry Danon {Ire}, by Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who ran sixth in two Group 3 starts after annexing May's G3 45th Kronimus Badener Meile at Baden-Baden, returned over the same one-mile strip of that stakes breakthrough to double his pattern-race tally in Sunday's G2 90th Brunner Oettingen-Rennen at the Iffezheim venue. The 17-2 chance occupied a slot in rear after a slightly tardy getaway and remained there through halfway. Shaken up when sent wide into the straight, he made relentless headway from the two pole...

Stall Nizza's homebred 2-year-old Alpenjager (Ger) (Nutan {Ire}--Amora {Ire}, by High Chaparral {Ire}) encountered the 'TDN Rising Star' display of Aspirant (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}) going one mile in his Sept. 11 debut at Dusseldorf and shed maiden status in impressive fashion when returning to action over the same course and distance last month. He was hammered into 11-5 favouritism, off the back that 3 1/2-length tally, for Sunday's G3 Krefelder Fur Krefeld Grosser Preis der Brauerei Konigshof - Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen at Krefeld and justified support at the tills with...

Continuing his march towards the heights achieved by his celebrated half-brother Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), Holger Renz's Tunnes (Ger) (Guiliani {Ire}--Tijuana {Ger), by Toylsome {GB}) went Flightline-like through Munich's mud to register a formidable 10-length success in Sunday's G1 Allianz Grosser Preis von Bayern. Already firmly established among the elite of his country's middle-distance and staying performers having won his last two starts including Dortmund's Sept. 18 G3 Deutsches St Leger by a cumulative margin of 14 lengths, the Peter Schiergen-trained chestnut was only warming up for this tour...

Holger Renz's accidental purchase Tunnes (Ger) (Guiliani {Ire}--Tijuana {Ger), by Toylsome {GB}), a half-brother to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) who was acquired as the result of an online oversight, brought the curtain down on his juvenile campaign with a win in Krefeld's Nov. 14 G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen. Having passed on his G1 Deutsches Derby engagement this term, he made a successful comeback in a Baden-Baden conditions heat at the end of last month and continued his winning streak with a wide-margin...

Off the track since winning the G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen at Krefeld in November, Holger Renz's Tunnes (Ger) (Guiliani {Ire}) who is a half-brother to the internationally-renowned G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe , G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) stormed back onto the scene at Baden-Baden on Wednesday. Confidently-backed into 9-10 favouritism for the Preis der BBAG-Jährlingsauktion, the Peter Schiergen-trained chestnut was full of running in the hands of Bauyrzhan Murzabayev throughout the early stages in a share of third. Moved...

Tornadic (GB) (Toronado {Ire}), who went within a neck of winning the valuable Grand Handicap de Deauville when last seen Aug. 7, was sold for €150,000 to Youssef Mohammed Alturaif (YMT Farm) to top Friday's first edition of the Arqana August Online Sale. The first of seven offerings during the online auction, the consistent 4-year-old, previously trained by Jerome Reynier, rode a three-race winning streak into the Grand Handicap, having won at handicap level at Compiegne in April before consecutive victories at Saint-Cloud in May and June. YMT Farm was...

The elders smothered last week's G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot, dominating once more in this week's G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood, but the Class of 2019 landed a telling counterpunch as Gestut Park Wiedingen's homebred G1 Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ger) (Camelot {GB}--Saloon Sold {Ger} {SP-Ger}, by Soldier Hollow {GB}) annexed the latest elite-level clash of the generations, doing so with aplomb, in Sunday's 10-furlong G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis - Bayerisches Zuchtrennen at Munich. Sammarco, who saluted in his Oct. 31 debut at Halle, suffered his...

Goodwood may not have attracted as big an international contingent as last month's Royal Ascot festival, but Thursday's G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. was very much a continental affair as Germany's G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) second Rocchigiani (GB) (Time Test {GB}--Ronja, by El Corredor) showed his class to garner the 3-year-old one-mile test. Last term's G3 Zukunftsrennen victor, who ran fifth in the Royal meet's June 18 G3 Jersey S. last time, was positioned in second as Norway's Norsk 2000 Guineas hero Hotline Bling (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) established a...