First it was the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-I),
where the first and second -- Sea the Stars (IRE) and Fame and Glory (GB) --
both came from German female lines. Then Le Havre (IRE), out of a German-bred
mare, took the Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-I). This weekend it was the turn of Stacelita (FR),
who maintained her undefeated record with a four-length win in the Prix de
Diane (Fr-I) .
Stacelita (A) was foaled in France but her pedigree is German on both sides. She is by
the great German stallion Monsun (from a sire line that goes back to
1935 English Triple Crown winner Bahram), out of a mare by Dashing Blade (GB) (by
Elegant Air (GB), from the Shirley Heights (GB)/Mill Reef line), and is another example of
how well Mill Reef/Shirley Heights and German strains combine. Stacelita goes
back to the great German family of Schwarzgold (GER) through a branch (Schonbrunn (GER))
developed by the Wildenstein family, and familiar in the U.S. through turf champion Steinlen (GB), a half-brother to Stacelita's third dam.
Another major European contest that
fell recently to a German-bred was Gran Premio di Milano (Ity-I). This fell to Quijano
(A++), a son of Acatenango (GER) (from a male line that has been
in Germany even longer than that of Monsun) out of an Unfuwain mare. A 7-year-old who took the Grosser Preis Von Baden (Ger-I) two years ago,
Quijano is one of two stakes winners from only three Acatenango starters out of Unfuwain mares.
In Germany, the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen (Ger-II)
was captured by Wiener Walzer (GER), a German-foaled son of Dynaformer (TrueNicks,SRO)
out of the excellent racemare Walzerkoenigin, a daughter of Kingmambo.
The Dynaformer/Kingmambo cross now has three stakes winners -- the other two are
2009 graded stakes-winning and grade I-placed filly Gozzip Girl and English
highweight Ocean Silk -- and Wiener Walzer was rated A++ before his victory, his
first in black type company.
Finally, we'll mention up-and-comer Verglas (IRE),
who had recent Poule d'Essai de Poulains (Fr-I) winner Silver Frost (IRE) in his first
Irish crop (he moved to the Irish National Stud after a promising start from
limited opportunities in France). He added two stakes winners at the weekend. Alpine
Snow (IRE), a 3-year-old from the same crop as Silver Frost, won the Prix
Urban Sea in France. Out of a mare by Diesis (GB), she's rated A++ on the
Verglas/Sharpen Up (GB) cross. He's another from a German family, his granddam being
none other than Allegretta (GB) (dam of Urban Sea, so this is the family of Galileo (IRE),
Sea the Stars, Anabaa Blue (GB), King's Best, et al). From his second Irish crop,
just 2, he now has stakes winner Love Lockdown (IRE) (out of a Sadler's
Wells mare), who took the six-furlong Kerry Spring Water Rochestown Stakes at Ireland's Cork course.
A recent Mahubah's Corner column by Avalyn Hunter explores the influence of German Thoroughbreds on European and American racing and makes an interesting read.