The external conditions on “Labor Day” could not have been better and so Sascha Multerer, Managing Director of the Munich Racing Club, drew a positive conclusion from the first race day of the year, even if there were brief technical problems with the loudspeaker system: “We had a great atmosphere on the track and I am satisfied with the betting turnover.” In addition, the topping-out ceremony was held for the club grandstand, which burned down last year and is expected to be fully operational again by the middle of the year.

“That was really, really easy!”
But the 1st of May left nothing to be desired, especially in terms of sport. The approximately 7,000 visitors saw an impressive winner in the main race in the form of three-year-old Wilko, who is now one of the big Derby favorites. “That was really, really easy today,” said his rider Leon Wolff, for whom it was the first group win in his still young career. “The pace was good, he switched off really well and 300 meters before the finish I just had to take him out and send him off.”

The 20-year-old Wolff, who was trained at the Grewe stable, had to take a six-month break last year due to a knee injury. “It took a long time for the first group win, but I was very unlucky and could have ridden some great horses.” Wilko, bred by the Park Wiedingen stud and owned by the Helena stable, is without a doubt one such great horse. He won by one and a half lengths ahead of Alleno, the favorite Wintertraum and Lahzar Star.

For the top four, the dream of the Derby will probably live on, but Wilko in particular made a real impression. Last year, trainer Grewe won the Classic with Mr Hollywood, who then came second in the Derby. In 2019, he had already done the same with Django Freeman – perhaps he will even do better in 2024.

The Derby is also likely to be an issue for the winner of the three-year-old winless race over 2,000m. Ladoro, trained by Waldemar Hickst for the Ittlingen stud farm, impressed under Michael Abik with an easy three-length victory ahead of Wazlaw, who is owned by the president of the Munich Racing Club, Michael Motschmann. Now Ladoro has to prove himself at a higher level.

Madam Ninet the first winner 2024

Wilko trainer Grewe arrived from Cologne with some delay. He missed the success of the three-year-old mare Mademoiselle Ninet, which he had trained, at the start of the race day. She prevailed against the more highly rated West Man and Wikinger. Leon Wolff was in the saddle, who achieved the third success of the day in the Preis der Fünf Höfe, a handicap II over 2,000m with prize money of 15,000 euros. He won with the six-year-old Leon for Werner Glanz, who works in Riem.

Previously, Michael Figge had recorded the first success of the year for the Riemer training center with the four-year-old Freibier. He won the Allianz Agentur Wittmann Prize over 2,000m for the O’zapft is stable. Julian Sixt was in the saddle. But Henk Grewe put the finishing touches: He won the last race of the day, a handicap III over 2,000m, with the four-year-old mare Paris Mon Amour, ridden by the Munich junior jockey Konstantin Philip.