Around 4,500 visitors ensured a lively family celebration on Saturday at the Munich-Riem racecourse, featuring three double winners in seven races and two three-year-old stallions that still have the potential to cause a sensation. “With the help of our strong partner Allianz, we have renovated the burned-down club grandstand and will be the grandstand’s name sponsor for the next three years,” said Sascha Multerer, Managing Director of the Munich Racing Club. “The atmosphere at Allianz Family Day, with the support of the Abendzeitung newspaper, was fantastic; the sponsors, and especially the children, were in a great mood.”

There were also happy faces among three coaches who each scored two goals: the local Jutta Mayer and John David Hillis, as well as Gerald Geisler from Iffezheim near Baden-Baden, who has a long history in Munich.

Amico makes friends

But the first step was taken by top trainer Henk Grewe from Cologne. The three-year-old stallion Amico, trained by him, underscored the horse’s higher ambitions in the MIG Fund’s opening race. “Today’s 2,000-meter course is actually below his minimum distance; he’s a tremendous stayer,” said winning rider Leon Wolff after the clear victory. Amico still has an entry for the German Derby in Hamburg in July, and that is the ultimate goal for the stallion, bred by Gestüt Röttgen and owned by Liberty Racing Australia.

The three-year-old stallion Royal Ice, who secured his first home victory in the 25 Years Figge+Schuster Prize over 1,400m, is more likely to compete in shorter distances. Trainer John David Hillis is the owner of Royal Ice, who easily beat six mares and was ridden by Adrie de Vries. Hillis again scored points in the Pure Horsepower – the Autohaus Radlmeier race – with the seven-year-old Environmentalist under Sean Byrne in the €7,000 Handicap III.

Wonderful World fastest

The Allianz Family Race Day Prize, a Handicap III over 1,200m, went to the horse with the fitting name for today’s race day: The six-year-old Wonderful World, ridden by Patrick Gibson, who, as a Munich rider, was also delighted with a home victory, narrowly won. “I usually believe more in my horses than in my jockey,” said Jutta Mayer afterward, whose faith was not disappointed in the knuspr.de Prize either. Champion jockey Thore Hammer-Hansen secured victory for Mayer in the Handicap IV over 1,600m against 14 competitors.

Austrian rider Gerald Geisler is currently on what you’d call a roll: Not a week goes by without a win, and the four-year-old mare Kanzashi continued the streak in the Abendzeitung Prize over 2,000m. And to round things off, there was another Geisler success: Amateur rider Kevin Braye won the second round of the Bavarian Amateur Championship, the Ach Was Memorial, with the four-year-old Doro. The Handicap IV was run over the classic Derby distance of 2,400m.

There is now a four-week break from galloping in Riem: But full stands and a party atmosphere can be expected for the after-work race day on Monday, June 23rd.