As expected, the Grand Dallmayr Prize, featuring a top-class international field, went abroad. In front of an enthusiastic crowd of around 12,000, however, the winner was not the favorite four-year-old Map Of Stars from France, but the three-year-old English guest Tornado Alert. The best German representative in the field of ten horses was Lazio, also three years old, who finished second at the Bavarian Classic in Munich in the spring and third in the German Derby earlier this month.
“For me, he’s the best horse of his year in Germany,” said his rider, Martin Seidl, who was upset that Lazio, trained by Waldemar Hickst, was caught in a pincer movement in the first turn by the eventual runner-up, Map Of Stars. There was no doubt about the winner, Tornado Alert, though; the stallion, trained by Saeed bin Suroor in Newmarket, ultimately won easily by 2.5 lengths. Tornado Alert is part of the Godolphin thoroughbred power of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rasid al Maktoum.
“We were a little concerned about the soft surface, but he seems to like it,” said winning rider Oisin Murphy. The Godolphin team had high praise for the Munich Racing Club: “It’s a great atmosphere, and many could learn a thing or two from here. This is how you should organize Sunday races,” said Godolphin General Manager Hugh Anderson.
Seven Group I races in Germany
The Grand Dallmayr Prize is one of only seven Group I races in Germany, making it one of the “Champions League” of horse racing. Offering a total of €155,000 in prize money—of which €100,000 goes to the winning team—it’s a 2,000-meter race and is open to horses three years old and older.
The race was broadcast live not only to the 13,000 betting outlets of the French betting company PMU, but also to the World Pool managed from Hong Kong, thus reaching an audience of millions.
The “biggest coffee party of the year”
The race’s origins lie in the Bavarian Breeding Race, which has been held since 1866. Since 1996, the Munich-based coffee and delicatessen company Dallmayr has been a partner of the Munich Racing Club and traditionally hosts what the organizers like to call “Germany’s biggest coffee party” on the last Sunday in July. The changeable weather didn’t change that.
In addition to the main event, the Konrad Werner Wille Memorial was the second sporting highlight of the Dallmayr race day. It was a Listed race for three-year-old and older mares over 1,400m and carried prize money of €25,000. The winner was the five-year-old Shena, trained in France by Japanese rider Satoshi Kobayashi. “She’s a good mare and likes the soft ground,” said winning rider Benjamin Marie. Riyabovka, who also traveled from France, finished second, ahead of Querencia, who was trained in Cologne.
