The now-traditional Oktoberfest Race Day, held in collaboration with LOTTO Bayern at the racetrack in Munich-Riem, proved particularly rewarding for at least two trainers on site: Werner Glanz and John David Hillis, both of whom have been mainstays at the Riem training center for many years, each scored two home wins on Monday.
Right at the start of the after-work race day, Hillis won the MIG-Fonds Prize over 1,300 meters with the two-year-old filly Rock my Ice for SARL Plersch Breeding. Champion jockey Thore Hammer-Hansen waited to make his move on the inside, relegating the favorites Davia (Röttgen Stud) and Great Again (Schlenderhan Stud) to second and third place. “The filly is superbly trained, and I was able to let her lead for a long time,” said the winning jockey, who is aiming for his third consecutive championship title.
Riding the seven-year-old Djariya, Hillis claimed another Class IV victory over 1,500 meters in the Hollaria Augsburg Carnival Society Stakes—following a thrilling finish against the visitor from the Czech Republic, Recssio. Amateur jockey Swen Straßmeier was in the saddle of the winner. The Hollaria prince and princess presented the prize money dressed in full gala attire—a very colorful highlight of the race day.
Glanz Wins the Most Prestigious Handicap Races
The winner’s podium was packed after the LOTTO Bayern Grand Prix, a Ausgleich III race over 2,000 meters. The winner was the five-year-old mare Venezia, trained by Werner Glanz for the Galopp Club Süddeutschland. Jockey Hammer-Hansen had little trouble: “She’s a bit of a character, but I’ve ridden her so often by now that I get along well with her.” Martin Seidl, who grew up in Munich, then secured Glanz’s second Ausgleich III victory of the evening with the four-year-old Pepperfly, this time over 2,400 meters in the Bayernlos Prize. Here, too, the win came with a prize of 4,000 euros.
Two of the day’s six horse races went to visiting trainers, although Gerald Geisler has what amounts to a home-field advantage. Before moving to Iffezheim near Baden-Baden in 2010, he worked in Riem for five years. Since then, he has been coming to Munich regularly and continues to enjoy success. On Monday, he won the Preis der Glücksspirale—a Class IV handicap race over 2,000 meters—with the seven-year-old Santino Corleone. Only amateur jockeys were eligible to ride, and the reigning champion, Kevin Braye, rode the gelding—owned by Godfather Racing—to a perfect victory. “The soft ground was perfect for him,” said Braye. “My thanks go to the trainer. He actually didn’t want to run here, but he did it for me.”
“Chista was just a little better”
Perhaps the best horse of the day was on display in the Preis der Bayerischen Spielbanken. In the maiden race for 3-year-olds over 1,600 meters, the gray mare Chista won in commanding fashion for Darius Racing and Munich Racing Club President Michael Motschmann. “The mare was simply a little better than the others,” said jockey Michael Abik, who never let up once he took the lead. Chista is trained in Cologne by Waldemar Hickst.
Valesco Wins the Second Trotting Race of the Season
In addition to six gallop races, the program also featured a trotting race. After a race along the outside lanes, Stall Wieserhof’s Valesco (Christoph Schwarz) won by a narrow margin ahead of the tenaciously attacking Victory Ares (Christoph Fischer) and the very strong Fortalezza DB (Marion Dinzinger). Winning driver Christoph Schwarz highlighted the victorious horse’s tremendous determination, which never wavers even after grueling races.
The V4 and V7 bets offered by the Munich Racing Club were successfully placed. For the V7, in which participants had to correctly predict the winners of the six horse races—and the trotting race at the end—the payout was 4,166.67 euros on a base bet of 5 cents. For the V4, the payout was 1,250 euros with a base bet of one euro.
The next race day at Riem is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2026. The highlight of the card will be the Isfahan Munich Autumn Stakes, a Listed race over 1,300 meters.
