The first winner at the racecourse in Munich-Riem this year came from Cologne: The three-year-old mare Querencia easily won the Prize of Gestüt Erftmühle over an official 1600m by two lengths ahead of Dolcevida. “Due to important grass work at the starting gate, the races over this distance were about 40m shorter today in agreement with the race organizers,” said Sascha Multerer, Managing Director of Münchener Rennverein. Querencia is trained by Andreas Suborics in Cologne-Weidenpesch, with Martin Seidl in the saddle.
Around 3,500 visitors ensured an atmospheric start to the season in Riem. The sporting highlight of the first day of racing was a level II, also over the aforementioned 1,600m. The five-year-old Switsch, trained by Andreas Wöhler near Gütersloh, came out on top in the TMBZ Seehof Prize. The winning rider was Wladimir Panov: “This is a top horse that did practically everything on its own.”
It was Switsch’s second win of the season in his second start after his victory in Cologne at the end of March. At the end of the race day, the Wöhler / Panov team was once again successful with the four-year-old Northern Olympian over 2,200m.
First premium handicap goes to Iffezheim
However, the most money was to be earned in the so-called Premium Handicap. In twelve selected races of the year in Germany in 2025, there will be significantly higher prize money than usual in a level IV – 15,250 euros, including 7,500 euros for the winner. The German Gallop Association and the racing clubs want to deliberately strengthen smaller and medium-sized owners who rarely or never have starters in the higher-paying races, but whose horses incur similar costs as top gallopers.
The first winner of the premiere, the MIG Fonds Premium Handicap over 2,000m, came from Iffezheim near Baden-Baden. The six-year-old Santino Corleone won a thrilling finish just ahead of Arturo and Environmentalist, who were only separated by a photo finish. “I was sure that I had the head in front,” said the new stable jockey at Gerald Geisler’s stables, Frenchman Bertrand Flandrin. The Austrian Geisler trained in Riem from 2005 to 2010 and enjoys running his horses here.
The amateur race over 1600m was surprisingly won by Swen Straßmeier’s four-year-old Superjet. “I still had my hands full in the home straight, I didn’t have to do anything at first,” he said afterwards. Straßmeier is owner, trainer and rider all in one.
It continues on May 1 The next race day in Riem is already on May 1. The focus of the traditional race day is the Bavaria Classic. The Group III race over 2,000m for three-year-old horses is the first important preliminary test for the German Derby.
