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The Grosser Preis von Bayern has a colourful history and last year’s winner Junko went on to Sha Tin glory in the 2023 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m).
On Sunday (10 November), 11 horses will line up for the 2400m feature at Munich – Germany's most southerly racecourse – with an intriguing mix of three-year-olds, older horses and local and international contenders. It is also the final Group 1 of the European season.
Trainer Sarka Schutz runs Atoso , who has become a bit of a fairytale of the German turf, having worked his way up through the ranks and epitomises the variety of entrants in the race.
Schutz reports her five-year-old charge, an enthusiastic front-runner, is in great condition but said: "It is my not so good fortune to have a runner in this race when it is the strongest line-up in years. We are outsiders and rightly so."
Straight, another homegrown contender, is by contrast no outsider having been a revelation since joining the stable of Marian Falk Weissmeier in the middle of this season. After finishing just a neck adrift of subsequent G1 Breeders' Cup Turf (2400m) winner Rebel's Romance in Koln's G1 Preis von Europa (2400m), he pulverised seven rivals in Italy's G2 Gran Premio del Jockey Club (2400m) at Milan last month.
Weissmeier believes a changed routine and diet have made all the difference to the four-year-old colt, who is being firmly directed towards December's LONGINES Hong Kong Vase. Straight will be ridden for the first time by local champion jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev.
Weissmeier said: "We wanted to run him again before Hong Kong as it might have been too long a gap otherwise. He is in excellent form for Sunday's race and we don't fear any of the local horses. We feel that he has a massive chance."
Andre Fabre – Junko 's trainer – aims to plunder this prize again with Marquisat. While Mickael Barzalona's mount has not won during a light 2024 season, he has consistently mixed it with high-class opposition. He is a serious contender, along with the Newmarket-trained pair of Ancient Wisdom (William Buick), like Marquisat running in the Godolphin colours, and Tiffany (Luke Morris). Her trainer Sir Mark Prescott won this with Alpinista in 2021 and that mare went on to triumph in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m) the following year.
The gate positions of this classy trio of 11, ten and seven, respectively, might be wider than ideal but this race is set to start at the top of the straight allowing jockeys plenty of time to jostle for position on the predicted soft ground surface.
The World Pool Christoph Frhr. v. Gumppenberg-Memorial (1600m) kicks off the four-race World Pool programme from Munich. It is a valuable 'Sales' race for two-year-old horses sold at public auction in Germany. Two colts – Turlow and Tulpar – bring easily the best form to the table, though the latter has to carry a penalty under race conditions.
But, according to Straight's trainer Weissmeier, Lili Marleen is not to be ignored either. He said: "Don't judge her on her latest start when she wasn't right. We've put the blinkers on and have a world class jockey (Mickael Barzalona). I am hoping for a place at the least."