Gethin primed for Group 1 finale in Munich
Munich’s Grosser Preis von Bayern (2400m) is the final Group 1 of the European season with a fascinating mix of international and domestic runners on Saturday and the promise of a track and weather challenge.
Saturday’s fixture is also the last hurrah of the World Pool European season, with five races taking place at Munich Racecourse. And, after a predominantly dry season, horses will need to cope with different conditions than they have mostly been used to, with cooler, wetter conditions dictating current predictions for the Munich surface.
With conditions likely to be rain-affected, the emphasis will clearly be on stamina.
Trained by Owen Burrows in Lambourn, Gethin is top-rated for the Grosser Preis von Bayern and is the apple of his trainer’s eye, with Burrows saying his horse had always had potential, but had taken time to mature.
Gethin is the 2.70 favourite with betting sites, ahead of Consent (4.00), Akido and Tajlina (both 6.00) in what looms as a wide-open wagering race.
“He was a big raw baby in the past but I have never made any secret of the fact that I think the world of him,” he said.
His standout performance was pushing Ombudsman (twice a Group 1 winner since) to fight hard for a neck verdict in Sandown’s G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes (1990m) in May. With the evidence suggesting that Gethin’s peak efforts have come on a good or slower surface, James Doyle’s mount looks the one that the other nine declared runners have to worry about most.
Consent (Luke Morris) and Tajlina (Pierre-Charles Boudot) are four-year-old fillies who have the edge of the gender weight allowance in their favour and are trained by two of Europe’s leading trainers, Newmarket’s Sir Mark Prescott Bt and Chantilly’s Francis-Henri Graffard, respectively.
Strong on stamina, Consent finished a close second to Queenstown in Saint-Cloud’s G1 Prix Royal-Oak (3100m) late last month and, provided she has recovered from that effort, comes right into contention. Tajlina may not be in the same bracket as former stablemate and dual G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) winner Daryz, but the fact that she has been kept in training is pertinent.
Of the local brigade, Santagada is easily Germany’s best older filly and is expected to give her usual sound performance, while Akido is unbeaten in four starts. Most recently, Akido took the class jump to Group 3 company in his stride when landing last month’s Herbst Trophy (2400m) at Baden-Baden.
Trainer Henk Grewe said of Leon Wolff’s mount: “Of course he needs to step up again, but he has trained well for this and the track and the slow ground will suit him well.”
The World Pool Juvenile (1600m) features Peter Schiergen-trained and Bauyrzhan Murzabayev-ridden Karlos, who brings the best form to the table in the 12-runner field, but most of Germany’s other top trainers are well represented and no doubt hoping to uncover a star of the future.
