You’re not in the history section of your local bookstore, nor are you in fiction.
You’re at Ascot Racecourse, where Novellist has given an absolute shellacking to a field of credentialed European horses, and for the second consecutive year, Germany has walked away victorious.
The Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is the premier middle distance race in England. It is a lead up to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and is considered one of, if not the most prestigious race of the English racing calendar.
The list of winners is a who’s who of superstar horses. Montjeu (2000) and Galileo (2001) both won the race and are today boast the most valuable bloodlines in breeding today.
Within the field was the world’s highest rated horse in training, Cirrus Des Aigles, globetrotting superstar Red Cadeaux, Irish Derby winner Trading Leather and Royal Ascot winner Hillstar.
None of which were any match for Andrew Wohler-trained Novellist who put Trading Leather away by five lengths.
While some may have deemed Novellist’s dominance in the King George as a surprise, he had all the right form lines leading into the race. In his last start, Novellist took out the Group 1 Prix de Saint-Cloud, beating Melbourne and Caulfield Cup winner Dunaden who ran second. Cirrus Des Aigles ran fifth in the race.
The German triumph continues a run of sustained global success for the normally domestic Germans following the retirement of Danedream, winner of both the King George (2012) and the Arc (2011).
Danedream would have been a hot favourite to defend her title in the Arc last year until her training facility at Cologne tested positive for infectious ineamea and she was banned from traveling.
Danedream is currently in foal to Frankel which means the outlook for German racing is gleaming.
Back in the southern hemisphere, German horses have been around but have received little attention compared to the French, English, Irish and Japanese.
Anthony Freedman is one Australian trainer who bought into German horses before their value skyrocketed.
In 2011, Freedman imported Lucas Cranach who went on to run fifth in the Caulfield Cup and third in the Melbourne Cup. The import was destined for big things in Australia before injury cut his career short. That year, Freedman also bought Mawingo over to achieve Group 1 success until the German’s form suddenly fell of the face of the earth.
Freedman has once again returned to the well with German Derby winner Waldpark, a son of Dubawi, joining the stable to be primed for a Cox Plate campaign which may include the Melbourne Cup.
Others have caught onto the success of German stayers with Mike Moroney dipping his finger in the water, having bought over Araldo for a Cups campaign. Araldo is a Group 1 placegetter in Germany and also ran fourth behind Novellist in Italy’s Group 1 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club Italiano.
With the English racing season nearing its end, most eyes will be turning towards the Arc in France and the Breeders Cup in the United States. Novellist is expected to follow the same path as Danedream by returning to his homeland for the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden, run under the same conditions as the Arc before heading to Paris for the world’s most prestigious race.
We probably won’t see the Melbourne Cup won by a German horse this year but German racing is at a euphoric high at the moment so we need to start looking out for them.
A tantalising clash of global heavyweights is expected when Germany’s Novellist takes on England’s Al Kazeem, France’s Flintshire and Japan’s Orfevre in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 6.
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