European Trainer - January to March 2021 - issue 72

Page 12

PROFILE

David Conolly-Smith

Marc Rühl

YASMIN ALMENRÄDER

A RISING

S TA R I N

GERMAN

RACI NG T

he middle-sized town of Mülheim an der Ruhr (population 170,000) is, as the name implies, situated on the river Ruhr which gives its name to the whole area. It is north of Düsseldorf, the capital of the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia—Germany’s most populous “land”. It is located just south of the industrial centres of Essen and Duisburg. It is also an important racing and training centre. There has been thoroughbred racing here since the 19th century, but the current racecourse, known as the Raffelberg, was built in 1910. Despite damage through fires and flooding, and even more by bombing during World War II, the track thrived and was one of the most important in western Germany for the last half of the past century. In particular, two local trainers scored spectacular successes. Uwe Ostmann trained here from 1985 to 2013, and his Diana stable, where the principal owner was Gestüt Auenquelle, owned by Karl-Dieter Ellerbracke, also boss of the sales company BBAG; and Peter Michael Endres, also president of the race club at Düsseldorf. Ostmann— still hale and hearty at the age of 80—was one of the top addresses in Germany for a quarter of a century, winning the German Derby with Luigi in 1988 and the Preis von Europa in 1995 with Gonbarda. Gonbarda was later sold to Godolphin and dam of Champion Stakes winner and top sire Farhh, as well as just about every important race in the German calendar. Later arriving on the scene was the colourful Werner Baltromei, who enjoyed a meteoric career before his tragic death from cancer at the age of 49 in 2012. Baltromei was the first German trainer to target the top French races, and from his Mülheim base he sent out such stars as Le Miracle (winner of the Prix du Cadran in 2007, and also third in the Ascot Gold Cup) as well as Lady Marian (winner of the Prix de l’Opera in 2008).

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 72


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