Danedream à Baden-Baden : l'Allemagne chaude comme la braise

24/05/2012 - Découvertes
L'allemand de base n'est pas très expressif, dit-on. Et pourtant, quand la "wonder woman" des courses Danedream revient en piste chez elle après son exploit dans l'Arc de Triomphe 2011, elle déchaine les passions de son public qui ne masque pas son enthousiasme.

"Baden-Baden is a nice place to spend a Sunday with the family. There is a big playground for kids, and today a star is making her comeback on the track: Danedream". The 15,000 racegoers who came for the last spring meeting at Baden-Baden are not all experts but they did come over .... And that is the main thing for the organising commitee : Andreas Jacobs (Gestut Fahrhof) and his team. He took over the racetrack 2 years ago when the racecourse underwent bankruptcy in the late 90s in just a few years, despite big crowds of 35,000 people at some meetings.

 

 

Wonder Woman

 

A joyful Andreas jacobs says: " It's very important for us that Danedream's trainer had choosen Baden Baden for her comeback, usually horses of her caliber often prefers richest international meetings, such as Singapour who runs today. She was nominated to be “sportsman” of the year 2011", and it was a first for a racehorse. This increases our audience from 10 000 to 15 000 people ".

 

Baden-Baden, the city of great german pleasures in idyllic settings..

 

Indeed, even by doing the greatest sacrifices on its budget, the racetrack can not do better than a Gr.2 with a €40,000 prize money (without premiums!). But finally, it doesn’t matter for the rich owners, Helmut Volz and his son, or for the trainer Peter Schiergen, who has targeted this race since February and revealed his plans during the Grand Prix of Saint Moritz.

 

15,000 people gathered in Baden-Baden to witness Danedream's comeback to the track and win a Gr.2, the Grosser Preis der Badener Unternehmer.


The atmosphere is very relaxed in Germany. Picture this, just before the race, the champion filly walked between the parade ring and the track, ridden by her jockey Andrasch Starke, who responded enthusiastically to France Sire TV: "I am feeling good maybe a little bit stressed because I am riding Danedream but frankly, it's only her first race of the year today, she is not at 100% and many good horses have been defeated on their return this year. Look at Shareta or Cirrus des Aigles. The year is long and we want to take part of the Arc de Triomphe. "

 

After the race, to get back to the ring, horses have to go trough a very enthusiastic crowd (without the need of security services)


But still, the pressure raised tremendously when the filly appeared to the public under loud applause, especially by fans wearing a "Danedream" T-Shirt “, because she had no right to lose. All the runners in this  race were germans and none of them were serious  opposition for the Arc winner, who previously won the Grosser Preis at Baden Baden (Gr.2) on heavy ground, which does not suit her usually.

 

Danedream was still a little bit heavy ... but did not miss her comeback.

 

Big cheers for the winner, Danedream



Half way up the straight line, Danedream takes off. But the 4yo lady, who appeared highly-sharpened at Longchamp, became a bit heavy during the off season. She is still carrying a bit of condition, and as she went early in front in the straight, her stride became shorter in the last furlong. But finally, the Lomitas filly won the race. The crowd goes wild and shows its delight.  Danedream walks back to parade ring under a thunder of cheers, finding her way through supporters and enthusiastic sportsmen. This was really pleasant. Peter Schiergen her trainer, remains intentionally vague about the filly future races : "England, Paris ... but I will decide what will be the next move after every race."

 

Spectators are quiet close of Danedream while she walks back to the stables after her shower..



The man is extremely friendly and easily accessible, shamelessly drinking a pint of lager with the owner in the crowd early on in the day. It will be hard to imagine Alain de Royer-Dupre, yet one of the most cheerful french trainers, having a pint with S.A. Aga Khan in the lobby of Saint Cloud just few hours before a Grand Prix ...

 

Peter Schiergen, a nice guy but focused. .

 

The friendly Peter Schiergen


Already one of the best jockey in german racing history, Peter Schiergen took over with talent the yard of the legendary trainer  Heintz Jensch, who passed away, exactly ten years and a day ago. Following the Breeze up, the sales agency BBAG (based across the road from the racecourse), organisedsa tribute to the filly on the morning of the race, the walls were covered with pictures of Danedream.  She is the heroine of the country but also of the agency as she brought glory last year.  Indeed, a few days before winning a race at Wissenbourg, just across the border, Danedream was sold during the same breeze up sales in May 2010 for the modest sum of €10,000 ... Notes: the filly's prize money nearly reaches 3 millions, and this figure excludes the amount from the purchase of half a share by the Yoshida family before the Arc.

 

In May 2010, Danedream was sold here during the breeze ups organised by the BBAG agency in Baden-Baden. She was bought privately for only €9,000

 

Yet he said  "especially not that!"


She was discovered by Dirk Eisele (BBA Germany) on behalf of Helmut Volz. At the beginning, the sale had no chance of being settled! Dirke Eisele explains : "I saw this filly who worked incredibly well in the morning, better than expected. So I called my client to talk about “a” horse. He said yes, but with two conditions: that she cost no more than €10,000 and mainly not a horse from Gestut Brumerhof, with whom a previous association  had gone wrong. I told him that we had two big problems because the filly would probably make more, and she was ...a “Brumerhof one”. Finally, as she was really small and light for a German filly, she was sold for less than expected. Then after a long negociation, my owner bought her privately for€ 9,000 . "
 

Why does this is only happen to others ...

 

 



 

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