Posted 2 August 2008
Updated 3 August 2008

A deep field of nineteen descends on Dusseldorf today for the biggest fillies’ prize of the domestic calendar, the €400,000 Gr.1 Preis der Diana or German Oaks.

Run over eleven furlongs as opposed to the traditional Anglo-Saxon 1½ miles, the race has enticed just one foreign runner.

Racecard available here

And Andreas Wöhler will not be too worried about that when he saddles Peace Royale, last month’s winner of the Gr.3 Preis der Spielbank at Hamburg who had already run out a convincing winner of the Gr.3 Schwarzgold-Rennen at Cologne in May - despite throwing a shoe in the process. She has never run past a mile but Wöhler is confident she will get the trip.

Rosenreihe, one of three Peter Schiergen-trained runners, was just a length away in third at Cologne before finishing runner-up in the German 1,000 Guineas three weeks later. She subsequently took on older horses in the 1¼m Gr.3 Grosser Preis der Wirtschaft at Dortmund, finishing a very respectable fourth before disappointing over a mile at Frankfurt.

Schiergen also runs Dawn Dew and Perseida who should add some pace to the race.

Baila Me is one of a Werner Baltromei pair. She has had just two outings to date and before comfortably winning the Oaks trial mid-June, she lost her maiden status with ease over 10½ furlongs at Chantilly three weeks previously. Ridden by Dominique Boeuf on both occasions she is now, interestingly, the mount of Italian Dario Vargiu. Boeuf has opted to ride Lady Marian who has taken some time to come to hand. Still a maiden from five starts she blew away a high-class field to win a Gr.3 at Hamburg over eleven furlongs a month ago. It will be a surprise if these two fillies are not in the frame.

Waldemar Hickst is also armed with a pair of runners and has enlisted the services of both Mick Kinane and Daryll Holland for the day. Salve Germania (Kinane) was an eyecatching winner on her debut in June before finishing fifth to Lady Marian at Hamburg, while Porta Westfalica lost her maiden status in good fashion last month on her third attempt.

Also a maiden winner on her third attempt is Auentime who finished fourth in the Diana Trial. The next time they met however she could finish only seventh.

Third though was Hans Blume’s Umirage who was having only her second racecourse start after beating Azalee and Ianapourna, both trained by Jens Hirschberger, at Cologne three weeks earlier. Azalee subsequently went on to clinch a conditions race at Krefeld early last month while Ianapourna won her maiden in style at Dusseldorf a fortnight ago.

Themelie Island was twice a winner as a juvenile and although only sixth in the German 1,000 Guineas, is a decent sort but is not in the same class as Peace Royale who has solidly beaten her on two occasions this term.

Alex Pantall likes to plunder German black-type prizes as much as the Germans chase French prizemoney and he does so again with Tres Rapide, a filly that has not been out of the money from five career starts. She has won from 10½ furlongs to 1½ miles and on her last start was third to Prudenzia, unplaced in yesterday’s Gr.3 Prix de Psyché at Deauville.

It took Bittersweetsymfony three races to get off the mark, which she did at Krefeld and was followed in a neck away by Peter Rau’s Affair who was giving away 2kg (4.5 lbs). The distance should pose little problem to either of them but whether they are good enough in this company remains to be seen.

Larella, the second Rau runner, looked a two year-old with promise but her two starts in Listed and Gr.2 company this season have not shown enough to believe she has progressed as much as connections would have hoped.

It is worth sparing a thought for the Christian Sprengel-trained Carolina Directa who failed to impress on two outings within a fortnight in June but who romped to success at Hamburg in what appeared to be a solid maiden.

Completing the field is Bella Amica who finally won a maiden at her seventh time of asking. Subsequently fourth in a BBAG sales race last month she looks well out of her depth but, on the positive side, eleven furlongs is well within her capabilities.
RacingNewswire