Europe's penultimate Group 1 contest of the year is an Anglo-German affair with nine set to go postward for Tuesday's G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich. Domestic hopes are headed by Stall Ullmann's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville hero and G1 Deutsches Derby runner-up Savoir Vivre (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who was a never-nearer eighth, and a shade over eight lengths adrift of 'TDN Rising Star' Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), in Chantilly's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at the beginning of last month. Christophe Soumillon, who came close to completing a juvenile Group 1 double at Saint-Cloud over the weekend, partners the relatively unexposed sophomore for the first time in this 12-furlong test. Trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho also saddles G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin third Guignol (Ger) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Saeed bin Suroor has endured an unusually subdued campaign blighted by the virus which swept Newmarket over the summer, but received a welcome boost when Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) registered a first European Group 1 triumph for the trainer since Farhh (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) annexed Ascot's G1 Champion S. in 2013. He is represented here by Farhh's full-brother Racing History (Ire), who was a commendable sixth in the latest renewal of that Ascot feature a year after running fourth there in his penultimate start.
“Racing History ran well in the Champion after a very long lay-off,” commented bin Suroor, who took this with Cherry Mix (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}) in 2006 and Campanologist (Kingmambo) in 2010. “He needed the race and has worked well since on the Limekilns [gallop at Newmarket]. Any rain will suit, but he is in good form.”
He is joined in the Godolphin blue by the Charlie Appleby trainee and G1 Coral-Eclipse hero Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy), who tackles 12 furlongs for the first time coming back from off-the-board efforts in the Aug. 17 G1 Juddmonte International at York and the Sept. 10 G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown.
“I have been looking forward to getting Hawkbill out to a mile-and-a-half,” Appleby revealed. “As we know, he has proven form on soft ground and this looks like a very suitable race for him.” Jockey Filip Minarik has won three of the last four editions and seeks a record-equalling fourth aboard G2 Badener Meile heroine Royal Solitaire (Ire) (Shamardal), the sole distaffer in the field, who also tackles this trip for the first time. She was runner-up here in the July 31 G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis over 10 furlongs, and returns off a seventh in Deauville's Aug. 21 G1 Prix Jean Romanet and a fifth in the Oct. 2 G1 Prix de l'Opera at Chantilly.
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