Despite the loss of the injury-afflicted likely favorite Quasillo (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), Sunday's G1 IDEE 146th Deutsches Derby at Hamburg still offers an enticing brew with a colt in Shimrano (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) who would be unbeaten were it not for encountering that absent rival. It was in a conditions race over this trip at Munich Apr. 19 that he was put in his place by Quasillo, and the form of that contest was given credence by the winner's subsequent exploits in the G3 Bavarian Classic. While Quasillo went on the easy list, Australia Racing Stables' Shimrano went on to capture the May 25 Listed Grosser Preis der Hannoverschen Volksbank-Derby Trial and G2 Oppenheim-Union-Rennen at Cologne June 14 and lines up with a favorite's chance here. Third in the latter contest was Stall Nizza's Nutan (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), who had previously scored by seven lengths over that same track and trip May 10, and he could be a different proposition here along with Gestut Schlenderhan's Isidor (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who was also behind Shimrano when fourth in Hanover's listed contest. Nutan's stable companion Nordic Flight (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) comes here on the back of a win in the Listed Iffezheimer Derby-Trial at this distance at Baden-Baden June 6 and gets the William Buick treatment as he flies in for the day.
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