Nina Baltromei

The 14 participants for the 2026 International Jockeys' Challenge in Riyadh during the Saudi Cup meeting, were revealed on Wednesday. Featuring 14 jockeys, seven men and seven women, the four-race contest sees the return of last year's champion, local rider Mohammed Aldaham. Mickael Barzalona, the regular rider of the Longines World's Highest Rated Racehorse Calandagan (Gleneagles) is signed on, as is 2025 Irish Champion Jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle. Panama's Luis Morales is based in Saudi Arabia alongside Aldaham. Other male jockeys set to mark their mark on the contest include:...

Unbridled joy was present in bundles at Hamburg on Sunday as recent amateur-turned-apprentice Nina Baltromei urged Hochkoenig to victory on the line in the 156th Deutsches Derby, denying the Karl Burke-trained Convergent (Fascinating Rock) by the merest of margins. Hochkoenig is by the Lomitas stallion Polish Vulcano, who stands at the Darboven family's Gestuet Idee, which sponsors the Derby and is where the 17-year-old was bred. We'll be hearing from the stallion's breeder Albert Darboven in tomorrow's TDN, but for the breeders of Hochkoenig, racing photographers Marc and Gabi Ruehl,...

With the late scratching of France's leading contender Juwelier (Wootton Bassett), the path was left clear for domestic hope Hochkonig (Polish Vulcano) and British raider Convergent (Fascinating Rock) to battle out a thrilling finish to Sunday's G1 IDEE 156th Deutsches Derby at Hamburg. The delayed photo verdict heightened the drama and the crowd erupted once Hochkonig was confirmed the short-head winner, with Nina Baltromei becoming the contest's first female rider to celebrate glory. Baltromei employed patient tactics from the outset and settled Hochkonig off the pace in rear for most...