Big Week from August 27 - September 4, 2022 in Baden-Baden - Iffezheim:
Piechulek defeats the heavy favorite Torquator Tasso with Mendocino in the 152nd Wettstar.de Grosser Preis von Baden - Sensation in front of 15,500 spectators in Iffezheim
Baden-Baden/Iffezheim, September 04, 2022 (MH). What a result in the 152nd Wettstar.de Grosser Preis von Baden, the highlight of the 2022 season sponsored for the second time by the most important horse betting broker in Germany, in front of 15,500 spectators at the racecourse in Baden-Baden-Iffezheim on Sunday! Rene Piechulek (35), Arc winner and previously the permanent jockey of Torquator Tasso, defeated the heavy 1.7:1 favorite and last year's winner by a head with Mendocino, trained by his partner Sarah Steinberg (34) in Munich for the Salzburg stable of Schlafmöbel entrepreneur Hans-Gerd Wernicke.
Mendocino was the only horse in the four-strong line-up for the €200,000 Group I race over 2,400 meters that had not yet won a group race, but he had been runner-up to the class mare Alpinista in the Allianz - Großer Preis von Bayern. Rene Piechulek, stable jockey of Stall Salzburg, fulfilled his contractual obligations brilliantly, which may have been decisive for the outcome of the competition.
115,000 euros prize money
After a break since June, the triumph on the final day of the Big Week, which was rewarded with a 115,000 euro prize, was quite unexpected, but tactics were also decisive in the end.
Because there was hardly any speed in the small field, Alter Adler was forced to go at the front, and Torquator Tasso had a laborious race in second place, while Mendocino was able to switch off well at the end behind Derby and Dallmayr Prize winner Sammarco.
Thrilling fight
Already in the final bend Frankie Dettori pushed the pace and attacked Alter Adler, who was soon on the retreat, then on the straight the co-favorite Sammarco, who was pushing on the inside, had a huge moment. A fascinating fight developed, initially between Sammarco and Torquator Tasso, but on the final stretch Rene Piechulek ignited Mendocino's turbo and with astonishing reserves actually managed a tight turnaround against the very unlucky Torquator Tasso, behind whom Sammarco, in third place, also looked very promising for a long time and brought home third place against Alter Adler. With Mendocino and Torquator Tasso, for whom Frankie Dettori was booked directly for the Arc ride, Germany should have two very promising starters on October 2 in the Prix de l' Arc de Triomphe, the most important race in the world with a purse of five million euros!
VOICES:
Rene Piechulek (jockey of Mendocino): "I had a mega race, Mendocino switched off well at the back and showed huge speed at the end. The result is just awesome. Everything worked out wonderfully."
Sarah Steinberg (coach of Mendocino): "The competition was very strong in the run-up. We would have been satisfied if Mendocino had left one opponent behind. He was coming out of a break. He was able to stay out of everything in the race, and he pulled away big time at the end. That's a very emotional moment for me. He should now come home first, but the Arc is of course a very likely goal."
Hans-Gerd Wernicke (owner of Mendocino): "The break was worth it. We thought long and hard about whether we should run here and the decision was the right one. Sarah Steinberg is not only first class as a person, but also as a trainer."
Marcel Weiß (trainer of Torquator Tasso): "Unfortunately, he had the worst race of all the participants and always had to gallop freely. He could never be hidden, and the left-hand course was not ideal either, even if he had already won here."
Lanfranco Dettori (jockey of Torquator Tasso): "There wasn't enough speed in the race and the ground wasn't soft enough either. I was already working away 800 meters before the finish, but my opponent had the better acceleration."
Peter-Michael Endres (co-owner of Torquator Tasso): "That was anything but a favorable race for him, but that's horse racing. Things could look different again in Paris. I have already booked Lanfranco Dettori for the Arc."
Bauyrzhan Murzabayev (jockey of Sammarco): "My horse had a great moment, that was a super performance against very good competition."
Peter Schiergen (Sammarco's coach): "He attacked well and also ran a great race today. We didn't embarrass ourselves. Sammarco always runs well. The Preis von Europa in Cologne is an option."
Waldemar Hickst (coach of Alter Adler): "He simply needs a pacemaker, that wasn't his race from the front. But he wasn't beaten far. Maybe we'll now go into the Prize of Europe."
Live broadcast to Hong Kong
Three races on the final day of the Grand Week, the 152nd Wettstar.de Grosser Preis von Baden, the Brunner-Oettingen-Rennen and a handicap, were broadcast live to the betting paradise of Hong Kong and could be bet on from there. Thanks to partner WETTSTAR, the live broadcast set completely new standards, as was the case with the Berlin Grand Prix. A total of 67.5 million HK dollars (approx. 8.6 million euros) was wagered on the three competitions in the former crown colony.
Dates of race events Baden Galopp 2022:
Sales & Racing Festival:
Friday, October 14
Sunday, October 16
Winter magic race day:
Saturday, December 3
Photo:
Mendocino, image source: www.marcruehl.com Use of the image is free of charge in connection with reporting on Baden Galopp
Contact:
Press department Baden Galopp:
E-Mail: [email protected]
Racing department:
Name: Michael Hähn
E-Mail: [email protected]
