Big Week from August 27 - September 4, 2022 in Baden-Baden - Iffezheim:
Riding Mendocino, Piechulek defeats the overwhelming favorite Torquator Tasso in the 152nd Wettstar.de Grand Prix of Baden—a sensation in front of 15,500 spectators in Iffezheim
Baden-Baden/Iffezheim, September 4, 2022 (MH). What a result in the 152nd Wettstar.de Baden Grand Prix, the 2022 season highlight sponsored for the second time by Germany’s leading horse racing betting broker, in front of 15,500 spectators on Sunday at the racetrack in Baden-Baden-Iffezheim! Rene Piechulek (35), Arc winner and former regular jockey for Torquator Tasso, rode Mendocino—trained in Munich by his partner Sarah Steinberg (34) for the Salzburg stable owned by bedroom furniture entrepreneur Hans-Gerd Wernicke—to a victory by a head over the overwhelming 1.7:1 favorite and defending champion.
Mendocino was the only horse in the four-horse field of the Group I race—with a purse of 200,000 euros—over 2,400 meters that had not yet won a Group race, though he had, among other things, finished second behind the top-class mare Alpinista in the Allianz – Grand Prix of Bavaria. Rene Piechulek, the stable jockey for Stall Salzburg, brilliantly fulfilled his contractual obligations, which may have been decisive for the outcome of the race.
115,000 euros in prize money
After a hiatus since June, the victory—which came with a prize of 115,000 euros—on the final day of the “Grosse Woche” came as quite a surprise, but in the end, tactics proved decisive.
With such a small field, the pace was slow; Alter Adler was forced to lead, and Torquator Tasso had a tough race in second place, while Mendocino was able to finish strong behind Sammarco, the winner of the Derby and the Dallmayr Prize.
A Thrilling Fight
Already on the final turn, Frankie Dettori picked up the pace and attacked Alter Adler, who was soon on the retreat; then, on the home stretch, Sammarco, the co-favorite charging from the inside, had a huge moment. A fascinating battle ensued, initially between Sammarco and Torquator Tasso, but on the final stretch, Rene Piechulek put the pedal to the metal on Mendocino and, drawing on astonishing reserves of energy, actually managed to pull off a narrow victory over the very unlucky Torquator Tasso, behind whom Sammarco—who had also looked very much in contention for a long time—secured third place ahead of Alter Adler. This means that Germany is likely to have two very promising contenders on October 2 in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe—the world’s most prestigious race, with a purse of five million euros—in Mendocino and Torquator Tasso, for whom Frankie Dettori has been booked to ride in the Arc!
VOICES:
Rene Piechulek (Mendocino’s jockey): “I had an amazing race. Mendocino settled in nicely at the back and showed incredible speed down the stretch. The result is just incredible. Everything went perfectly.”
Sarah Steinberg (Mendocino’s trainer): “The competition was very strong leading up to the race. We would have been satisfied if Mendocino had finished ahead of just one opponent. He was coming off a break. During the race, he managed to stay out of all the trouble, and at the end, he really turned it on. This is a very emotional moment for me. For now, he should just come home, but the Arc is, of course, a very likely next goal.”
Hans-Gerd Wernicke (owner of Mendocino): “The break was worth it. We’d thought long and hard about whether we should run here, and it was the right decision. Sarah Steinberg is not only a first-class person, but also a first-class trainer.”
Marcel Weiß (trainer of Torquator Tasso): “Unfortunately, he had the worst race of all the competitors and had to run freely the whole time. He was never able to hide behind anyone, and the left-handed course wasn’t ideal either, even though he had already won here.”
Lanfranco Dettori (jockey for Torquator Tasso): “There wasn’t enough pace in the race, and the track wasn’t soft enough either. I started pushing 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 for you. Things could turn out differently in Paris. I’ve already booked Lanfranco Dettori for the Arc.”
Bauyrzhan Murzabayev (jockey of Sammarco): “My horse had a great moment; that was an amazing performance against very strong competition.”
Peter Schiergen (Sammarco's trainer): “He attacked well and ran a great race again today. We didn't embarrass ourselves. Sammarco always performs at his best. The Prix d'Europe in Cologne is an option.”
Waldemar Hickst (trainer of Alter Adler): “He just needs a pacer; this wasn’t his kind of race from the front. But he wasn’t beaten by much. Maybe we’ll head to the Preis von Europa now.”
Live Broadcast to Hong Kong
No fewer than three races on the final day of the “Grosse Woche”—the 152nd Wettstar.de Baden Grand Prix, the Brunner-Oettingen Race, and a handicap race—were broadcast live to the betting mecca of Hong Kong, where bets could be placed on them. Thanks to partner WETTSTAR, the event set entirely new standards for live broadcasting, just as it had with the Berlin Grand Prix. In total, 67.5 million Hong Kong dollars (approx. 8.6 million euros) were wagered on the three races in the former British 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 this 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]
