Press release
Image: Aleno; www.marcruehl.com / Use of this image is free of charge in connection with reporting on Baden Galopp
Super Alleno and top-notch attendance – the 2026 Spring Meeting was once again a huge success
Baden-Baden-Iffezheim, June 8, 2026 (MH) – The 2026 season opener, organized by Baden Galopp at the racetrack in Baden-Baden-Iffezheim, was once again a true celebration of horse racing: three top-class race days in front of 37,500 spectators, a Grand Prix featuring an excellent field, and a first-class atmosphere – the spring meeting concluded on Sunday with the organizer reporting positive results.
Strong results across the board
A total of 37,500 spectators attended the three days of racing at Germany’s premier racetrack, with 12,800 in attendance on Children’s and Family Day on Corpus Christi Thursday. 11,200 visitors were in Iffezheim on Saturday, and 13,500 on the final day.
Betting turnover increased on all days compared to previous years. A total of 2,500,708.73 million euros was wagered across 27 races. In 2025, the figure had been 1,938,221.05 euros. Of this amount, approximately 17% remains with the organizer to fund breeding performance tests. Approximately 33% came from off-track betting, i.e., bets placed outside the racetrack itself, and approximately 18% of the turnover came from abroad. The average turnover per race was a remarkable €92,618.84.
Alleno defeats Derby winner Hochkönig
Of course, the Tattersalls Grand Prix (Group II, €70,000, 2,200 m), once again held under the auspices of the English auction house Tattersalls and in the tradition of the Badische Wirtschaft Grand Prix, was the absolute highlight on Sunday. Here, the trifecta went exactly as expected, as the favorite Alleno (2.7:1), Derby winner Hochkönig, and Wilko took the top three spots—the horses that had received the most bets on the Toto.
Alleno displayed brilliant speed on the turf at Iffezheim. When the Ittlingen Stud stallion, ridden by Manfred Ostermann, found an opening, he surged forward with tremendous power and held off Hochkönig—who had clearly picked up the pace—by three-quarters of a length with great confidence. With this victory, the team of Sibylle Vogt (jockey) and Marcel Weiß (trainer), as well as the Ittlingen Stud, celebrated yet another major triumph in a sensational season.
“I knew I could count on Alleno one hundred percent,” said Sibylle Vogt. “He just went right through that narrow gap.” “I was sweating for a moment, but Alleno really picked up the pace. I’m so happy we had a Mülheim finish,” explained Marcel Weiß.
Vikings Love Iffezheim
One highlight of the supporting program on the final day was a thrilling sprint finish:
The Casino Baden-Baden Silver Whip (Listed race, €30,000, 1,200 m) once again served as a key prep race for the Casino Baden-Baden Golden Whip at the Grosse Woche. In a very exciting race, Wikinger (T. Hammer-Hansen), now trained by Henk Grewe for Cometica AG, scored another top victory in Iffezheim. It was here that he had already won the Ferdinand Leisten Memorial just under three years ago.
Once again, the victory goes to France
There were already several sporting highlights on Thursday. As in 2025, the top event for the Meiler, the 47th Kronimus Badener Meile (Group III, €55,000, 1,600 m)—once again sponsored by the Iffezheim-based concrete block manufacturer—was held in France.
Ridden by jockey Aurelien Lemaitre, Sir Tommy Cen didn't give the local competition—led by Aster ahead of Sommersby—the slightest chance. The winner is trained by the Spaniard Patrik Olave-Valdivielso in Pau, and is owned by Yeguda Centurion SLU, a stable that also enjoys great success on the international stage. Behind the stable is Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals, who hails from Cuba.
The Germanius racing stable and Hoppegarten-based trainer Eva Fabianova are enjoying a real run of success; now co-favorite Ruby Lips, ridden by Rene Piechulek, has added another victory to their list of achievements in the Preis der Baden-Badener Hotellerie & Gastronomie (Listed race, €35,000, 2,200 m). The races on Thursday were followed by an after-race party, where guests celebrated with cocktails and music well into the late evening, though the weather on Thursday could have been a bit better.
Only Seguro Proves Too Strong for Iffezheim's Yacomo
Saturday’s Japan Racing Association Derby Trial (Group III, €55,000, 2,000 m) took a somewhat surprising turn, as the heavy favorite Lommi finished only fourth, while Seguro, ridden by Benjamin Marie and trained by Cologne-based trainer Andreas Suborics, triumphed. The co-favorite easily pulled away from the field. The stallion, owned by Rastatt-based tax consultant Thomas Schäffer, has not yet been entered for the Derby but could still be added to the list. Yacomo, trained in Iffezheim by Fabian Xaver Weißmeiter, put on a first-class performance as a massive long shot ahead of Waladares. “We’re obviously heading to the German Derby; he’ll be my first starter there,” the trainer explained.
Zauberflöte is the first 2026 two-year-old champion
The first race for two-year-olds in Germany in 2026, the BBAG Badener Jugendpreis (€15,000, 1,000 m), marked a brilliant debut for the stallion Rubaiyat, himself a former stakes winner. His daughter Zauberflöte, ridden by Thore Hammer-Hansen for owner Thomas Georg Jander and trainer Henk Grewe, fully lived up to expectations as the hot favorite. The €30,000 paid for the filly—bred by Gestüt Karlshof—at the BBAG Yearling Auction appears to have been money well spent.
Charity Drive and New Racing Series
Saturday featured a special charity race. With the “Fuck Cancer Race,” Baden Galopp supported an initiative by Dana Diekmeier to aid cancer research.
Dana Diekmeier personally explained the background. Baden Galopp donated 5,000 euros. The race was won by new trainer Alicia Baum with the long shot Soft Winds.
Three goals for the Iffezheim training center
Turffreunde Baden and Iffezheim-based trainer Gerald Geisler also had reason to celebrate, as their horse Tia Sophia, ridden by Kevin Braye, won the T. von Zastrow Amateur Cup (Class IV, 1,800 m). Adelaide had already secured a Class III win for trainer Karoly Kerekes on Thursday. And on Sunday, Ostseesonne (trainer Gordan Batistic) delivered the third victory for the local training center in a €15,000 race.
On Sunday, the "Golden Horse Amazon Series" kicked off
a new, cross-meeting series of three races for female jockeys—in a 2,800-meter Handicap III, which was surprisingly won by Manon des Bois (11.8:1) for trainer Dr. Andreas Bolte, ridden by Sina Schmidt.
Finally, Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten, co-founder of the successful Liberty Racing Syndicate, former board member of Deutscher Galopp, and former advisor to many top athletes, presented his book *Tore des Lebens* on Sunday.
Hammer-Hansen and Grewe Win the Volksbank pur Meeting Championship
With a total of five wins, Thore Hammer-Hansen was the dominant jockey of the Spring Meeting, winning the Meeting Championship, which was sponsored exclusively by Volksbank. Among the trainers, Henk Grewe came in first with three wins, as he had more second-place finishes than his competitors. WETTSTAR secured the Baden-Airpark Press Cup.
The BBAG Spring Auction, which concluded on Friday, was held online for the first time. Native Ruler, who had won a race in Nancy earlier that day, fetched the highest price among the horses sold, at 8,500 euros. Andi Wyss was the successful bidder.
Stephan Buchner, managing partner of Baden Galopp: “We are very pleased with the response from our visitors, the betting turnover, and how the event was organized. Of course, we also had the necessary luck with the weather. We are already looking forward to the 2026 Grosse Woche.”
Big Week kicks off on August 29
Preparations are set to begin soon for the top racing week of 2025 in Iffezheim: the "Grosse Woche," featuring five days of racing from August 29 to September 6.
Additional dates for the 2026 Baden Galopp horse racing events:
Big week:
Saturday, August 29
Sunday, August 30
Tuesday, September 1
Saturday, September 5
Sunday, September 6
Sales & Racing Festival:
Friday, October 16
Sunday, October 18
Andre Lott
Press contact
Baden Galopp GmbH & Co. KG
Rennbahnstr. 16
76473 Iffezheim
Tel: +49 1736755151
www.badengalopp.de
——————————————
Follow us on:
——————————————
Company headquarters: Iffezheim
Mannheim Local Court: HRA 708774
Represented by Baden Galopp Verwaltungs GmbH
Company headquarters: Iffezheim
Mannheim Local Court: HRB 3821
Managing Director: Stephan Buchner
