Big week in Baden-Baden - Iffezheim from 29 August to 5 September
Baden-Baden/Iffezheim, August 29, 2021 (MH). Great joy among all turf fans - the 2021 racing season at the Baden-Baden-Iffezheim racecourse has started - on Sunday, the first eleven tests under the direction of Baden Galopp took place here. And the first Group winner was a mare with the best profile, but severely underestimated by the bettors: The four-year-old mare Tabera (odds 10.1:1 euros), trained by Miltcho Mintchev for the Bulgarian stable Litex of Grischa Gantschev (shareholder of the soccer club Litex Lovetsch) in Cologne, won the 66th Prize of the Sparkassen Finanzgruppe (Group III, 50,000 euros, 2,000 meters) impressively by three and three-quarters of a length.
Ridden by vice-champion jockey Maxim Pecheur, the four-year-old Gleneagles daughter, who had the lead at the beginning, then was taken off by the favorite Liberty London before the home stretch, only to re-accelerate, clearly broke free and had the 30,000 euro premium safe early on ahead of Only the Brave, Quest the Moon and Liberty London in her fifth career win.
Most recently in the Grand Dallmayr Prize, Tabera had not lived up to her normal ability after leading for a long time, but her success in the 2020 Prize of German Unity at Berlin-Hoppegarten was still remembered.
Voices of the stakeholders:
Tabera coach Miltcho Mintchev: "I was at the start machine and drove back to the track in a Mercedes, where I thank God I saw the last meters. My driver told me not to worry, we had the right car. The mare was very well prepared for the race. Everything worked out very well. We are now heading for the Prix de l' Opera on the first Sunday of October in Paris."
Tabera jockey Maxim Pecheur: "This is my highlight so far this year. I already knew the mare Tabera. In the race I took her a bit to the outside, which was an advantage. She pulled through in the best way."
Natascha Grewe, wife of trainer Henk Grewe, on runner-up Only the Brave: "His last form was inexplicably weak. We had no explanation for that. In Baden-Baden he had already run strongly once, and today we are also fully satisfied."
Sarah Steinberg, trainer of third-placed Quest the Moon: "We have to be satisfied: he had an unfavorable starting position, but the jockey made the best of it. However, it was not Quest the Moon's ground today either."
Waldemar Hickst, trainer of fourth-placed Liberty London: "On the home straight, she struggled from a good position and could not make any gains in the last 300-400 meters. It probably wasn't due to the distance or the ground."
Photo credit: www.marcruehl.com