(tac.) Tested and approved by appointed hooves: The renovated training track at Baden-Baden - Iffezheim racecourse was inaugurated today with a "special training session with extended track test": Appointed hooves and - on behalf of all those involved - selected riders were present:
Lionne d'Azur with Peter Werler, former mayor, for the Baden Galopp Foundation.
Ange d'Azur with Hans-Jörg Simon, entrepreneur, racing stable owner and former amateur rider as investor.
Dontellyourmother with Klaus Eulenberger, Managing Director of Baden-Badener Auktionsgesellschaft (BBAG) e.V. as co-partner of Baden Galopp.
Eric, winner of the Ferdinand Leisten-Memorial race 2013 (for owner Peter Gaul, majority owner of Baden Galopp) with Stephan Buchner, managing partner of Baden Galopp for the operator.
Together at the start - together to the finish
Stephan Buchner: "The relaunch of the Baden-Baden / Iffezheim racecourse is a huge project. We can, want to and must tackle it together. The riders and their horses stand for all those involved: the operators, the sponsoring association, breeders, racecourse owners, riders, horses, sponsors, those involved, Iffezheim residents - and hopefully many spectators again soon. This wonderful training track is a good omen for the start."
The finest quartz sand inspires trainers and horses
The new training track, the renovation of which was started by Baden Racing, the previous operator, is 1800 meters long and, at five to six meters, considerably wider than its predecessor at four meters. 10,000 tons or 5000 cubic metres of gravel and sand were used here. Architect Jean de Chevigny from Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris designed the new track with a total height of around 40 centimetres: The base is formed by a drainage system covered by a layer of geotextile. On top of this is a drainage layer of crushed gravel, followed by a transition layer of sand. The final top layer, around 16 centimetres thick, consists of the finest quartz sand. The gravel and sand come from the Iffezheim gravel works. The quartz sand, specially developed for racecourses, was supplied by racecourse builder Normandie Drainage; the French company is regarded as a world leader with around 300 tracks on its reference list to date. The ultra-modern automatic irrigation system with spray heads at intervals of just ten meters ensures the perfect moisture content and thus the ideal stability of the track. Lars Jensen, one of the financiers of the track, is delighted: "It's firm and soft at the same time - like walking barefoot on the seashore: there's nothing better for legs, feet - and hooves! We now have what is probably the best training track in Germany!"
Co-investor Hans-Jörg Simon echoes this sentiment: "I saw nothing but beaming faces this morning when the trainers and horses were on the track for the first time. Even trainer legend Wilfried Schütz, the longest-serving trainer in Iffezheim, raised his thumb - you can't get more praise than that," says the former amateur rider Simon happily.
Peter Gaul, majority shareholder of Baden Galopp GmbH & Co. KG, which has been operating the Baden-Baden - Iffezheim racecourse since April 1, 2021, joked: "Nobody really said that we were sitting in a nest - but the perfect ground has been prepared for the horses - so it's off to a good start!"
The leftovers for the VIP parking lot: "Vintage", so to speak
The planned construction period of three months was adhered to exactly - despite a small "surprise" during the construction work: Around 50-year-old asphalt residues were discovered under parts of the track - around 1000 tons in total. The material, which is proven to be free of tar and pollutants, is being upcycled for a second life in an ecologically and economically exemplary manner: As a surface for the VIP parking lot.
Long-distance sprint for the "Big Week": August 29 - September 5
Peter Gaul and Stephan Buchner have big plans. They want to anchor the racecourse regionally - and bring the world to Iffezheim. The two know each other from 25 years of working together for the Badischer Rennverein and the Waldrennbahn Mannheim-Seckenheim. Peter Gaul: "The Gaul/Buchner team came to the inauguration today with the best rider and the best horse: Stephan Buchner is the better rider, I have the better horse!"
Top work at top speed is now required from the entire Baden Galopp team: the "Big Week", the annual highlight at Baden-Baden - Iffezheim racecourse, is just over four months away. "Four racing days will take place between August 29 and September 5. All important races, such as the group races relevant for the breeding selection with the Grand Prix of Baden as the highlight, will take place. This also applies to the races as part of the Sales & Racing Festival in October. "We will see the best of the best on these days," says Buchner happily. "We are doing everything we can to maintain the traditionally high sporting standard of this racecourse. The racecourse must and will remain the number 1 in German horse racing," explains Peter Gaul. In the coming years, Baden Galopp intends to gradually offer an overall program with at least twelve race days again.
