ONE hopes that a better fate befalls the 2025 Deutsches Derby winner Hochkonig than the 2024 winner, Palladium.

The latter sold for €1,400,000 at Arqana but ended up over hurdles for Nicky Henderson and was later gelded.

Hochkonig wrote his name into the Derby history books when he narrowly defeated the Karl Burke-trained Convergent at Hamburg in July. It was significant as he was the first major European Derby winner to be ridden by a woman.

Former amateur rider

His jockey Nina Baltromei was only a month into her apprenticeship having exchanged her amateur licence for a professional one in June but the daughter of the late trainer Werner Baltromei was champion amateur in Germany last year.

Hochkonig is the second winner of the German Derby to be trained by a woman. His trainer Yasmin Almenrader took up the reins at Baltromei’s Muhlheim base following his death. Criquette Head had claimed the distinction of being the first woman to train a major European Derby winner when Bering won the 1986 Prix du Jockey Club.

Hochkonig had just a short-head to spare over Convergent, ridden by Clifford Lee for Karl Burke.

The colt’s victory provided sire Polish Vulcano, a son of the brilliant sire Lomitas, with his first top-level victory. Hochkonig didn’t appear again after his Derby victory.

Preis der Diana

The fillies’ classic, the Henkel-Preis der Diana, is among the few Group 1s to have eluded Coolmore and Godolphin. This year Ribblesdale winner Garden Of Eden (Coolmore) and listed scorer Spirited Style (Godolphin) were sent off favourite and second favourite but they failed ot make an impression.

Victory went to Nicoreni. Innora had maintained her position at the front until the final 50 metres, when Nicoreni rushed past to take the prize for Peter Schiergen, who was winning the contest for a fifth time as a trainer.

The victory was a first at Group 1 level for her rider Leon Wolff, who was riding the filly for the first time. The daughter of Brametot was later only eighth to Barnavara in the Prix de l’Opera Longines.

With no star three-year-olds emerging at home, the Group 1s later in the season again proved happy hunting grounds for British runners.

At Hoppegarten in August, the Group 1 Westminster 135th Grosser Preis von Berlin saw Godolphin’s star Rebel’s Romance win it for the second time, giving jockey Billy Loughnane his first Group 1 success when he was three quarters of a length too good for French runner Junko.

Graffard strikes

Then at Baden-Baden in September, the Group 1 Wettstar.de - 155th Grosser Preis von Baden saw another British runner go off favourite, Dubai Honour for Tom Marquand and William Haggas, but it was Francis-Henri Graffard who extended his international run of success when Goliath and Clement Lecoeuvre made all, and the German-bred son of Adlerflug ran on in the final furlong to win by a length and a quarter.