RAVENSBERG trainer Andreas Wöhler, whose three-year-olds have been almost unbeatable this season, completed a quick classic double last Sunday when Jaber Abdullah’s Full Rose, ridden by Jozef Bojko, ran out a narrow winner of the German 1000 Guineas at Düsseldorf just six days after Pearl Bloodstock’s Karpino had taken the colts’ equivalent at Cologne.

He almost brought off a classic hat-trick as his runner in the Italian Oaks, run 15 minutes after the Düsseldorf race, went under by just a head in a three-way photo-finish.

However while Karpino outclassed his opposition and won by a huge margin, the Düsseldorf race ended in a very close finish with less than four lengths separating the first six home.

It was rather a messy race and not made easier to analyse by the fact that there was a power cut on the racecourse as the race started and screens on the TV sets and monitors were blank for the first five furlongs.

When they came into view, the two Waldemar Hickst runners Amabelle and Nymeria were just leading, but the field was well bunched up with the British challenger Terror and Irish hope Letters Of Note close up and Full Rose not far away on the outside.

At the distance, it was Nymeria who just led, and there were still 10 fillies in with a chance, but it was Full Rose who produced the best turn of foot, and she led inside the final half furlong to score by a neck.

Nymeria kept on well for second with the staying-on Schützenpost third, while Bourree (unlucky as she slipped on the path crossing the track a furlong and a half out) and Light The Stars dead-heating for fourth.

Terror, seventh, did not see out the mile and David Simcock will probably bring her down in trip now, while Letters Of Note was eighth and Wöhler’s other runner La Saldana ninth.

The latter had been the stable’s first choice here, but the rain that fell steadily for most of the afternoon scuppered her chances.

The soft ground was also to blame for the disappointing performance of Letters Of Note, whose trainer Michael O’Callaghan had been full of optimism before the race.

Oisin Murphy explained that she ran well enough, but could not find her action on the ground. It was in fact a pretty decent performance considering her unorthodox approach to the race - her previous run had been in a Dundalk maiden in January.

O’Callaghan was still able to put a positive spin on the result: “The change in the going did for us today, but I am still convinced that she has group race ability and I am sure that we will find a nice race for her.”

Despite the close finish, Full Rose - from the second crop of the ill-fated Nunnery Stud stallion Aqlaam - was the best horse on the day and certainly won on merit.

She is unbeaten in three starts, all at Düsseldorf and always ridden by Wöhler’s second jockey, Slovak-born Jozef Bojko, who is currently leading the German statistics, as of course is his boss in the trainers’ lists.

Wöhler, currently operating at a 43% strike rate, was in Italy to see Full Of Beauty’s brave effort in the Italian Oaks, and said later: “Full Rose is a totally uncomplicated filly, and we shall keep her at distances of a mile or slightly further, but we shall give her a short break now.”

ITALIAN OAKS

Full Of Beauty dead-heated for second place in the Oaks d’Italia with the favourite Joyful Hope, but it was another German filly that had her head in front on the line, Gestüt Ittlingen’s Lovelyn, trained by Peter Schiergen at Cologne.

By coincidence, it was another Schiergen filly, Stall Nizza’s Nightflower, who defeated Wöhler’s Arles in the Dr Berglar colours, in the Diana-Trial at Hoppegarten a fortnight ago.

We shall probably see these two plus Lovelyn (whose dam was a full-sister to German champion Lando) in the Preis der Diana (German Oaks) at Düsseldorf on August 2nd, but Full Of Beauty was not entered there, and may well run in France next time.

Both Full Rose and Full Of Beauty were in Ireland with Paul Deegan last year, but were transferred to Wöhler in the off season with a batch of other three-year-olds owned by Jaber Abdullah, who is now the biggest owner in the Wöhler stable.

BADEN-BADEN

The German action has now moved to Baden-Baden where the Spring Meeting is now under way in a heatwave (33 degrees predicted for today - too hot for man and beast!), but German eyes will also be fixed on the Derby at Epsom, where Andreas Wöhler runs Rogue Runner for Qatar Racing, and also across the Atlantic, where Wolfgang Figge’s Magic Artist runs in the Manhattan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

Both these horses need fast going to show their best form and connections are hoping that the ground dries out after early week rain.