WHILE Irish trainers were cleaning up at the Irish Champions Weekend and also at Longchamp last Sunday, it was the Brits who took the honours at Germany’s top meeting of the year, the Grosse Woche at Baden-Baden.

Barney Roy, a six-year-old gelding trained by Charlie Appleby, took the main event, the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden, and gave Godolphin their third successive victory in this prestigious event, following Best Solution in 2018 and Ghaiyyath last year.

Barney Roy was running for the third time in Germany this year and had earlier won the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis in Munich over 2,000 metres, before fading into fourth (but only beaten about a length and a half) in the Preis von Europa over 2,400 metres at Cologne a month ago.

There were suspicions that the mile and a half here would also be too far for him, but the much faster going at Baden-Baden was ideal, and the slow pace also played into his hands.

That pace was set by Franny Norton on the second British challenger, Mark Johnston’s Communique, and resulted in the very slow time of 2m 39.52secs, by far the slowest of the three races that day over the distance.

James Doyle, deputising for stable jockey William Buick, on duty at the Curragh, always had Barney Roy handily placed in fourth as the main local hopes were held up. Doyle took closer order as the field rounded the final turn and Barney Roy quickened past Communique two furlongs out, staying on strongly to the line.

It was very close for the places, with Communique holding on gamely for the runner-up spot, a length and three quarters behind the winner, but a neck in front of the favourite Torquator Tasso, who finished well but was much too late to hit top gear, and another neck to Preis von Europa winner Donjah, with Durance and Quest The Moon close up in fifth and sixth and Kaspar not far away in seventh.

As Torquator Tasso and Kaspar had been second and third in this year’s Deutsches Derby, this was a disappointing result for the Germans, especially as Derby winner In Swoop had a few minutes earlier finished an excellent second to Mogul in the Grand Prix de Paris.

The Grosser Preis von Baden was a tactical affair but there is no doubt that the winner was the best horse of the day.

James Doyle said afterwards: “I thought he was a miler after the way he won the St James’s Palace Stakes at three, but Charlie was convinced he would stay a mile and a half, and he was right!”

Plans for the winner are not clear, but he is entered in Ascot’s Champion Stakes back at 10 furlongs, and also it seems that a trip to North America could be on the cards.

Profitable afternoon

Godolphin had also enjoyed a profitable afternoon two days earlier at Baden-Baden when their two runners occupied the first two places in the Group 2 Oettingen-Rennen, Germany’s top mile race and which had in previous years been sponsored by Darley.

Their filly Half Light, trained by Henri-Alex Pantall, started favourite after an excellent second place in a Deauville Group 1, and looked to have the race won when sweeping into the lead on the wide outside a furlong out, but Franny Norton conjured an amazing late run out of Mark Johnston’s Dark Vision, clear last most of the way, who got up on the line to score by a nose.

Dark Vision had been a smart two-year-old, winning the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood in 2018, and was right back to his best here and this was in fact his first success since.

The three-year-olds played only a minor role in these two races, but were more successful in Saturday’s Group 2 T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis for fillies and mares, where the first four places went to the classic crop.

Zamrud, a Gestüt Hachtsee-homebred daughter of Samum ran out an easy winner from Virginia Joy, with Johnston’s Rose Of Kildare third.

Zamrud and Virginia Joy had earlier finished second and third to Miss Yoda in the Group 1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks), but on that occasion only separated by a nose, while Rose Of Kildare had been third in the German 1,000 Guineas before winning York’s Musidora Stakes, so at least it seems that the form of the fillies’ classics is working out well.

The form of the German Derby certainly received a boost from In Swoop’s good run at ParisLongchamp, but the Baden-Baden result has let it down again, so we still do not really know how they all stand.