David Conolly-Smith

THE Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich today is the last Group 1 of the German season, and in fact the last big race in Europe over the classic distance of one and a half miles.

The race started life as the Aral-Pokal at Gelsenkirchen, and after that racecourse closed down, was run for several years as the Rheinland-Pokal in Cologne before it moved to Munich and its new name two years ago.

It has always been a summer event, usually in mid-August, but in recent years the fields have been very small and so the decision has been taken to run the race in the autumn.

This was a smart move and there is a strong field of 14 today, although Ralph Beckett´s Cubanita is the only foreign runner. The five-year-old, a good sixth - beaten less than five lengths - in the Champion Fillies and Mares race on British Champions Day, is known as a spring and autumn horse and will certainly have the soft ground she needs, but faces a stiff task on ratings.

The Preis von Europa, run at Cologne five weeks ago, could be the key race here, as Earl Of Tinsdal, Night Wish, Girolamo, Wild Chief and Papageno Star finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth here behind Hong Kong-bound Empoli.

Earl Of Tinsdal’s trainer Andreas Wöhler (currently in Australia preparing Protectionist for the Melbourne Cup) also runs German Oaks winner Feodora, recently fifth in the Prix de l´Opera, but not certain to stay this trip.

It is a similar story with Wild Chief, who appeared not to stay at Cologne and had earlier finished fourth in the Prix du Jockey Club; his trainer Jens Hirschberger has also supplemented Virginia Sun, runner-up in the German St Leger.

However the one to beat is clearly Gestüt Schlenderhan’s Ivanhowe, winner of the Grosser Preis von Baden from Sea The Moon and Night Wish. His poor effort in the Arc can be excused as conditions were totally against him – the fast ground and his bad draw. He is the highest-rated runner and should find everything in his favour this time.