THIS was rather a muddling year for German racing with very few outstanding performances. The Deutsches Derby was the most valuable race of the year and also provided the most exciting finish, with four horses in a line inside the final furlong.

In the end, it was Darius Racing’s Isfahan, ridden by Italian jockey Dario Vargiu and trained by Andreas Wöhler, who was just in front on the line, scoring by a head and a neck from Savoir Vivre, who came with a strong late charge under Freddy Tylicki, and Dschingis Secret.