Danedream set for first run on home soil since famous Longchamp victory

PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Preview: Germany, Sunday 3.45pm BST

Baden-Baden: Grosser Preis der Badischen Unternehmen (Group 2) 1m3f, 4yo+

A HUGE crowd is expected at Baden-Baden on Sunday as Arc heroine Danedream (Peter Schiergen/Andrasch Starke) runs for the firsttime this year.

Danedream became only the second German winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October and also finished a respectable sixth in the Japan Cup the following month.

The German champion now embarks on a 2012 campaign, which if all goes to plan will see her challenging for the same races again in the autumn. Although the Baden-Baden race is worth only a relatively modest €70,000, peanuts compared to the sums on offerin Paris and Tokyo, this event was long ago pinpointed as her opening race of the new season.

“We decided in the winter to start her off here,” says her trainer.

“Everything has gone smoothly so far – she’s fit, she’s well and I’m totally satisfied with her. We shall decide from race to race how things will continue, but obviously the Arc is the main autumn target, followed by Japan.”

A half-share in her was sold to Japanese breeder Teruya Yoshida a few days before her Paris victory.

Schiergen, who also saddles Silvaner (Terry Hellier) and Lindenthaler (Filip Minarik), added: “Danedream is not a flashy worker, but she is very well and under normal circumstances should win. I also expect my other two runners – who are here as there are no suitable opportunities elsewhere – to run well, although of course I cannot see them beating Danedream.”

They both ran last time in the Gerling-Preis at Cologne, with Silvaner a fast-finishing runner-up, while Lindenthaer was a disappointing seventh. In the same race Norwegian-trained Sir Lando (Wido Neuroth/ Fredrik Johansson) ran third and front-runner Mighty Mouse (Pavel Vovcenko/ Freddie Tylicki) sixth.

Wido Neuroth, trainer of Sir Lando, said: “He needed the race badly at Cologne, and I expect a really strong performance today.”

Pavel Vovcenko, who saddles Mighty Mouse, said: “The distance is a furlong shorter than at Cologne, where he did not get the run of the race, and that is a definite advantage.”

The only other non-German runner is Roches Cross (Josef Vana/ Daniele Porcu), winner of last year’s Czech Derby and bred in Ireland by Jim Bolger.

By Racingpost