David Conolly-Smith's Bio

David Conolly-Smith was born in Nottingham, England. He was educated at Nottingham High School and the University of Cambridge and moved to Munich after graduation. Always interested in horse racing, he began writing on German racing for The Sporting Life in 1973 and soon afterwards joined the International Racing Bureau as their German representative, which he still is to this day. When The Racing Post was founded in 1986, he became their German correspondent and kept that position for 30 years. Since 2003, he has been a freelance journalist and translator, specialing in German racing and breeding. For several years he was also a commentator on the top German races for the Dubai Racing Channel. He still writes regularly for EBN, Turf Times, Irish Field, Vollblut and other publications and is regarded as the leading English-language expert on German racing.

Baden-Baden Racecourse – Track Analysis (Grosser Preis von Baden Day)

Baden-Baden racecourse is actually situated in the village of Iffezheim, some seven kilometres west of the resort town of Baden-Baden, and very close to the Rhine river, which here marks the border between France and Germany. On the German side the rolling hills of the Black Forest, on the French side Alsace, both areas famed for their white wines and other gastronomic delicacies. Racing was first held here on 3rd September 1858; the Grosser Preis von Baden was the big race of the 3-day meeting and quickly established itself as Germany´s top race.

The “Grosse Woche” (“big week”), always held at the end of August or beginning of September, was once again the most important race meeting in Germany and by the 1970s it was quite normal to have horses from different countries running at the meeting. Later other meetings were added, and there is now a Spring Meeting at the end of May and the Sales & Racing Festival in mid-October; sales, organised by the BBAG sales company and held just down the road from the racecourse, are now held at all three meetings and the BBAG Yearling Sale, held on the Friday of the Grosse Woche, is now one of the most important bloodstock sales in Europe.

The track of Baden-Baden Racecourse is left-handed and flat, without any serious undulations. On the main track there is a long run-in of almost 1000m, but there is a bend or dog-leg about 400m from the finish, known in German as the “knick” where the races are often decided. When the going is soft, which could well be the case at this meeting, the winners usually come up the stands side rail, and it is quite common to see the entire field swing to the right, towards the stands, after the knick.

Three races on turf from the Grosser Preis von Baden Day will be simulcast to Hong Kong.

The feature race, Grosser Preis von Baden, has maintained its reputation as the best race in Germany, and has been won by many famous racehorses; three winners this century went on to win the G1 Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe on their next start; the four weeks interval (usually) between the two races make it an ideal prep race.

The 2400m G1 start at Baden-Baden is in front of the old stands, about 400m from the winning post and the first bend. The 1600m Oettingen Rennen start is opposite the stands, goes away to the left in a wide sweep before rejoining the main track 800m out. The "Iffezheim" sign is clearly visible at this start as it is also at the 1800m 3yo+ Handicap start which is near the turn into the back straight, giving the runners plenty of time before the next turn.

Last year German champion 4YO TORQUATOR TASSO brought off the double, and this year he will be trying again. 7 horses ran in 2021, these days a normal size for a G1 field, and TORQUATOR TASSO won easily from German Derby winner SISFAHAN and Godolphin challenger PASSION AND GLORY.

Basically it is a very fair track, although some of the bends are quite sharp, and scenically it is one of the most beautiful in Germany, with the foothills of the Black Forest easily visible. Although sunshine may return this Sunday, there will little precipatation before the raceday in Baden-Baden according to the recent weather forecast. The ground will probably be good to soft.

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