Catrin Nack's Bio

Catrin became hooked with racing when she watched ZAUBERER ploughing through the mud to win the German Derby in 1978. She ventured into racehorse-ownership in 1994, and this horse, a mare, is still with her at the tender age of 30. Catrin and her husband have been running several syndicates, mainly with homebred horses, and continue to breed in partnerships. She joined the German racing newsletter Turf-Times as a freelance writer in 2010 and has been contributing about English and Irish racing, with a focus on National Hunt, until 2023.

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

Baden-Baden racecourse is situated in a little village called Iffezheim, outside the resort town of Baden-Baden. Three racemeetings, all accompanied by BBAG thoroughbred sales, are held there each year, in May, August or September and October respectively. The racecourse is very much the heart of the village: literally and metaphorically. It does function as an all-year-round training center, with horse-related industry (racing and riding stables, a veterinary center) close by, and is used for trade fairs and concerts as well. The track is in fact very close to the French border too, and couldn´t be in a more picturesque location, with the hills of the Black Forest providing a stunning backdrop.

Baden-Baden racecourse is left-handed, one of only three major German racetracks to stage racing anti-clockwise. The old track measures 2000m in circumference, while the new course is roughly 2500m long. Like every track in Germany it is an oval, but does have some characteristics. The home bend does fan out to what is in essence an additional bend, the so-called new track. In order to start sprint races the track does have a chute, where races over 1000m and 1200m are started; here, too, is the starting position for the longest races to be run at Baden-Baden at 3200m. The chute joins the main track to create an elbow, the homestraight of the track proper is roughly 600m long. The track is flat, with hardly any undulation, and fast times can be clocked here.

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

Featured race, the 2400m G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, was first run as far back as 1859, thus is a race with a rich tradition, starting stalls are positioned at the top of the home straight, low numbers are usually an advantage. The G2 Oettingen-Rennen, run in memory of a legendary German horseman, is 1600m long, the field rounds one bend. Again a low draw is considered an advantage. For the 1800m Stadt Baden-Baden Cup, the only difference to 1600m is the starting gate sets near the turn into the back straight.

With a perfect four weeks until ParisLongchamp stages its Prix de L‘Arc de Triumph meeting, the Grosser Preis von Baden has been used as a prep by big European trainers before; 2021 Arc hero TORQUATOR TASSO used this race prior to his two heroic runs in that world class race, as did MARIENBARD in 2002 and DANEDREAM in 2011.

For the weather forecast, although sunshine may return this Sunday, there will little precipitation before the raceday in Baden-Baden according to the recent weather forecast. The ground will probably be good to soft.

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