Winner of the Badener Mile in Iffezheim After a Sprint Finish
On the first day of the Spring Meeting in Iffezheim, a French colt, Petit Marin, secured a victory in the Kronimus Baden-Baden Mile, much to the disappointment of local trainers. The five-year-old, trained by Satoshi Kobayashi, who owns 90% of the horse, thrived in the well-attended race on Ascension Day, with 15,000 spectators on hand.
Weather conditions were a point of contention, with Kobayashi expressing doubts about the dry ground preferred by the colt. However, the sun shone brightly throughout the day, allowing Petit Marin to excel. Ioritz Mendizabal, a four-time French champion and the jockey for the triumphant horse, remained unfazed by position changes at the front, echoing Kobayashi's sentiments about the horse's quality.
Henk Grewe, the trainer of the second-place finisher, Namaron, presented a mixed response. While pleased with Namaron's strong showing against older horses, Grewe expressed frustration with the performance of the favorite, Penalty. Penalty, ridden by jockey Thore Hammer-Hansen, struggled to contain its energy and finished fourth behind Switsch. Eckhard Sauren, the owner and vice-president of 1. FC Köln, will join Grewe in developing a new strategy for Penalty.
As the search for Germany's best mile horse continues, Kobayashi has already expressed interest in returning to the Spring Meeting for the Oettingen Race, a significant event offering a prize purse of 70,000 euros.
The first half of the day belonged to Adrie de Vries, a 55-year-old Dutch jockey who collected three wins in the first four races. His standout performance came in the Baden-Baden Hotel and Gastronomy Prize, riding Egina trained by Peter Schiergen in Cologne. De Vries took advantage of an early opportunity to claim the win, despite acknowledging his horse's tendencies to look around when leading.
De Vries' subsequent victories solidified his lead in the unofficial championship at the Spring Meeting. His most notable triumph came in the seventh race with Royal Spirit. The upsets of the day came in the final race, with Andrea Ricupa on Nordstream securing a commanding victory. Ricupa, set to be honored as the best young jockey of the 2024 season this Friday at the Casino in Baden-Baden, gave a remarkable performance that set him apart.
Based on recent European racing news, Petit Marin, a 6-year-old Italian Champion who ended last season with a Group 2 win in the Premio Roma, is considered the best mile horse after the Spring Meeting in Iffezheim. While specific details about Petit Marin's immediate next race are not available, the horse is anticipated to target further Group 1 or Group 2 mile or middle-distance races in the European racing calendar.
[Sources: Turf-Times (2025)[4]]
Other sports, such as horse-racing, were in focus during the Spring Meeting in Iffezheim, with Petit Marin securing a victory in the Kronimus Baden-Baden Mile, moving ahead in the race for Germany's best mile horse. Racing enthusiasts may look forward to Petit Marin participating in events like the Oettingen Race, offering a prize purse of 70,000 euros.
