By David Morgan
Peter Schiergen will rely on three fillies and the renewal of an old alliance to face a strong overseas raid in the G1 Preis der Diana over 2200m at Dusseldorf on Sunday.
The trainer has won the German Oaks twice before but his trio this time must face the Aiden O’Brien-trained Garden Of Eden, winner of the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, as well as Godolphin’s Spirited Style, supplemented after a Listed win at Newmarket.
Veteran champion jockey Andrasch Starke, 51, won the G1 Yushun Himba in Japan in May and is seeking a second international Oaks win this year. His association with Schiergen goes way back and includes a win in this race in 2017: he has stepped back into the fold to cover for the stable’s injured first jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev.
Starke will ride Santagada and Schiergen’s son and assistant Vinzenz Schiergen told The Standard it wasn’t an easy choice.
“It was between Nicoreni and Santagada because they’re the best two of our three horses,” the assistant trainer said. “Andrasch said it wasn’t an easy decision because both of them are talented.”
Santagada has won two from three this year and was fourth in the G2 German 1,000 Guineas. She has not raced beyond a mile but her great-grandmother is German Oaks winner Salve Regina, a sister to German Derby-winning brothers Samum and Schiaparelli.
“The owner bought her as a yearling with the hope of this classic German family, so normally her pedigree gives her enough stamina to stay the trip and hopefully be a classic horse,” Schiergen continued.
“Last time, I think if the distance had been a bit longer, she would have won easier, and it’s a bit better for her that it won’t be as fast as over a mile, so she can settle better.”
Leon Wolff rode Santagada twice before handing the reins to Starke last time, and his partnership included a narrow defeat of stablemate Nicoreni, the filly he will partner this time.
“Nicoreni did run over a mile and two furlongs so she probably showed already that she should handle the distance,” Schiergen said. “She has done nothing wrong in her career, she was champion two-year-old and a close second both starts this season, so we have a lot of hope in her as well.”
The Schiergen stable third string is Winnyzja, a filly in the same Gestut Ebbelsoh ownership as Nicoreni.
“She came out quite late, she didn’t run until she was a three-year-old,” Schiergen said. “She won her maiden start and was second in a handicap over a mile, so a bit short in trip; last time she won a Listed race, an Oaks trial. We’re hopeful she can run well but the other two should be better at this stage.
“She deserves to run so that’s why the owner wants to see her in the race.”
Former Hong Kong-based jockeys Alberto Sanna and Andres Suborics will also be involved. Sanna rides the Italian Kiamba, while Suborics’s training operation has Starlight Lips and Lips Vega.
“Ryan Moore is riding Garden of Eden so she will be hard to beat, I guess. The Godolphin filly was supplemented so they must have high hopes,” Schiergen said.
“But the Germans as well, Lady Charlotte ran in the Deby last time, so it depends how she has come out of that because the Derby can be a hard race: she’s a very good filly. Then Henke Grewe’s Innora and Nyra from Waldemar Hickst, they’re two very good horses.
“There’s a lot of quality in the race,” he added. “It will be one of the most difficult German Oaks of the last few years.”
