Live stream on Sunday from 📍Hoppegarten &📍Bad Harzburg

Sunday, July 20 Hoppegarten | Start of the first race: 11:15 a.m.

BBF Group Grand Prix – Fürstenberg Race: Can Zauberkönig enchant his older opponents?

Sunshine and 27 degrees Celsius – the rain clouds are taking a break this weekend. The oldest (177 years) and largest (207 hectares) sports venue in the capital region will attract thousands of guests who want to experience and get to know high-class horse racing as well as professional and amateur sports in all their diversity. The patron of the race day is the Senator for the Interior and Sport of the State of Berlin, Ms. Iris Spranger, who will be visiting the Hoppegarten racecourse for the first time. The highlight of the racing program, the “BBF Group Grand Prix - Fürstenberg Race,” is a compact but open affair, with five of the seven starters in contention for victory.

In the saddle are the hottest young talents of the moment: Nina Baltromei (27) sensationally became the first woman to win the German Derby three weeks ago and has six rides, while Thore Hammer-Hansen (25), jockey champion in 2024 and clearly ahead of the competition this season, has eight rides.

For families with children (free admission for children 12 and under), Hoppegarten is a perfect holiday outing – the athletic thoroughbreds can be admired up close in the parade ring or at speeds of 60 kilometers per hour on the home stretch. The youngest horse racing fans can win small prizes in a children's fun bet or test their jockey skills on pony rides. In addition to the thrill of placing a small or large bet in nine exciting races, visitors can enjoy a beer garden, picnic lawn, a sports program, and the music pavilion. Danceable, entertaining, energetic, and humorous – that's the pop and show group Junge Ensemble Berlin, which will keep the mood lively between races with its repertoire ranging from ABBA to Michael Jackson, Coldplay, and German pop hits.

What are the activities on Sports Day?

The major Berlin professional clubs will be presenting themselves in the visitor area with autograph sessions, interactive stands, goal walls, and a bouncy castle. Among others, 1. FC Union will be there with a vehicle display and players Sherly Schulz, Celine Frank, Fatma Sakar, and Melanie Wagner. The Eisbären Berlin will be presenting their championship trophy and player Lean Bergmann. Lasse Ludwig and Bob Hanning from the Füchse Berlin will be showing off their championship trophy. Arthur Wehner and Maximilian Treiter from the BR Volleys will also be there.

Also taking part are ISTAF Berlin, the Berlin Adler and numerous regional amateur sports clubs.

The traditional mascot race, which will take place immediately after the fourth race (around 1 p.m.) on the track in front of the main grandstand, is particularly popular with children. Thirteen mascots will compete in an exciting race for the trophy. This time at the start: Hoppi, Berlino, Blaufuchs, Bully, Charly, Fuchsi, Jolinchen, Ritter Keule, Lenny, Portafant, Rudi Rotfell, Sparki, and Tippel Tom, all trained at the track.

What are the important races?

The main race is the BBF Group Grand Prix - Fürstenberg Race (6th race, 2:05 p.m.), with prize money of EUR 55,000 and an international Group III championship race. For the first time, older top horses will compete against representatives of the (three-year-old) Derby crop over the Derby distance of 2,400 meters. ZAUBERKÖNIG is the only representative of the Derby crop. After a poor run, he finished only tenth in the German Derby. If he has recovered well from that race, he should have a good chance. Among his six opponents, four could challenge him for the win. AMI DE VEGA is the best horse in Scandinavia, has the highest rating in the race and is proven in races of this type, but also carries the highest weight. DIAMOND CROWN is a talented four-year-old mare who made a late debut three weeks ago in Hamburg and is well placed in terms of weight. PADRE PALOU and WELTBESTE also have a chance of placing.

The second-best race on the card is the Friedrich Nagel Memorial (8th race, 3:15 p.m.). The €20,000 Class I handicap race is run over 1,200 meters on the famous straight track. All eight starters are in solid form from listed or handicap races and have a chance of winning. In addition to ZAUBERKÖNIG in the main race, Peter Schiergen is sending two interesting three-year-olds from the Schlenderhan stud to Hoppegarten. In the Berlin Partner race over a long 2,800 meters (2nd race, 11:46 a.m.), EMBARGO should be in contention for victory after a good second place on his debut, while NORTHERN ECLIPSE won on his first start in Hanover and should now have his first chance in the Prix Pommery (3rd race, 12:18 p.m.) in Ausgleich III.

The big money is up for grabs in the 5th race (1:22 p.m.) and in the 9th and final race (3:50 p.m.). Here, the four-horse accumulator will be played with a guaranteed payout of EUR 10,000. This minimum amount goes to the bettor or bettors who predict the first four horses in the correct order from among the 11 or 12 starters – or trust to luck and purchase a computer-generated Quick Tipp at the betting counters.

How do I get tickets?

The best way is to buy them in advance online at hoppegarten.com. If you book by Saturday at 11:59 p.m., you'll save up to 20%—adults pay only $18, kids 12 and under are free, and discounts are available for $14. Seats in the main grandstand are available starting at $27 on the second floor (hayloft) and starting at $41 on the first floor.

Sunday, July 20 Bad Harzburg | Start of first race: 1:40 p.m.

Day two at the “Weißen Stein” with a sea chase race

On Sunday, the action kicks off at 1:40 p.m. with another eight races on the card. The highlight is the traditional sea chase race, which this year will be run as an international amateur chase race.

Four horses have been entered, with Innovante, trained by Kamila Harms in Bremen and ridden by French jockey Romain Lemiere, the favorite.

The Bad Harzburg Horse Racing Week continues on Thursday, July 24. Further dates are Saturday, July 26, with the sporting highlights of the meeting, and Sunday, July 27.

Source: Deutscher Galopp