The race of the year: IDEE 156th German Derby with €650,000 in prize money!

Who will make history on Sunday, 6 July 2025, at the racecourse in Hamburg-Horn? For the first time, the IDEE 156th German Derby, the most important horse race in the country, will be held on the third day of the IDEE Derby Meeting.

German Derby, the most important horse race in the country, will be held on the third day of the IDEE Derby Meeting.

Winner of the IDEE 155th German Derby Gr.1: Palladium under Thore HammerHansen © Marc Rühl

This event has been held since 1869, and racehorses can only participate once in their lifetime (at the age of three) – now the next edition of this top event is just around the corner. The Group I race is once again sponsored by Albert Darboven. The Derby will be the eighth race at 3:43 p.m.

Live broadcast to Hong Kong & millions in turnover in the World Pool!

This and four other races (races 4 to 8) will be broadcast to Hong Kong and can be bet on in Asia's betting paradise. The Derby is part of the World Pool managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Here, betting turnover in the millions and pool sizes previously unheard of in Germany are achieved. The Hamburg Racing Club itself does not offer its own pool for these five races – the turnover is transferred in full to Hong Kong! Derby bets placed via Hamburg PMU also flow into the World Pool.

Interesting for all bettors: the Hong Kong Jockey Club's totalisator deductions are generally significantly lower and differ from those of German racing clubs, which promises attractive odds for customers, especially in twin bets, exacta bets and trifecta bets. The anticipation for the German (betting) highlight of the horse racing year is therefore even greater!

Who will succeed Palladium?

The search is on for the successor to 2024 winner Palladium, who was the second consecutive winner for the Liberty Racing owners' syndicate. Eighteen candidates will compete in around two and a half minutes for race prizes totalling €650,000 over a distance of 2,400 metres. The winner alone will receive €390,000.

Zuckerhut is the number one in the field

Cologne's successful trainer Peter Schiergen could have a very good hand, as he is saddling two of the favourites: Path of Soldier (with eight-time Derby winner Andrasch Starke) from Gestüt Park Wiedingen and Zuckerhut (Cristian Demuro) from Gestüt Hachtsee, the number one in the field.

Delgardo (Eduardo Pedroza), who distinguished himself in the trial in Düsseldorf, is also likely to enjoy a lot of confidence. Hochkönig is a top chance for young Amazon Nina Baltromei after his place of honour in the Union. The French Juwelier (with Italian Umberto Rispoli, who is based in the USA) was even just ahead of Path of Soldier in the Japan Racing Association Derby Trial in Baden-Baden.

Convergent (Clifford Lee) is an interesting test case from England. Adrie de Vries, who has dominated the jockey scene in recent weeks, will be riding the still unbeaten mare Lady Charlotte.

Further Group events in the mega supporting programme

The supporting programme is better than on any other race day in this country. Two more Group races will be held here – within the large card of twelve races (the first start is at 11:14 a.m., the IDEE 156th German Derby will start as the 8th race at 3:43 p.m. due to the broadcast to Hong Kong, and PMU will also be involved in numerous races in France).

In the Best Place Immobilien Hamburger Stutenpreis (Group III, €55,000, 2,200 metres) for three-year-old fillies, Innora (Lukas Delozier) could be a candidate with potential.

In the Japan Racing Association Trophy (Group III, €55,000, 1,600 metres) for three-year-old and older mares, the Darboven racing stable is hoping for Koffi Kick (Leon Wolff).

Many betting attractions

Three-year-olds will also compete in the two auction races – the Hapag Lloyd Race – BBAG Auction Race and the Rudolf August Oetker Memorial Race – BBAG Auction Race, each with prize money of 52,000 euros.

250,000 euros in prize money for Arabian thoroughbreds

New to the Hamburg programme is the highest-prized race for Arabian thoroughbreds, the President of the United Arab Emirates Cup (listed race, €250,000, 1,600 m), which is by far the highest-prized race for Arabian thoroughbreds.

The V4 bet in races 4 to 7 promises further excitement.

A guaranteed payout of €10,000 will be awarded to those who correctly predict all four winners. But the four-way bet is also on offer (three times) – with guaranteed payouts of €10,000 in races 6, 10 and 12 on Derby Day at Hamburg-Horn.

 

Grand Prix horses on the eve of the IDEE 156th German Derby at WETTSTAR.de – Grosser Hansa-Preis

The start of the big weekend surrounding the IDEE 156th German Derby at the racecourse in Hamburg-Horn is already shaping up to be an exciting one: On Saturday, Grand Prix horses will meet in the WETTSTAR.de – Grosser Hansa-Preis (Group II, €70,000, 2,400 m).

The list of winners of the race, which is once again sponsored by Germany's leading horse betting broker, reads like a who's who of German horse racing. Just think of the two-time winner Protectionist, who was the first German horse to win the Melbourne Cup, or Torquator Tasso, the 2023 winner, who was the third German horse to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Quality takes precedence over quantity in the field of six, especially as several high-profile candidates are returning to Hamburg. These include Augustus (Adrie de Vries), who finished third in the Derby in 2024 and recently impressed in France. Narrativo (Rene Piechulek) and Straight (Thore Hammer-Hansen), last year's two Derby favourites, are also in the line-up. Fährhofer Queimados (Eduardo Pedroza) made a brilliant season debut, finishing third in the Tattersalls Grand Prix in Baden-Baden. Cold Heart (Andrasch Starke) is a former Brazilian Derby winner. The resurgent mare Nastaria (Jozef Bojko) won the my-bed.eu – Langer Hamburger two years ago.

12 races with a top supporting programme

Of course, the supporting programme on the second day of the IDEE Derby Meeting is also excellent. Twelve races will be held from 10:45 a.m. (the first five races will also be broadcast in France). The highlights of the supporting programme will be run over a wide variety of distances. In the Prize of the Members of the Hamburg Racing Club – Hamburger Flieger-Preis (listed race, €40,000, 1,200 m), English guest Kylian (Adrie de Vries) is likely to enjoy the most confidence after his victory in Iffezheim.

With a distance of 3,200 metres, the my bed.eu – Langer Hamburger (listed race, €25,000) is the longest race of the meeting. Eckhard Sauren's Flatten the Curve (Thore Hammer-Hansen) is the top favourite here. He last raced in Saratoga/USA, but was beaten below his true ability.

There are also two Ausgleich I races, each with prize money of €20,000. The four-horse accumulator is offered twice, with guaranteed payouts of €10,000 each (in races 5 and 11). €10,000 is also up for grabs in the V4 bet in races 8 to 11. The Fegentri World Cup for amateur female jockeys is also making a stop in Hamburg.

Source: Press release Hamburger Renn-Club e.V.