Miss Yoda Gives Dettori, Gosden First German Oaks Win

Frankie Dettori broke new ground Aug. 2, riding his first winner of the group 1 German Oaks (Henkel-Preis der Diana) at Dusseldorf.

He made most of the running on Miss Yoda, who faltered briefly early in the straight but fought back well to land the 162nd edition of the race by three-quarters of a length at odds of 53-10.

The winner, who won the Betsafe Top Price All Runners Oaks Trial at Lingfield in June, is trained by John Gosden for Georg von Opel, the billionaire great-grandson of the founder of the German car manufacturer of the same name.

Silence Please, Irish trainer Jessica Harrington's first runner in Germany, finished fourth.

"She jumped good. I wanted to be in front, and I was in front by the bend. She was flowing with a lovely action," Dettori said. "When I turned for home, she was thinking of going back to the stables and she stopped a bit, but then I said, 'Come on, concentrate,' and she went."

Miss Yoda was also Gosden's first German Oaks winner and the first British-trained winner of the race since Dancing Rain scored for William Haggas and Kieren Fallon in 2011.

Dettori was riding in the race for the first time since finishing third on Architecture in 2016.

Sea The Stars in the Classic Limelight Once Again

Sunday's German Oaks was the perfect fit for Miss Yoda as the joint sales-topper at Baden-Baden two years ago returned to her homeland for classic glory.

The daughter of Sea The Stars was bought for €280,000 (US$326,760) by Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Westerberg, the racing operation of von Opel.

Von Opel has begun to invest quite seriously in Thoroughbreds over the past couple of years, joining forces with Coolmore's M.V. Magnier for fillies, including unraced 2-year-old Espania, a Galileo sister to Forever Together for €3 million ($3,279,929) at Goffs Orby in October.

Miss Yoda has been the best to have been seen in Westerberg's scarlet and blue silks so far, breaking new ground in this race in Dusseldorf for her owner.

The chestnut won her first two starts as a juvenile before placing in the Godolphin Flying Start Zetland Stakes (G3) at Newmarket. She earned more priceless black type by winning the Oaks Trial and, after two reversals in better company, returned to the fore with a gutsy effort from the front to hold Zamrud, a daughter of Samum, by three-quarters of a length.

She becomes a 43rd group winner for Gilltown Stud's mighty Sea The Stars and a 14th at the top level to join a club, which includes classic scorers Harzand, Sea of Class, Star Catcher, Taghrooda, and Sea The Moon.

Miss Yoda's dam, Monami, ran in the 2012 German Oaks and won a group 2 trial race. Gestut Etzean's mare has also produced Sir Mark Prescott's multiple winner Matchmaking, and her Kingman colt made even more than his sister, selling for an impressive 340,000 guineas ($460,921) to Baroda Stud at Tattersalls in November.