Nutan Easy Winner of German Derby
Description:
Nutan rolled to a five-length triumph in the IDEE Deutsches Derby (Ger-I, German Derby) July 5 at Hamburg, giving jockey Andreas Starke a seventh win in the German classic and trainer Peter Schiergen a fifth.
Schiergen saddled five runners for the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) race, but Nutan always looked perfectly positioned as he raced in second behind keen pacesetter Koffi Prince. The son of Duke of Marmalade, racing on the rail, powered past the rival to lead inside the final quarter, drove clear with an eighth of a mile to run, and then was geared down nearing the finish line.
Palace Place was second, and Fair Mountain was third, 1 3/4 lengths back. Favorite Shimrano, who traveled toward the back of the 18-horse field, was never in contention before finishing 11th.
Final time was 2:30.54 on turf rated as good.
"He was always going so well; I knew I had the race won coming into the straight," Starke told Racing Post. "I would have made the running myself if necessary, but the lead horse was perfect for me."
Nutan tallied his first stakes win and second win overall from four career starts. In his previous outing he was third to Shimrano in the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen (Ger-II) June 14 at Cologne.
Nutan's victory was the second in a European classic this year for Coolmore sire Duke of Marmalade, whose daughter Star of Seville won the Prix de Diane Longines (Fr-I, French Oaks) June 14 at Longchamp.
Bred in Ireland by owner/breeder Juergen Imm's Stall Nizza, Nutan was produced by German group III-placed Neele, (by Peintre Celebre), who also is the dam of German group I winner Nymphea, second in the 2012 German Oaks (Ger-I). Neele is a full sister to 2009 Oaks d'Italia (Ity-II) victress Night of Magic.