Guignol, Ashiana Earn Breeders' Cup Berths in Germany

A pair of experienced international travelers earned the chance to visit Del Mar in November with victories on the biggest weekend of racing at Baden-Baden in Germany's Black Forest.

For the second time this season, Guignol got the better of Iquitos over the Baden-Baden turf in the Sept. 3 Grosser Preis von Baden (G1) to earn a fees-paid spot plus travel expenses for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar through the Breeders' Cup Challenge program.

Guignol, a 5-year-old son of Cape Cross (IRE) bred in Germany by his owner, Stall Ullmann, unleashed a prolonged, steady effort under Filip Minarik to get home first, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Iquitos. Colomano and Windstoss followed with the Godolphin pair of Best Solution and Prize Money, both trained by Saeed bin Suroor, to complete the order of finish.

Guignol, trained by Jean-Pierre Carvalho, also defeated Iquitos in the Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft (G2) in May. They both turned in disappointing performances over heavy turf in a group 2 event at Hamburg in July, with Iquitos a well-beaten second and Guignol fourth.

Guignol also has performed in France and Italy, albeit with less to show for his international travel.

Iquitos, a 5-year-old son of Adlerflug (GER), won the Grosser Preis von Baden last season. Three races later, he traveled to Tokyo, where he finished seventh in the Japan Cup (G1).

A day earlier at Baden-Baden, Ashiana still had a lot to do with two furlongs left in the T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis (G2) for fillies and mares. But once jockey Andrasch Starke got the 3-year-old Mastercraftsman filly into gear, she swept by her rivals and went on to win by a half-length over Diana Storm.

Erica finished third and the favorite, Megera, dropped back to finish eighth at the end of the 1 1/2 miles.

Ashiana, owned by Eckhard Sauren and trained by Peter Schiergen, scored her third win from her last four starts. She improved from a fifth-place showing in the Henkel-Preis der Diana (G1, German Oaks) and became the sixth Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).

"We were hoping for a place, but she won," said Sauren, an investment advisor and president of the Racing Club at Cologne. "We'll see what we do next, but a start in the Breeders' Cup is a possibility."

Bin Suroor saddled a double on the first day of the Longines International Racing Festival in Istanbul, as heavy favorite Arabian Hope broke out of traffic in the straight to land the International Istanbul Trophy (G3) and Leshlaa won the International France Galop FRBC Anatolia Tropy (G2) on Polytrack.

The trainer said Arabian Hope, third in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket earlier in the season, will return to England and likely to group 1 company.