The Grosse Europa-Meile is a
Group 3 flat
Flat or flats may refer to:
Architecture
* Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries
Arts and entertainment
* Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch
* Flat (soldier), ...
horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
in Germany open to
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
s aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
in September.
History
The event was originally staged at
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
as the Grosser Kaufhof-Preis. It was established in 1951, and the early runnings varied between 1,800 and 2,200 metres.
The race was shortened to a mile in 1972, and from this point it held Group 3 status. It was renamed the Elite-Preis in 1983, and promoted to Group 2 level in 1989. It reverted to its original title in 1991.
Europcar started a three-year period of sponsorship in 1998, and the event became known as the Grosse Europcar-Meile. It was later titled the Grosse Europa-Meile.
The Grosse Europa-Meile was transferred to Munich in 2011. It was relegated back to Group 3 level in 2013.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
* Thiggo – ''1962, 1963''
* Spielhahn – ''1966, 1967''
* Lirung – ''1985, 1986''
* Alkalde – ''1988, 1989''
* Power Flame – ''1997, 1998''
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Leading
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
(5 wins):
* Fritz Drechsler – ''Fuchstanz (1951), Magus (1955), Augustus (1956), Olivetto (1959), Arcaro (1971)''
* Johannes Starosta – ''Harmodius (1953), Thiggo (1962, 1963), Spielhahn (1966, 1967)''
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Leading
trainer (4 wins):
*
Heinz Jentzsch
Heinz Jentzsch (13 March 192021 April 2012) was the most successful horse trainer in the history of German horse racing.
Career
During his active years from 1942 to 1999, Jentzsch recorded 4,029 victories. After World War II he came to Cologne ...
– ''Arcaro (1971), Esclavo (1980), Lirung (1985, 1986)''
Winners since 1972
Earlier winners
* 1951: Fuchstanz
* 1952: ''no race''
* 1953: Harmodius
* 1954: Nizam
* 1955: Magus
* 1956: Augustus
* 1957: Feuerball
* 1958: Opernsänger
* 1959: Olivetto
* 1960: Kaiseradler
* 1961: Aspiration
* 1962: Thiggo
* 1963: Thiggo
* 1964: Lucius
* 1965: Sissu
* 1966: Spielhahn
* 1967: Spielhahn
* 1968: Lohengrin
* 1969: Delabarre
* 1970: Bernod
* 1971: Arcaro
See also
*
List of German flat horse races
*
Recurring sporting events established in 1951 ''– this race is included under its original title, Grosser Kaufhof-Preis.''
References
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*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
:
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galopp-sieger.de– ''Grosse Europa-Meile.''
horseracingintfed.com– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Grosse Europa-Meile (2012).''
pedigreequery.com– ''Grosse Europa-Meile.''
{{refend
Open mile category horse races
Sports competitions in Munich
Horse races in Germany