FEATURETEXT & PHOTOS: LIESL KINGtremor, that is perfectly understood by all assembled,as he pays tribute to this <strong>on</strong>ce in a lifetime filly.Raceday dawns, barely hours after weary feet woundtheir way home from the ball, the <strong>on</strong>ce empty racecoursestarts to fill up as over 16000 people descend<strong>on</strong> Iffezheim. Traffic backs up all the way to the highway as the local German TV channel turn up <strong>on</strong>course for the first time in 15 years, rubbing shoulderswith a visiting CNN team.of that slight filly, that ugly duckling, who happens tobe Germany’s newest Horse of the Year.For while Jacobs had been busy turning the Baden-Baden racecourse back into a viable commercialenterprise, Danedream had been busy c<strong>on</strong>queringthe world. In Baden- Baden, the new CEO BenedictForndran, quietly got <strong>on</strong> with the task of getting thephoenix to rise from the ashes, while Danedream quietlygot <strong>on</strong> with winning the Group 1 Prix de L’Arc deTriomphe, whipping the butts of a couple of well fanciedcolts in the process. As the Racecourse slowly ascendedto its former glory, the filly became a jetsetter,c<strong>on</strong>quering Ascot, to win the Group 1 King George VIand Queen Elizabeth Stakes, again leaving some malereputati<strong>on</strong>s in tatters.Now <strong>on</strong> the eve of her attempt to record back-to-backGrosser Preis victories, she is being hailed as Germany’sequivalent of Black Caviar. The Baden-BadenPhilharm<strong>on</strong>ic orchestra, which has been accompanyingthe guests from the opening Viennese waltz,through the foxtrot, to the quickstep and the cha cha,after a brief flirtati<strong>on</strong> with a sultry tango, puts downtheir instruments.Silence descends as Andreas Jacobs, her trainer PeterSchiergen and her part owner Heiko Volz take to thestage. Backed by a giant picture of his beloved filly,Volz recounts her victory in the Arc and her courageas she dug down deep to get her nose ahead ofNathaniel in the King George. His voice has a slightExhilarating<str<strong>on</strong>g>Racing</str<strong>on</strong>g> at Baden-Baden is exhilarating, extraordinaryand yet thoroughly enjoyable with a carnival atmosphere.Here, a dog sporting a bejewelled collar is thelatest fashi<strong>on</strong> accessory and if you misplaced yourpooch, then period costume, complete with top hatand cane will do. Hats abound as rivers of Veuve Clicquotand beer are c<strong>on</strong>sumed in equal quantities.Racegoers are allowed to stand right next to the runningrail, close enough to almost pat the horses andcertainly close enough to be pelted with flying clodsas the field thunders by. When the race is over, theyrespectfully part as the field returns through a gap betweenthe stands and through the crowds. No stuffyofficials, rope or plastic barriers here, here you arepart of the experience, part of the racing, part of thehorses.The Grosser Preis is next. Racegoers flock to the paradering, ten deep, they can barely see her, but theyare all there to pay homage to the Queen of Germanracing. Casually she strolls around the ring, brieflystopping to stare into the distance, before departingfor the start.It ended as it had begun, with a great roar, as Danedreamcharged up the outside rail, full of running underAndrasch Starke, to capture her sec<strong>on</strong>d GrosserPreis. Starke throws his arms skywards, Schiergengrins from ear to ear and the crowd carry the filly tothe unsaddling enclosure <strong>on</strong> a wave of sound. Todayan ugly duckling has truly turned into a swan andthe <strong>on</strong>ce beleaguered Baden-Baden Racecourse hascome of age.So, if you believe in a little bit of magic, if you want toexperience first class racing up close and pers<strong>on</strong>al,then pencil in the Great Festival Week, for in September,Baden-Baden is surely, <strong>on</strong>ce more, the <strong>on</strong>ly placeto be.42 Parade
Today an uglyduckling hastruly turned intoa swan and the<strong>on</strong>ce beleagueredBaden-BadenRacecourse hascome of age.Parade 43
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