Sammarco: German Derby winner lands in seventh place at Australia debut

Sammarco: German Derby winner lands in seventh place at Australia debut

On May 31, 2025, there was some excitement at the debut of the German derby winner Sammarco in Australia. The six-year-old stallion, who won the "Blue Band" and the prestigious German derby in Hamburg-Horn for the Park Wiedingen Stud in 2022, faced the challenges on Australian soil. In his first race over 1,800 meters in Sandown, however, he had to be satisfied with a seventh place. Ten participants fought for victory, but Sammarco's start was not entirely according to plan. The report on this comes from the "Turf-Times" industry service, which summarized the most important details.

Sammarci's trainer Ciaron Maher had given great hopes in his protégé. The stallion, a son of the famous stallion Camelot, has an impressive career with a total of five wins from 18 races and a profit of over 630,000 euros in prize money. Jack Turnbull, the assistant trainer, expressed optimistically about the connection of the German form to the Australian races. "Sammarco gave a good feeling," confirmed the Jockey Ethan Brown.

The plan for the future

Although Sammarco usually showed its best performance over 2,400 meters in Europe, he was ready to take the challenge over 1,800 meters. Turnbull is convinced that today's race will have a positive effect on preparation for larger goals in the coming spring. The plan provides to bring it through the winter and possibly take part in the Banjo Paterson Series. He will take part in races every four to five weeks to emulate the European style, because his wealth of experience is great and it will not run weekly.

Australia has established itself as one of the leading nations in horse racing, where galop scores are particularly popular on a flat route. With over 100,000 horse residents and more than 19,000 races held every year, the HZS breeding and prize money in the horse racing industry is remarkable here. Compared to Europe or the USA, Australia pays more prize money, which makes the country an attractive goal for race horses. The biggest event, the Melbourne Cup, attracts thousands of spectators every year and is a legal holiday in Melbourne.

Now it remains to be seen how Sammarco reacts to the new challenges. The next few weeks will be crucial for his career in Australia. The first progress is already evident, and it remains exciting to see whether the stallion will find its place in the Australian racing scene.