By Tom Frary
Building on her first black-type success in the Listed Preis des Medienhauses DuMont Rheinland over 7 1/2 furlongs at Cologne Sept. 23, Gunter Merkel's Rock My Love (Ger) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) made all to maintain her unbeaten record in Sunday's G3 Ittlingen Preis der Winterkonigin at Baden-Baden. Always happy on the front end with Adrie de Vries keen to stretch his rivals, the 9-10 favourite led the field over to the stands and kept finding as Suada (Ger) (Maxios {GB}) proved a tenacious foe to record a 3/4-of-a-length success, with Angelita (Ger) (Areion {Ger}) 1 1/4 lengths back in third.
Rock My Love, who had scored over seven furlongs on debut at Dusseldorf Aug. 6, is a half-sister to the listed winners Rock My Soul (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) and Rock My Heart (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}) and the G2 Union-Rennen runner-up Rapido (Ger) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Rondinay (Fr) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), whose yearling colt is by Jukebox Jury (Ire), is a half-sister to the G3 Hamburger Stutenpreis winner Touch My Soul (Fr) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), while the third dam is the excellent producer Thekla (Ger) (Prince Ippi {Ger}) whose leading performers are the G1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen hero Turfkonig (Ger) and the G2 German 1000 Guineas heroine and G1 Prix de Diane third Tryphosa (Ire) (Be My Guest). This is also the family of the G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) heroine Turfdonna (Ger) (Doyen {Ire}), the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Turfrose (Ger) (Big Shuffle) and the classy Rosa Gigantea (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}) and Touch of Land (Fr) (Lando {Ger}).
Sunday, Baden-Baden, Germany
ITTLINGEN – PREIS DER WINTERKONIGIN-G3, €105,000, BDB, 10-22, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:51.88, sf.
1–ROCK MY LOVE (GER), 128, f, 2, by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
1st Dam: Rondinay (Fr), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
2nd Dam: Topline (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger)
3rd Dam: Thekla (Ger), by Prince Ippi (Ger)
1ST GROUP WIN.
O-Gunter Merkel; B-Ralf Kredel (GER); T-Markus Klug; J-Adrie de Vries. €60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, €77,500. *1/2 to Rock My Soul (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), MSW-Ger & GSP-Fr, $144,166; Rock My Heart (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}), SW-Ger; and Rapido (Ger) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), GSP-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Suada (Ger), 128, f, 2, Maxios (GB)–Shiramiyna (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (€38,000 RNA Ylg '16 BBAGO). O-Art 4 Horseracing; B-Gotz Meyer zu Reckendorf (GER); T-Markus Klug. €23,000.
3–Angelita (Ger), 128, f, 2, Areion (Ger)–Angel Dragon (Ger), by Royal Dragon. O/B-Gestut Brummerhof (GER); T-Peter Schiergen. €11,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 1/4, 3 3/4. Odds: 0.90, 6.20, 16.10.
Also Ran: Dina (Ger), Cabarita (Ger), Butzje (Ger), Barista (Ger), Sword Peinture (Ger), I Am What I Am (Ger). Scratched: Indian Dream (Ger). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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