Without a domestic Group 1 win before this, the 2014 G1 Melbourne Cup hero Protectionist put that right with a commanding all-the-way success to place himself back at the top of his native country's pecking order. What else might have been we will never know, for he was ruled out of the G1 Deutsches Derby after winning the Listed Bremer Derby-Trial by four lengths in June 2013 but he showed the same quality as soon as he came back the following season when winning the first of two renewals of Hamburg's G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis over this distance and Deauville's G2 Prix Kergorlay over the French staying trip of 15 1/2 furlongs prior to capturing the race that stops a nation. Whether Australian trainer Kris Lees failed to get a handle on him is unknown, but his subsequent record of eight unplaced efforts from eight starts down under suggests something was out of kilter and the game was up in the southern hemisphere with a 15th in the Oct. 17 G1 Caulfield Cup.
Back with Andreas Wohler, Protectionist was instantly in the swing again with a conditions success at Dusseldorf June 5 followed by another Grosser Hansa-Preis July 3 and he faced little opposition here as a result. Eduardo Pedroza kept it simple from the front and when he asked the bay to stretch approaching the home turn he was met with the usual admirable response. Briefly threatened two out by his only credible rival Nightflower, he galloped clear shortly after and was untroubled to the line for another emphatic win. Although the G1 Prix de Diane, G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond S.-winning champion Pawneese (Ire) (Carvin II) sits far back in his pedigree, Protectionist has drawn some of her considerable talent. His dam Patineuse, who was Broodmare of the year in Germany in 2014 and is also related to the G3 Bavarian Classic and G3 Furstenberg-Rennen-winning highweight Persian Storm (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), has a 2-year-old colt by Mizzen Mast named Meiner Amnis, a yearling colt by Hat Trick (Jpn) named Posillipo and a colt foal by Bernardini. She has been bred to Mr Speaker for 2017.
Sunday, Hoppegarten, Germany
126TH LONGINES GROSSER PREIS VON BERLIN-G1, €175,000, HOP, 8-14, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:41.10, gd.
1–PROTECTIONIST (GER), 132, h, 6, by Monsun (Ger)
1st Dam: Patineuse (Ire), by Peintre Celebre
2nd Dam: Parisienne (Ire), by Distant Relative (Ire)
3rd Dam: Poughkeepsie (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
O-Australian Bloodstock Stable; B-Dr Christoph Berglar (GER); T-Andreas Wohler; J-Eduardo Pedroza. €110,000. Lifetime Record: Champion Stayer-Aus, Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 14f+, G1SW-Aus & GSW-Fr, 21-8-3-1, €2,720,971. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Nightflower (Ire), 129, f, 4, Dylan Thomas (Ire)–Night of Magic (Ire), by Peintre Celebre. O-Stall Nizza; B-Jurgen Imm (IRE); T-Peter Schiergen. €40,000.
3–Guignol (Ger), 132, c, 4, Cape Cross (Ire)–Guadalupe (Ger), by Monsun (Ger). O/B-Stall Ullmann (GER); T-Jean-Pierre Carvalho. €15,000.
Margins: 2HF, 1 1/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 3.60, 9.00.
Also Ran: Shivajia (Ger), Caccini (Fr), Amona (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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