Hawkbill and Racing History return to Germany

Hawkbill and Racing History face each other in Germany for a second time in the 12-furlong G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin over a mile and a half at Hoppegarten on Sunday, August 13. 

The Godolphin duo contested the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern over the same trip at Munich in November, when Racing History stayed on to take second behind Guignol, with Hawkbill also making late headway to come home third. 

Four-year-old Hawkbill (Charlie Appleby/William Buick), who captured the G1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park last season, returns to Germany on the back of a game all-the-way success in the G2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes over a mile and a half at Newmarket on July 13. 

Charlie Appleby said: “I was delighted with Hawkbill at Newmarket and this will probably be his last race before we give him a break ahead of the Canadian International in October. 

“He is in good shape and, if he can repeat his performance in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes, he will take some beating.” 

Lightly-raced five-year-old Racing History (Saeed bin Suroor/Gerald Mosse) makes his first start since last year’s Grosser Preis von Bayern. 

The son of Pivotal has twice contested the 10-furlong G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot, finishing sixth in 2016 and fourth in 2015, and ran on well to win the G3 Winter Hill Stakes, also over a mile and a quarter, at Windsor in August, 2015. 

Saeed bin Suroor commented: “Racing History has been working well. We are putting some cheekpieces on him just to help him focus during the race. 

“We have done as much as we can at home, but I expect him to improve for his first start of the year.”

A field of seven for the Grosser Preis von Berlin features G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis winner Dschingis Secret and the 2014 victor Sirius.  

Also on Sunday’s card, Maisons-Laffitte winner Bouquet De Flores (Henri-Alex Pantall/Marc Lerner) steps up to Listed level for the six-furlong Westminster Fliegerpreis.