In order to bring the two Munich Group 1 races, the Grand Dallmayr Prize and the Grand Allianz Prize of Bavaria, into the international spotlight, the Munich Racing Club has started a dialogue with the Jockey Club in the United Kingdom. The plan was to investigate making a number of races in both Munich and the United Kingdom automatic qualifiers for respective major races.
Those responsible quickly agreed that the planned cooperation should provide for mutual invitations for English winners to Germany and for German winners to England.
The result, which is initially planned to last one year, is the following races which will act as automatic qualifiers.
The winner of the Grand Dallmayr Prize (Gr. I) will receive an invitation to the September Stakes in Kempton (Gr. III) on September 7th, 2024. The race has been run on Polytrack over the distance of 2,400 m since 2006 and served, none less than Enable twice in preparation for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The winner of the Princess of Wales's Stakes (Gr. II) in Newmarket, Giavelotto from Marco Botti's stable, receives an invitation to take part in the Grand Alliance Prize of Bavaria (Gr. I). The winner of the Grand Allianz Prize of Bavaria (Gr. I) can receive an invitation to the Jockey Club Stakes (Gr. II) in Newmarket next year. In addition, the winner of the Gordon Richard Stakes (Gr. III) over 2,000 m in Newmarket in 2025 will receive an invitation for the 2025 Grand Dallmayr Prize.
Munich Secretary General Sascha Multerer commented on the cooperation: “It is our task to ensure that the seven German Group 1 races receive their status as races in the most important European category. However, since the races are becoming increasingly difficult to fill and the competition for Group 1 starters is not getting smaller, the German racing clubs have to do something to position themselves accordingly in the concert of the big players. It's not always just about the doping. Increasing the awareness of the German Group 1 races can also be achieved through “Win and you are in” collaborations and the Jockey Club was a logical contact for us. We are happy to be able to offer participants in the German and English races interesting, additional starting opportunities.”
Matthew Woolston, Assistant Racing and International Director at The Jockey Club in the UK, which manages 15 racecourses, Jockey Club Estates and The National Stud, commented: “The Jockey Club is keen to play its part in efforts to raise the international profile of our major races and those in Europe and further afield. We’re delighted to further increase our cooperation with German racecourses and to link with Munich’s high quality Group 1 races. ”
