Thriller at Hamburg as Sammarco tastes Deutsches Derby glory

Sammarco clung on tenaciously in a thrilling finish to the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg to become the tenth individual Group/Grade 1 winner by Coolmore's 2,000 Guineas, Derby and Irish Derby hero Camelot.

Already successful at Group 2 level in the Union-Rennen at Cologne for owner-breeder Gestut Park Wiedingen, Sammarco coped admirably with the significant delay before the start of the race at Hamburg as the rails were moved out.

He then had to repel the challenges of Schwarzer Peter, who came fast and wide, and Frankie Dettori on Sammarco's old foe So Moonstruck, to win by a short-head and a short-head in a very tight photo.

Owned and bred by Helmut Von Finck's Gestut Park Wiedingen, Sammarco is the first foal out of Saloon Sold, who was third in the Listed Winterkonigin-Trial at two. She was purchased for €40,000 by Horst Pudwill at the 2015 BBAG Yearling Sale from breeders Gestut Wittekindshof and is a daughter of Von Finck's champion sire Soldier Hollow.

Saloon Sold is one of three winners so far out of Saloon Rum, a Spectrum half-sister to Listed winners Salonlove, Salon Soldier and Monblue and they are out of Salonblue, a Listed winner at Baden Baden. She is a Bluebird half-sister to Peppertree Lane, whose victories include the Group 3 Curragh Cup, the Tapster Stakes and the Aston Park Stakes, the latter two at Listed level.

Sammarco was entered in the BBAG September Yearling Sale by Gestut Park Wiedingen but was bought back at €120,000.

Saloon Sold has a two-year-old Saxon Warrior filly who sold for just €11,000 at last year's BBAG Sales and Racing Festival and a yearling son of Areion.

The Derby winner's sire Camelot has now made it into double figures of Group 1 winners and Sammarco is the third Classic winner for the son of Montjeu following on from Latrobe's Irish Derby success and the victory of Even So in the Irish Oaks.

Triumphant in four Group 1 contests, Camelot retired to Coolmore for the 2014 breeding season at a fee of €25,000. His latest fee of €75,000 is the highest he has commanded during his stallion career.

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