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COMMENTARY MAY 31, 2013 Chopin flies the flag for Germany at Epsom by Geoffrey Riddle of Racing UK Trainer Andreas Wohler never even considered Chopin as a Derby horse. The German trainer knew that the son of Santiago was good, but his sights were set on the German Derby before Sheikh Fahad al Thani stepped in. After taking a Group 3 at Krefeld in April by eight lengths, there was significant international interest in buying Chopin, but the impressive winner was snapped up by Sheikh Fahad's team. Even after that success there were quotes of 40-1 about Chopin for the Derby, but the colt, who will be ridden in Saturday's Epsom showpiece by Jamie Spencer, now trades at as short as 8-1 for the Investec-sponsored extravaganza. Wohler has never been to Derby day, but the 51-year-old trainer has ridden around Epsom before, and was recreating the buzz in his mind at Breakfast with the Stars last week. "The Derby is the Derby of Derbies, the race of races and the original," he said. "I have never been here for the race but I always watch it at home. On the day itself it will be a special day with a big crowd. If you don't feel pressure on a day like this you are in the wrong place. I've never been here on Derby day but I can just imagine it. German Derby day is the biggest day in our racing calendar but this is another step up on that." Wohler rode in the Amateur Rider's Derby 30 years ago at Epsom, and coming into Tattenham Corner leading the field he knew he had gone off too fast and was simply waiting for the chance to get back to the weighing room and back on the ferry to Germany. "It was a great feeling and very exciting," Wohler said. "I had to make the running but kept pole position to Tattenham Corner. I was probably going a bit too quick as there were four or five of us in a line. I think in terms of giving advice to Jamie Spencer, he has more experience than I have." Chopin will be Germany's first runner in the Derby. Foreign challengers are hardly new, but it took 85 years before a French-bred horse struck in the 12-furlong contest when Gladiateur earned himself the sobriquet of the "Avenger of Waterloo" with his victory in 1865. Kisber was the first horse foaled in Hungary to win in 1876, while Iroquois, owned by tobacco millionaire Pierre Lorillard, was the first horse bred in America to triumph in 1881. Winners trained abroad took a lot longer to hit the mark with Orby striking first for Ireland in 1907 for Frederick McCabe and Dunbar, owned and trained in France by American Herman Duryea, becoming the first of nine French horses to win in 1914. The stoutness of German breeding would seem to be tailor-made for the demands of Epsom. Wohler's Lomitas was a multiple Group 1 winner over 12 furlongs in 1991, while his Paolini was also a winner at the highest level a decade later. Danedream showed it was more than a trend when she won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2011. With Novellist -- also trained by Wohler -- and the Coral Eclipse-bound Pastorius two of the few three-year-olds worldwide last season to beat their elders in open Group 1 races, it is clear that German horses are extremely competitive. "In Germany he is outstanding, but compared to Irish and English horses we just don't know yet," said Wohler, who trains a string of over 100 in Bremen. "It is very exciting thing, not only for me but for the German racing industry. German breeding is doing really well and our top-class horses are doing well internationally, but we have to step up as a whole." German horses may have the genes, but those genes are not steeled on undulating tracks such as Epsom. Only Dusseldorf can boast anything like the up and down nature of Epsom, which has a sweeping left-hand rise of 134 feet before a descent of 34 feet around Tattenham Corner leading into a cambered straight. Wohler took Chopin to Dusseldorf when the Derby plan was initiated with a view to giving him experience. Spencer flew to Germany to partner the horse in a spin going the wrong way around the course over five furlongs. As an effort it was noble, but as a preparation for one of the most idiosyncratic tests in world racing it falls woefully short. "We were thinking about coming to Epsom (for Breakfast with the Stars) with the horse, but it is a long way, which is why we went to Dusseldorf, which has the biggest ups and downs in Germany," Wohler continued. "He handled it really well and Jamie was happy with him. As a two-year-old his first race involved an overnight stay and it was easy. So I wouldn't worry about this. We will be coming on Friday." The process of supplementing a horse to the Derby was introduced in 1998 and Kris Kin was the first to succeed in 2003 after connections stumped up £90,000 at the five-day stage. As evidenced by what happened to Telescope this week, even the best-laid plans can go astray at any time. River Proud was supplemented in 2008 but never made it to the Surrey track. Unlike Dawn Approach, Jim Bolger's overwhelming odds-on favorite, Chopin is almost guaranteed to the stay the Derby distance. Wohler only ran him in the nine-furlong event at Krefeld because it sat well with the horse's proposed program. Chopin's sire Santiago may have been a miler with his first Classic crop this season, but his dam is Caucasienne, a 13-furlong Galileo filly who raced for John Hills. "There are a lot of doubts about other horses staying. I think the horse has a proper chance of finishing in the first four, although it's a different thing to say that he could win," Sheikh Fahad said. "The Derby is the number one race in the world -- the race you want to have a runner in. A race too that you want to have a runner with a proper chance, which is why we have not been represented until now."
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