The 156th running of the Grosser Preis von Baden on Sunday (6 September) is arguably Germany’s premier open-aged race, and the 2400m Baden-Baden Group 1 features several grand campaigners, notably Giavellotto.

Trainer Marco Botti has deliberately kept the nine-time-winning seven-year-old fresh since he bested Kalpana by a short-head in Royal Ascot’s G2 Hardwicke Stakes (2392m) – around two and a half months ago. That victory could hardly have been amplified louder with Kalpana having struck Group 1 gold twice since then.

On Giavellotto’s international agenda is a return to Sha Tin for the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m), a race he won in 2024 before narrowly succumbing to Andre Fabre’s Sosie in the 2025 edition.

“Let’s get Sunday out of the way first”, said his Newmarket-based trainer, Marco Botti, before expanding on forthcoming international targets.

Giavellotto holds a clear margin on racing this Sunday when he will be ridden for the first time by brilliant 20-year-old Billy Loughnane, who is touted as UK racing’s next big thing. Botti reports Giavellotto is in excellent shape with the expected good ground ideal for his galloper.

Lordano is also seven and has something of a cult following in Germany, having won 12 of 21 starts and proving remarkably versatile in terms of distance, effective from 2000 to 3200m.

He showed his usual pluck over 3200m in May when winning Hoppegarten’s G2 Oleander-Rennen. Lordano arrives fresh off his summer break with trainer Marcel Weiss anticipating a tidy run provided the ground does not turn fast.

But Germany’s main chance of glory may well come from Andreas Suborics-trained Bright Light. His latest storming run to finish a close second to Tiffany in last month’s G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin (2400m) at Hoppegarten makes him arguably the best three-year-old in Germany right now.

Suborics said: “We know it is a tough field, but we come to Baden with a lot of confidence. He came out of the Berlin race in great shape, and his work has been very good. He is still improving and hasn’t reached his limit yet.”

Jack Mitchell’s mount Saddadd, a fellow Newmarket-based raider, is expected to be another leading contender. In April, he won Sandown’s G3 Gordon Richards Stakes (1990m) and has not been disgraced in two Group 1 starts since.

Trainer Roger Varian has been pondering a rise to this trip all season, and it could easily bring about further improvement from the impressive-looking Saddadd. The four-time winner will surely make his presence felt on this first venture to continental Europe.

The G1 Grosser Preis von Baden (2400m) is carded as S4-1 and will be run at 9.25pm (Hong Kong time) on Sunday, 6 September.

Photo: Marc Ruehl