Ｓix-year-old mare Tiffany won the Westminster 136th Grosser Preis von Berlin at Berlin-Hoppegarten Racecourse on Sunday, crowning an impressive career.

After finishing second three times in German Group 1 races, she finally achieved top-level success in the German capital, in front of thousands of spectators waving Berlin flags. She captured the prestigious Berlin Grand Prix, run over the classic Derby distance of 2,400 meters and carrying prize money of €155,000.

"She is so brave and has often been unlucky. Today she showed her big heart once again," said winning jockey Luke Morris.

The 37-year-old English jockey also delivered a perfectly judged ride. Positioned on the rail in fifth place in the ten-horse field, he waited patiently before launching his challenge as a gap opened in the home straight. Tiffany accelerated decisively and held off the late surge of the strongly finishing three-year-old Bright Light, trained in Cologne by Andreas Suborics, as well as the two Godolphin runners trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Dubai Future and Tornado Alert. The official margin read: "a neck after a hard-fought finish, half a length, and a head."

Tiffany is trained by Sir Mark Prescott in Newmarket, England, for whom Morris rides as stable jockey. In 2021, the pair enjoyed great success with the exceptional mare Alpinista, winning three German Group 1 races, the Grosser Preis von Berlin, Preis von Europa, and Grosser Preis von Bayern, before going on to capture Europe’s most prestigious flat race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Group 1), the following year.

"Our plan was always to win a Group 1 race with Tiffany. Now we need to see what comes next," said William Butler, Sir Mark Prescott’s assistant trainer. "We are very proud of her. She has danced every dance and brought joy to so many people." Tiffany is owned by a large syndicate in Britain, Elite Racing 004.

The Berlin Grand Prix was disappointing for the highly regarded Derby winner Dardanos. The three-year-old trained by Andreas Wöhler appeared overly keen early in the race, despite the strong pace set by four-year-old mare Innora under Leon Wolff. In the end, Dardanos could make no impact and finished last.

Only one place ahead of him was last year’s Derby winner Hochkönig, who at least briefly looked threatening in the straight. Global Health, the surprise winner of the Grosser Hansa Preis (Group 2) in early July, confirmed the merits of his Hamburg performance by finishing fifth, although he was some distance behind the leading quartet when collecting the final share of prize money.

The next German Group 1 race will be the 156th Grosser Preis von Baden, held on the first Sunday of September. Bright Light is expected to target that prestigious international contest as well. However, trainer Andreas Suborics is hoping for rain.

"He showed that he belongs at this level," said Suborics. "He is even better on soft ground. Last time he was simply a bit unlucky."

Photo: Marc Ruehl