The Bénazet-Rennen is a Listed flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in May or June.
| Listed race | |
| Location | Iffezheim Racecourse Baden-Baden, Germany |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1972 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Sponsor | Mercedes-Benz |
| Website | Baden-Baden |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1,200 metres (6f) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
| Weight | 55 kg (3yo); 59 kg (4yo+) Allowances 1½ kg for fillies and mares 2 kg if not won €7,000 * 1 kg if not won €10,000 * * since June 1 last year Penalties 2 kg for Group winners ** 1 kg for Listed winners ** ** since January 1 last year |
| Purse | €20,000 (2012) 1st: €12,000 |
History
The event is named after Edouard Bénazet (1801–1867), the founder of Baden-Baden's Iffezheim Racecourse. It was established in 1972, and was originally contested over 1,400 metres. It was cut to 1,200 metres in 1983.
During the early 1990s, the Bénazet-Rennen was classed at Listed level. It was promoted to Group 3 status in 1995.
The race was titled the Belmondo-Pokal in 2011. It returned to Listed level and became known as the Mercedes-Benz-Sprintpreis in 2012.
Records
Most successful horse (3 wins):
- Lucky Strike – 2004, 2005, 2007
Leading jockey (3 wins):
- Andrzej Tylicki – Park Romeo (1981), Bismarck (1985), Home Please (1987)
- Terence Hellier – Auenadler (1999), Call Me Big (2002), Smooth Operator (2011)
- Adrie de Vries – Lucky Strike (2004, 2005, 2007)
Leading trainer (4 wins):
- Andreas Trybuhl – Lucky Strike (2004, 2005, 2007), Soave (2006)
Winners since 1990
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Roman Prose | 5 | Marc de Smyter | Jonathan Pease | 1:09.30 |
| 1991 | Irish Shoal | 3 | Pierre Bouhey | John Hammond | 1:08.00 |
| 1992 | Mister Slippers | 3 | Corey Black | Robert Collet | 1:12.20 |
| 1993 | Dolphin Street | 3 | Cash Asmussen | John Hammond | 1:12.38 |
| 1994 | Nasr Allah | 4 | Dragan Ilic | Fredy Scheffer | 1:11.94 |
| 1995 | Wessam Prince | 4 | Walter Swinburn | Carlos Laffon-Parias | 1:12.07 |
| 1996 | Passion for Life | 3 | Paul Eddery | Geoff Lewis | 1:09.02 |
| 1997 | Monaassib | 6 | Daragh O'Donohoe | Ed Dunlop | 1:07.91 |
| 1998 | Dyhim Diamond | 4 | Dominique Boeuf | Carlos Laffon-Parias | 1:09.01 |
| 1999 | Auenadler | 7 | Terence Hellier | Uwe Ostmann | 1:10.43 |
| 2000 | Skip | 6 | Torsten Mundry | Urs Suter | 1:12.19 |
| 2001 | Gorse | 6 | John Reid | Henry Candy | 1:08.09 |
| 2002 | Call Me Big | 4 | Terence Hellier | Eckhart Gröschel | 1:08.68 |
| 2003 | Ingolf | 5 | Eduardo Pedroza | Andreas Wöhler | 1:09.99 |
| 2004 | Lucky Strike | 6 | Adrie de Vries | Andreas Trybuhl | 1:07.94 |
| 2005 | Lucky Strike | 7 | Adrie de Vries | Andreas Trybuhl | 1:07.56 |
| 2006 | Soave | 7 | Olivier Peslier | Andreas Trybuhl | 1:09.26 |
| 2007 | Lucky Strike | 9 | Adrie de Vries | Andreas Trybuhl | 1:11.35 |
| 2008 | Abbadjinn | 4 | Torsten Mundry | Peter Rau | 1:10.03 |
| 2009 | Contat | 6 | Rastislav Juracek | Pavel Vovcenko | 1:09.97 |
| 2010 | Amico Fritz [a] | 4 | Fabrice Veron | Henri-Alex Pantall | 1:09.50 |
| 2011 | Smooth Operator | 5 | Terence Hellier | Mario Hofer | 1:07.72 |
| 2012 | Smooth Operator | 6 | Stefanie Hofer | Mario Hofer | 1:07.95 |
a The 2010 running took place at Hoppegarten.
Earlier winners
- 1972: Aga
- 1973: Garzer
- 1974: Garzer
- 1975: Widerhall
- 1976: Tarik
- 1977: Gourmet
- 1978: Noilly Prat
- 1979: Iron Ruler
- 1980: Nephrit
- 1981: Park Romeo
- 1982: Ratsherr
- 1983: Another Risk
- 1984: Mark
- 1985: Bismarck
- 1986: Elnawaagi
- 1987: Home Please
- 1988: Green's Picture
- 1989: Savahra Sound
See also
References
- Racing Post:
- galopp-sieger.de – Bénazet-Rennen.
- horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Bénazet-Rennen (2011).
- pedigreequery.com – Bénazet-Rennen – Baden-Baden.