WALDGEIST shares LONGINES World's Best Racehorse 2019 title with Enable and Crystal Ocean

What a wonderful success story: WALDGEIST is one of three best racehorses of last year and was honoured with the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse 2019 title. Alongside trainer Andre Fabre, Dr. Andreas Jacobs and Dietrich von Boetticher accepted the awards for the Galileo-son in the name of their respective stud farms Newsells Park and Ammerland during a dignified ceremony. WALDGEIST, who crowned his stellar career with a historic win in last year's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and has since taken up stud duty in Ireland, shares this elite title in lockstep the British wonder mare Enable and Crystal Ocean. In his function as chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Vice President of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges presented the awards to Waldgeist's team at London's Landmark Hotel yesterday afternoon and found moving words in his laudation.

Waldgeist is like a French wine, improving with age. He combines the very best of Irish and German thoroughbred breeding and has achieved his great success in six countries over four racing seasons. He was a top class horse as a two-, three- and four-year-old already, but he was able to jump to yet another level in 2019 to win the most prestigious race in the world. Waldgeist is the prime example of an equine world traveller.

It was an emotional event for all participants. Dr. Jacobs remembered his father, who had acquired WALDLERCHE's dam as a foal, while Andre Fabre praised the special qualities of horses bred in Bavaria and Ammerland owner Dietrich von Boetticher re-lived WALDGEIST's most impressive win in the Arc. To earn such a prestigious title is a very special privilege as it not only honours Waldgeist's accomplishments but also bears particular significance for German thoroughbred breeding, which makes us especially proud.

(23/01/2020)