Shirocco further staked his claim for the G1 Deutsches Derby on Monday June 13, when his three-year-old son Arrigo claimed one of the major trials for the race, the G2 Oppenheim Union-Rennen over 2200m at Cologne. Unraced as a juvenile, he was an impressive Maiden winner on debut at Hannover in April, before running a very close second in the G3 Bavarian Classic. Making his third start here, he suffered interference at the first bend, dropping near the rear of the field before making up relentless ground in the straight to win cosily at the line.
A homebred from the productive Gestut Schlenderhan operation, he is a half-brother to the 2007 German Derby hero, Adlerflug and from the outstanding family of Allegretta, responsible for King's Best, Urban Sea, Sea The Stars, Galileo and Anabaa Blue, to name a few.
Now heading the German Derby market, it strengthens an already impressive list of Shirocco sired entries for the German classic. High up are Arrigo's barn-mate Ibicenco, just beaten in a photo in a French G3 at the weekend, Sommernachtstraum, a running-on second behind Dubawi's Waldmark in Baden-Baden's Derby-Trial, and Brown Panther, winner of three of his four starts and a likely runner at Royal Ascot this week.
