Great Germans

Danedream may have been a surprise winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday but we are sure she won't be underestimated in her future races and she also looks sure to stay in training next year as a four-year-old.

Her victory set us thinking about other great German horses and here are some other which took a high rank in their time and might in future teach us not to underestimate horses from the German nation.

Pre WW2, the mare Nereide set a record time in her 1936 German Derby victory, a record which stood until 1993, among the horses that she defeated in an all-conquering and illustrious ten-victory career was the superstar French mare Corrida, who actually went on to win two Arcs after her defeat to Nereide. People who bet on racing will have been impressed.

Star Appeal, until last Sunday was the only German horse to win an Arc, doing so in 1975 at the odds of 119-1, the biggest price any Arc winner has ever returned. Despite his price, he won the race in a clear cut manner by three lengths and with no shortage of style putting a good field which included Allez France, Dahlia and Bruni to the sword. Those following the horse racing betting tips need to bear this in mind.

Acatenango was the force to be reckoned with In German racing in the mid-80s, his forays outside his native land included a win in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and his progeny have played leading roles in German racing since his retirement to stud. Speaking of which one of his sons – Lando – was the winner of six Group 1 races in Europe and one in Asia, where in 1995 he claimed the Japan Cup on the final start of his career.

Monsun didn't quite reach the same heights as the other German "greats" on the track, although he did win three Group 1s in his native land but he has been a very effective stallion. His best progeny have been Shirocco who won the 2005 Breeders' Cup Turf and Manduro – ranked best horse in the world in 2007 and a brilliant winner of the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

And we end where we began with Lomitas, who never really fulfilled his obvious promise, especially as he had an aversion to starting stalls but he did manage to sire Danedream the latest in a line-up of German greats.