Italy: German-bred Feuerblitz wins Italian Derby

Feuerblitz, a German-bred colt by Big Shuffle, won the first stakes of his career in Sunday’s Group 2 Italian Derby at Capannelle Racecourse.

Real Solution, bred and owners by Americans Ken and Sarah Ramsey, could only finish sixth as the favorite in the field of 11, the first loss of his four-race career.

Officially, Feuerblitz won by a short neck over Wild Wolf, with Smoking Joe 1 1/4 lengths behind in third. Video replays made the winning margin seem more like a short head. Real Solution finished 3 3/4 lengths behind Feuerblitz, who was ridden by Rab Havlin for trainer Michael Figge.

Feuerblitz was second in the Derby Trial Stakes at Hanover in late April.

Real Solution, a stakes winner at Capannelle on April 29, was ridden for the first time by jockey Frankie Dettori. Dettori said that Real Solution was upset in the paddock and warm-up and was reluctant to settle in the early stages of the Italian Derby, over 1 3/8 miles on turf.

Real Solution was considered a candidate for the Royal Ascot meeting in England before the Italian Derby.

Arc winner begins season winning in Germany

At Baden-Baden, Germany, Danedream, the winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris last October, won her first start of 2012 in the Group 2 Grosser Preis Der Badischen Unternehmer.

Unraced since a sixth in the Japan Cup in Tokyo last November, Danedream won the Group 2 race over 1 3/8 miles by three-quarters of a length over Ovamba Queen, a stakes winner in Denmark, Germany, and Italy last year.

Danedream was the 2-5 favorite in a field of 10.

Trained by Peter Schiergen, Danedream won two Group 1 races in Germany last year before her victory in the Arc.