Iffezheim (dpa/lsw) - In front of 14,500 spectators, the four-year-old stallion Mendocino caused a sensation on the racecourse in Iffezheim. The horse ridden by Rene Piechulek defeated the turf superstar Torquator Tasso, last year's winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in the 152nd Grand Prix of Baden on Sunday.
Sarah Steinberg trains Mendocino in Munich for the Salzburg stable. She is the partner of jockey Piechulek, who is also stable jockey at her stable and therefore rode Mendocino. He was previously the regular rider of Torquator Tasso. "We had a dream race," said Piechulek after beating Torquator Tasso, with whom he not only won the Arc but also the Baden Grand Prix last year. Both horses, Mendocino and Torquator Tasso, are now scheduled to compete at the Arc in Paris.
The day before, the four-year-old mare Amazing Grace had secured victory in the T.v.Zastrow mare prize. After a superb ride by French jockey Olivier Peslier, Amazing Grace was the dominating horse in the race, which was worth 70,000 euros. The mare has already earned 196,400 euros in her career.
