Statistics of 1998:

Top 30 German Race Horses
Comments: Tiger Hill is Germany´s over-all champion horse. He won DM 994.521, his most notable win being Group I Großer Preis von Baden (beating Caitano and Public Purse), yet his best effort was probably finishing third to Sagamix and Leggera in October (Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe, Group I). The son of Danehill was unbeaten until finishing 10th in Group I Deutsches Derby (winner Robertico).
Tiger Hill gained a rating of 124 in the International Classification, ranking him 5th of European 3-y-olds of 1998. He stays in training with former champion jockey Peter Schiergen and, as a first target of this season, will be aimed at Group II Gerling-Preis (2400m) in Cologne on May 9,1999. (See all German Group race fixtures of 1999 here)

Unbeaten Sumitas - pictured right - is the highest-rated 2-y-old trained in Germany since the International Classification was established. He won three races out of three (shortest winning margin: 4 lengths), the most important of which was Group III Preis des Winterfavoriten (1600m), which earned him a rating of 112. Sumitas is the second-most expensive yearling sold at auction in Germany, being sold for DM 500.000 in 1997. He represents the same connections as Tiger Hill, being owned by Georg Baron von Ullmann and trained by Peter Schiergen.

Top 20 Sires in Germany, Top 10 Sires of 2-y-o´s in Germany
Comments: Dashing Blade is dual champion sire in 1998, leading Big Shuffle and Acatenango in the overall section resp. Big Shuffle and first-season sire Lomitas in the 2-y-o section. His most notable winners were Power Flame, Adieu, Aldino, Noble Pearl and Kabuki. Lomitas sired 2-y-o champion Sumitas.

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Top 20 Thoroughbred Trainers
Comments: Dortmund based Uwe Stoltfuß is champion trainer again. He had a total of 137 wins from 1065 starts, which puts him clearly in front of first-season trainer Andreas Schütz with 117 wins, whose horses accumulated the highest prize-money won (over DM 5.000.000). The most remarkable achievement of the 1998 season probably was Christian von der Recke´s bonanza. Originally a trainer of jump horses, his horses summed up 70 wins and a ratio of wins from starts of 23%, which only Harro Remmert´s horses exceeded.

Top 30 Jockeys
Comments: Andrasch Starke - pictured left - is champion jockey for the first time. He leads his colleagues both by number of wins (149) and prize-money won (over DM 4.000.000). Also, his ratio of wins from starts (21%) is unequalled among Top 30 jockeys. 24 year old Starke is stable jockey at Andreas Schütz´ stable in Cologne. Alessandro Schikora, ranking 4th, probably had the most remarkable season in 1998, being second stable jockey at Peter Schiergen´s Asterblüte yard. When former stable jockey William Newnes was forced to leave his position in July, he was even considered to be promoted, but in September Andreas Suborics was engaged as stable jockey. Being second stable jockey at Asterblüte was the position from which Peter Schiergen (then employed by Heinz Jentzsch) accomplished his European record season of 1995 with 267 wins.

Top 20 Thoroughbred Owners, Top 20 Thoroughbred Breeders
Comments: Due to the spectacular successes of Tiger Hill and Sumitas, Georg Baron von Ullmann is champion owner for the first time. Having only a few, but first class mares lodged at his mother´s Schlenderhan Stud (number 7 among the Top 10), most of von Ullmann´s horses were bought at auctions.
The breeders of his most notable winners, Wittekindshof and Fährhof, thus take the highest places in the breeders´ Top 10. Being one of Germany´s more recently-founded studs, Wittekindshof is the leading commercial stud in the country, consigning all yearlings to auctions, except for 1998, when the demand on Wittekindshof horses was so heavy that all yearlings bar one had been sold straight from the pastures months before the main German auction at Baden-Baden. Wittekindshof also bred champion filly Elle Danzig.