German-based Novellist cruised to a comfortable win over former Australian-based group winner Retrieve in the Gran Premio del Jockey Club Italiano (Ity-I) at San Siro Racecourse in Milan Oct. 21.
Novellist won by 4 1/2 lengths as the 8-13 favorite in the Racing Post. A final time was not immediately available for the 1 1/2-mile (2,400- meter) race. The 3-year-old colt by recently deceased sire Monsun is campaigned by owner/breeder Christoph Berglar, who last spring bought Stonereath Farm near Paris, Ky. from Darrell and Lendy Brown.
Novellist came into the race off a pair of creditable performances at the top level in Germany. He finished second to Pastorius in the Sparda Deutsches Derby (German Derby, Ger-I) July 1 at Hamburg, and followed with a fourth behind 2011 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) winner Danedream in the Longines Grosser Preis von Baden (Ger-I) Sept. 2 in his previous start. He halted the two-start winless stretch in Italy with his convincing breakthrough under Eduardo Pedroza .
Trained by Andreas Wohler, the Irish-bred colt capped a four-race win streak to launch his career with a five-length romp in the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen (Ger-II) at Cologne before his runner-up finish in the German Derby.
Berglar bred Novellist out of German highweight and group III winner Night Lagoon, by Lagunas. He boosted his career record to five wins and a second from seven career starts.
Godolphin Racing's Retrieve, a multiple group winner in Australia and a stakes winner in England, was ridden by Frankie Dettori, whose contract with the Maktoum family's racing operation ends in 2013, according to an announcement Oct. 21. Retrieve finished six lengths in front of third-place finisher Branderburgo, a stakes winner in Italy who was seeking a breakthrough group win.
Berglar's family formerly operated Union-Gestut, a breeding and sales operation in Eitorf-Merten before shifting his some of his breeding operations to Gestut Schlenderhan, also in Germany, and Haras Bonneval in France.
Upon the announcement of his Stonereath purchase, Berglar, former chief executive of the Germany Jockey Club (1997-2000), planned to ship a number of his mares to Central Kentucky. Now known as Stonereath Stud, the 225-acre farm is managed by his son, Peter.