Champion German trainer Peter Schiergen missed out on winning the 2009 German Oaks but can make amends this year with his promising Rakti filly Tuiga.

Tuiga (3f Rakti – Tocopilla by Medaaly) staked her claimed for the G1 Preis der Diana with a very impressive victory over 2000m at Dortmund last week.  She spaced the placegetters She Is Madonna (Soviet Star) and Giant’s Playground (Giant’s Causeway) by seven lengths!

Rakti is a Danzig-line sire and he was a Group 1 winner of the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, Lockinge Stakes at Newbury plus the Prince of Wales Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot before shuttling between the Irish National Stud and Chatswood Stud.  He has been very popular at the Seymour based nursery covering a total of 270 mares in 2008 and 2009.

Rakti filly Carioca was all set to claim a classic first for her sire in Italy on May 1.  The Newmarket based filly had won a Listed lead-up to the Italian 1000 Guineas but she was re-routed to York’s Dante meeting last Friday.

Carioca (3f Rakti – Cidaris by Persian Bold) gave a good sight in front of the Listed Michael Seely Memorial but was run down by Chachamaidee (Footstepsinthesand) in the final stages.  The Great Partnership paid 95,000 euros for Carioca at the 2007 Goffs Foal Sale and she will repay that with interest this year either locally or on the continent.

Tuiga (Ire) was bred by Janus Bloodstock and cost 130,000 euros at the 2008 Arqana yearling sale.  She is a younger half-sister to Takhir (Lando) who has won three races up to 1850m.  He is also trained by Schiergen and was last seen finishing down the track behind Lizard’s Desire at Meydan in January.

They are the first two foals to race from Listed Longchamp winner Tocopilla.  She is a half-sister to Turfkonig (G1 Munich Mercedes-Benz Preis) and Tryphosa (G2 German 1000 Guineas).

Peter Schiergen won the German Oaks as a jockey in 1994 (Risen Raven) and as a trainer with Iota (2005) and Rosenreihe (2008).  He was all set to claim another this time last year with stable star Miss Europa.

Miss Europa (Monsun) defeated Night Magic (Sholokhov) by 4.5 lengths in the G2 Oaks Trial at Hoppegarten but suffered a hairline leg fracture which ruled her out for the season.  Taking advantage of her withdrawal, Night Magic won the Oaks by 4.5 lengths.

Schiergen welcomed back Miss Europa after 45 weeks on the sidelines last Sunday.  She won the Listed Krefelder Stutenpreis at Krefeld and the Cologne based trainer is hoping the result is a good sign for Tuiga in this year’s German Oaks.