Westbury Stud’s top class sire Reliable Man again showed his happy knack for producing an elite filly when Erle scored a bold victory in the Group I Preis der Diana (2200m) at Dusseldorf in Germany overnight.
A homebred for Gestüt Röttgen, trained by Maxim Pecheur and ridden by Martin Seidl, Erle was a last start winner of the Group III Diana Trial (2000m) and she kicked well clear after turning for home and could not be caught winning by a length.
“I almost left it too late at the last meeting, but I always felt she was faster. We were always in front today, and she was so determined and believed she could do it,” Seidl said.
Erle is a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Group III winning Reliable Man colt Erasmus, the Champion German 2YO Colt of 2017. She is the first winner for Kizingo, a winning half-sister to Erasmus and daughter of Group I Preis der Diana winner Enora.
For Erle’s owner-breeders Gestut Rottgen it was a fourth victory in the German Oaks, but it was their first success since Erle’s grand-dam Enora won it in 2010.
Frank Dorff, stud manager, said: "She's physically superior to many other fillies and we really hoped she could do it. We're overjoyed and I'm just incredibly proud of our entire team, everyone. This is a collective effort, especially from our trainer, who trained the horse brilliantly."
Erle is the fourth Group I winner and third Oaks winner for Reliable Man, who stands at Westbury Stud this spring at a fee of $12,500 plus GST
