Turf Talk stumbled across a German champion stallion called Alchimist a while back when looking for a quote for a “quotable quotes” article.
In the Graham Sharpe book “Classic Horseracing Quotes” the following insert appears:
German Derby winner Alchimist became an unusual casualty of World War II. The grooms at Gradiz, where the highly valued stallion was at stud, fled the advancing Russian troops who relieved their starvation by tucking into what must be pne of the most expensive meals ever consumed.
Other accounts put it a bit differently and states the Gradiz staff took the stallion with them when fleeing, but were not allowed by the Americans to cross the border. The Russians, who were aware of the value of thoroughbred stallions, only killed the horse as a last resort after he refused to load on to their truck.
However, more important is just what an influence Alchimist has been and that was despite his untimely demise as a fifteen-year-old.
His son Birkhan, also a German Derby winner and a multiple champion sire, is the sire of the legendary Urban Sea’s third dam Almyra.
Alchimist also appears as a dam sire on the sire line of Urban Sea’s dam Alegretta.
Urban Sea is dam of both Galileo and Sea The Stars, who need no introduction.
Late German Horse Of The Year Lomitas boasts Alchimist on the sire line of his dam.
Lomitas not only produced five-times SA Champion sire Silvano, who tops the log this year ahead of his son Vercingetorix, but also an Arc winner Danedream.
Alchimist appears no fewer than five times in the pedigree of last year’s Arc winner, the German-bred Torquator Tasso.
Interestingly, Almyra, the third dam of Urban Sea, is a bottom line female on the pedigree of both Torquator Tasso’s sire Alderflug and his dam Tijuana (Toylsome).
Alchimist is the granddam sire of Germany’s first Arc winner in 1975, Star Appeal.
The list of top horses who have Alchimist in their pedigrees will be endless considering the above pedigrees he features in.
His influence clearly does not just come from one fluke occurence either.
However, he appears to be just a footnote in the thoroughbred annals.
Picture: Alchimist (Pininterest)
