Sir Mark Prescott’s Perennial Bridesmaid Lands Her Biggest Prize at Hoppegarten
Racing fans following the European flat season got a heartwarming story on Sunday, August 9, 2026, when Tiffany — Sir Mark Prescott’s six-year-old mare and long-time nearly-woman of German middle-distance racing — finally converted her class into a Group 1 win, taking the Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten under a well-timed ride from Luke Morris.
It’s a result that will resonate with anyone who follows the sport closely: Tiffany had built a reputation as one of the toughest, most consistent performers in European racing without quite having the big-race trophy to match. This win changes that.
A History of Nearly, Nearly, Nearly
Before Sunday, Tiffany’s CV read like a study in bad luck at the top level. She’d been runner-up in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich in both 2024 and 2025, second again in the Group 1 Preis von Europa at Cologne last year, and had opened her 2026 campaign with two more second-place finishes, at Chantilly and then in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks at Newmarket. Three of those defeats came at Group 1 level — proof that she belonged in this company, even if the timing had never quite clicked.
That narrative made Sunday’s result all the sweeter. Returning to Germany, a country where she has often performed well — including a previous Group 2 win at Baden-Baden in 2024 — Tiffany finally got everything right when it mattered most.
How the Race Unfolded
Sent off to race prominently, Tiffany was tracked closely by the strong Godolphin pair Dubai Future and Tornado Alert, while pacemaker Innora dictated a strong gallop up front. The tempo told on short-priced favourite Almeric, who never got competitive and was off the bridle for much of the race.
Turning for home, Morris found a gap up the inside rail and asked his mare to go through it. She responded generously, matching strides with the two Godolphin runners in a thrilling final furlong before getting the better of the fast-finishing, locally trained Bright Light. The winning margins were tight — just a neck, with half a length back to Dubai Future in third.
It was Tiffany’s eighth win from 18 career starts, and notably, she has now only finished outside the first three on her opening two visits to the Hoppegarten track — a strong track-form angle for anyone assessing her future targets there.
A Third German Group 1 for Prescott
The victory extended an already impressive record for trainer Sir Mark Prescott in this specific race: it was his third success in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, following Albanova in 2004 and the subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista in 2021. That’s elite company for Tiffany to now be associated with.
Prescott’s assistant, William Butler, captured the emotion of the team afterward: “I’m relieved and delighted and very proud of the filly. She’s danced every dance, and when she’s got to six you wonder whether she’s going to lead the dance, but she did today. She was tough and brave and she was given a fantastic ride.”
He added: “It’s fantastic for Elite Racing, who are great owner-breeders… This has always been the aim, we were working to try and make her a Group 1 winner and we’ve achieved the aim now.”
Jockey Luke Morris, who has ridden Tiffany in all but one of her career starts, was equally pleased: “She’s been a star for her owners Elite Racing and Sir Mark and all the team. She’s very brave and she tries very hard. She’s been unfortunate to be second so many times, but today she showed a huge heart to win her first Group 1.”
What’s Next for Tiffany
Connections now have a genuinely exciting range of options. Tiffany holds entries in the Irish St Leger Trial, the Irish St Leger itself, the Blandford Stakes, the Long Distance Cup, and the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on British Champions Day. Having finally cleared the Group 1 hurdle, Butler suggested the team may now aim even higher, saying: “The pressure’s off and now that she’s a Group 1 winner, we can maybe have some loftier targets and go from there.”
For punters and racing followers tracking German and British middle-distance form through the back half of the season, Tiffany’s name is now one to watch closely — a mare who has proven she has the class for the very top level, and who has just shown she can finally deliver it on the day.
