The Group One Grosser Preis von Bayern (2,400m) has a colourful history and last year’s winner Junko went on to Sha Tin glory in the 2023 Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m).

On Sunday, 11 horses will line up in the Munich feature, with an intriguing mix of three-year-olds, older horses and local and international contenders. It is also the final Group One of the European season.

Trainer Sarka Schutz runs Atoso, who has become a bit of a fairy tale of the German turf, having worked his way up through the ranks, and epitomises the variety of entrants in the race.

Schutz reports her five-year-old charge, an enthusiastic front-runner, is in great condition but said: “It is my not so good fortune to have a runner in this race when it is the strongest line-up in years. We are outsiders and rightly so.”

Straight, another home-grown contender, is by contrast no outsider having been a revelation since joining the stable of Marian Falk Weissmeier in the middle of this season.

After finishing just a neck adrift of subsequent Group One Breeders’ Cup Turf (2,400m) winner Rebel’s Romance in Koln’s Group One Preis von Europa (2,400m), he pulverised seven rivals in Italy’s Group Two Gran Premio del Jockey Club (2,400m) in Milan last month.

Weissmeier believes a changed routine and diet have made all the difference to the four-year-old colt, who is being firmly directed towards next month’s Hong Kong Vase.

Straight will be ridden for the first time by champion jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev.

“We wanted to run him again before Hong Kong as it might have been too long a gap otherwise. He is in excellent form for Sunday’s race and we don’t fear any of the local horses. We feel that he has a massive chance,” said Weissmeier.

The Grosser Preis von Bayern is one of four races the Jockey Club is offering for betting from Germany on Sunday to go with eight contests from Queen Elizabeth II Cup Day from Japan.