Bye Bye Dortmund - Interview with Oliver Sauer
- Luis Kimmel
- Mar 21
- 8 min read
The winter season at Dortmund Racecourse, Germanys only racecourse that hosts races from December to March, has come to an end. On Sunday Germany starts into the turf season at Mülheim. Last year, I already had the pleasure of speaking with Oliver Sauer, Managing Director of the Dortmund Racing Club. On the final dirt track race day on 8 March, Sauer once again made time for me. We discussed turnover figures, events and the question of how to raise the profile of horse racing again in a major city like Dortmund.
‘For me, on-course turnover is the most important indicator’
The figures don’t lie, and that is precisely why we started by looking at the facts.
When asked about the key figures, Sauer focuses less on spectator numbers and more on-course betting. This is partly because official visitor figures are unfortunately not available.
“For me, on-course turnover is what gives a rough indication of how many people were actually there,” he explains. “Two years ago, across 43 winter races, we had a turnover of approximately €697,600, of which around €106,100 was generated on the track. In the 2025/26, we held 51 winter races here in Dortmund, with total turnover of around €956,200, of which track turnover amounted to just under €190,000. So, purely in terms of the figures, we are moving in the right direction. Since the pandemic, we have not only had the best total and track revenue this season and the third-highest number of starters. In terms of turnover per race, we improved by 17.3% to €18,749 compared to the previous winter season. Compared to the 2020/21 season, we saw an increase of 25.49%.”
For him, however, a certain feeling is far more important than individual figures:
“I get the feeling that people are happy to come here again. There are lots of new faces here. When I look at our Instagram figures, for example, around 35% of our followers are from Dortmund itself, and that’s exactly where we need to be. We now have a bank of photo and video material that allows me to say: ‘Now we can really sell the races well.’”
Even in difficult weather conditions, there are now signs of a positive trend. “A few weeks ago we had really bad weather, and yet the second grandstand was full. The atmosphere inside was great; there were lots of young people there. On that basis, it’s naturally easier to present ourselves to potential sponsors as well.”
‘I have plenty of freedom here’
Another key factor behind this development is the way the racecourse operates. “The board gives me a great deal of freedom. We can get a lot done here without every idea having to go through fifteen committees or a major business plan having to be drawn up. I have plenty of scope to develop here, and for that I am very grateful.”
The racecourse is back in the spotlight
Sauer has also noticed that the Dortmund Racecourse is gradually re-establishing itself as a major venue beyond the world of horse racing. He cites the “Best of Events” trade fair as an example. The fair takes place annually at the Westfalen-Halle in Dortmund and is aimed primarily at event agencies, organisers and operators of event venues.
“Two years ago, we were still a complete unknown there. When we went back in January, people specifically arranged meetings with us and recognised us. That’s when you really realise just how many contacts you’ve built up in a year.”
The Dortmund Racecourse is now well established at the “BoE Fair”. The next goal must be the city of Dortmund as a whole.
“In a few months’ time, thanks to a partnership with one of our clients, we’ll have the opportunity to have a fully branded underground train and a bus running around Dortmund. We want to present ourselves here as a racecourse, but also as an event venue.”
Located in the heart of Dortmund, the racecourse covers an area of around 43 hectares. Of this, 7,000 square metres can be used as event space.
It’s always nice to see things happening at the racecourses around the country. At the same time, you always have to ask yourself: racecourse or event venue?
Otherwise, you eventually end up at a point where you’re hosting great events – and
every now and then a few horses run round in circles.
Sauer takes a pragmatic view.
“If I only have twelve race days a year, I naturally have to use the space we have here
for other purposes as well. Without the event venue, there would be no horse racing here anymore.” At the same time, he sees this as an opportunity.
“Around 100,000 people visit the site each year through our events. Many of them have never been here before. Once they know where the racecourse is, where to park and where the entrance is, it’s much easier for them to come back later for a race day.”
‘Just because something is free doesn't mean it's interesting’
Admission to the Dortmund Winter Race Days was once again free of charge last season. A deliberate decision.
“We abolished the admission charge back then because quite simply nobody was coming anymore,” explains Sauer. “People always thought that if a product costs nothing, it automatically becomes interesting. But that’s not true. The product itself – that is, the races – has to be interesting.”
The busiest race day of the year in Dortmund is traditionally the Sparkassen-Race Day on Father’s Day. “You either push a handcart around the neighbourhood, or you go to the races. That’s just how it is,” says Sauer, describing the race day on Ascension Day. The truth is, however, that even on this day, the racecourse largely has to manage without an admission charge. The Sparkasse, a major bank in Germany, distributes free tickets.
“On this race day, just as we did on the last race day of the winter season, we’re focusing on events within the event. Today we had 74 VIP guests in the terrace stand. For €35, they received free food and drink as well as a betting voucher. In the summer, we want to offer a beach party on the dirt track, limited to 100 guests with their own area and a real beach atmosphere.”
Fewer and fewer horses
Back to the beginning and the bare figures. During the 2025/26 winter season, 205 horses lined up at Dortmund. That’s the third-best tally since the 2019/20 season. So, basically a solid foundation, isn’t it? In 2022/23, 15 more horses raced at Dortmund, and that was with four fewer races.
Six years ago, there were as many as 234 starters in just 43 races.
“Unfortunately, the trend is clearly moving towards us having fewer and fewer horses in training,” says Sauer. “Nevertheless, we are trying to make racing as attractive as possible so that owners, trainers and jockeys enjoy coming to Dortmund. You also have to bear in mind what a challenge it is to keep a horse fit in winter. It’s incredible how much effort goes into it. And then you might only race for €5,000. That’s really painful.”
“Our task is to make the races appealing and to further improve the experience surrounding race day,” he says. “One possibility could be new series or championships that are also appropriately rewarded and recognised.” Such formats could not only create additional incentives for owners, but also attract new sponsors.
“If you organise such series well and give them a platform, then you might also find sponsors who are willing to support something like that.”
‘We must do our job properly’
Despite all the challenges, Sauer is optimistic about the future.
“Of course, after a race day like today with perfect weather, you’re in a better frame of mind than if it had been pouring with rain,” he says with a smile. “When you see the turnover, the number of visitors and the atmosphere, it really puts you in a very positive frame of mind. It’s really enjoyable working for this racecourse. You can see how things are developing step by step and that the effort is paying off.”
A major issue in German racing remains the overarching marketing strategy. However, Sauer does not see the responsibility for this lying solely with the governing body of Deutscher Galopp.
“It’s always difficult to talk about areas that aren’t your own,” he explains. “Ultimately, we can only focus on our own responsibilities. If the racecourses do a good job, the positive trend continues, more visitors come to the tracks and we become more relevant again, then Deutscher Galopp has a good foundation on which to market our sport.”
Unfortunately, the dirt track final took place without any representatives from Deutscher Galopp. It’s quite possible that the team at Rennbahn-Straße in Cologne had their hands full with the ‘Horse of the Year’ vote.
The candidates were published on the umbrella organisation’s website on 8 March. A few hours earlier, videos of the contenders were posted on YouTube. The problem here was that the website referred to at the end of the videos for voting was not even accessible at that point. A bitter blow.
When the site was finally accessible on Sunday, it became apparent that whilst Gostam, Hochkönig and Santagada were featured, the candidates up for voting were still those from the previous year.
And to top it all off: until the morning of 16 March, the terms and conditions of the most important election in German racing stated: “Voting is open until 14 March 2025 (12 noon) inclusive.”
Unfortunately, here too, they forgot to update the date to 2026. In fact, voting is open until 22 March.
I would like to quote Daniel Delius’s ‘Aufgalopp’ column from the 13 March issue of the Turf-Times: “Thus, in contrast to some of the token candidates of previous years, this time the highly reputable participants were presented to a global audience via a TV stream from Dortmund. Sandwiched between two Class IV handicaps on the dirt track. Although this stream wasn’t even available on YouTube on Sunday.”
At this point, I would like to raise the question of whether Deutscher Galopp will even see itself in a position to continue holding this election in future. One can expect a little more respect towards the owners of the nominees, the election itself and the fans.
By the way, if you haven’t yet voted for the 2025 Horse of the Year, you can find out more about the candidates here: WHO WILL BE HORSE OF THE YEAR 2025?
Back to Dortmund. Here, Oliver Sauer gives me and the sport – specifically the
owners’ association – an idea to consider. “I think it would be interesting if there were a sort of ranking of racecourses from the owners’ perspective. Points would be awarded for various criteria and a ranking would be produced at the end of the season. Then you’d also have internal arguments to justify certain investments if you wanted to improve your ranking. It would also be a form of direct feedback.”
It was my first visit to Dortmund. And I saw that at the racecourse, things are being set in motion, rethought and, at times, new ideas are being tried out. I like that.
The next race day at Dortmund is on 14 May, when the Sparkasse hosts the Sparkassen Race Day.
You can find all the dates and even more information about the racecourse in Dortmund on the Website.
Comments