When Grewe retired from race-riding and took up training in 2014, it wasn’t exactly the hottest news in German racing. He had been a middle-of-the-road jockey, never reaching lofty heights. But as a trainer, he has made it to the top of his profession. 

Eleven years later and February 2025 - it’s six fifteen in the morning and It's pitch black. The first lot is out already, and Grewe is in the saddle. 

The majority of German racehorses are trained on a racecourse. Nearly every main track – think Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hannover, Iffezheim or Hoppegarten – doubles as a training centre. A chosen few have the luxury of private premises, but Grewe shares Cologne racecourse with three other major trainers, and roughly 300 horses. 

Shared facilities consist of a trotting ring, and two sand gallops, sand, not fibre. His roughly 78 boxes are split into four stable blocks, of various size and quality. The largest block of roughly 40 boxes was actually a grandstand in bygone times. 

Tighter animal welfare measures saw a row of windows being installed, with one row of horses glancing onto the stable alley, the other side enjoying a room with a view to both sides. 

Theirs is the kind of vibe that hangs like pollen in thick summer air and drapes itself all over those who enter their orbit, which explains why the far end of Barn E at Churchill Downs’ Trackside Training Center in Louisville is as much a sanctuary for its occupants as it is a hub for aspirations.

Through every pass down the shedrow, every forelock that gets rubbed, every conversation had with a visitor, friend, or colleague, it becomes as obvious as the black and red sign with the white diamond out front.

Theirs is the kind of vibe that hangs like pollen in thick summer air and drapes itself all over those who enter their orbit, which explains why the far end of Barn E at Churchill Downs’ Trackside Training Center in Louisville is as much a sanctuary for its occupants as it is a hub for aspirations. Through every pass down the shedrow, every forelock that gets rubbed, every conversation had with a visitor, friend, or colleague, it becomes as obvious as the black and red sign with the white diamond out front.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.