Varenne
Encyclopedia
- See also La VarenneLa VarenneLa Varenne may refer to:* La Varenne-Saint-Hilaire, a small town in the suburbs of Paris, part of the commune of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, in France...
and VarennesVarennes (disambiguation)-France:Varennes is the name of several communes in France:* Varennes, in the Dordogne département* Varennes, in the Haute-Garonne département* Varennes, in the Indre-et-Loire département...
, both disambiguation pages
Varenne (foaled in Copparo
Copparo
Copparo is a town and comune of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Ferrara, located 50 kilometers northeast of the regional capital of Bologna and 17 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Ferrara, Copparo sits in the fertile Po River Delta .The territory of the municipality lies...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1995) is a dark bay former racing trotter
Standardbred horse
Standardbreds are a breed of horse best known for their ability to race in harness at a trot or pace instead of under saddle at a gallop. Developed in North America, the breed is now recognized worldwide for its harness racing ability...
by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu.
The italian Varenne is considered the strongest trotter of all time, no other trotter before he got so many important victories and records.
Before he started running, in the opinion of several vets, Varenne could not run. He was considered a horse with a malformation of the leg. The first owner bought Varenne for only $ 6000, but because of this bone malformations, decided to sell it.
Varenne won 62 racing on all distances ( 1 miles / 1,708 miles) , 6 second, 2 third , of 73 career starts. He has earned US$ 8,750,00 (€6,035,665) ,records of money won in the history of horseracing .
The only European to have won the Breeders Crown event in U.S.A setting the world speed record, (many experts believe it was the most beautiful race of the World Trotting) , and the only horse foreigner to have won the award Horse of the year in U.S.A.
It's also the only horse to have won the award " Horse of the year" in 3 different countries, even the same year (2001).
Varenne has established numerous track record in various racetracks. He won 2 times (2001-2002) the race in Paris Prix d'Amerique
Prix d'Amerique
Prix d'Amérique is a harness race held at the Vincennes hippodrome in Paris, France. The race takes place on the last Sunday of January every year, and has been doing so since 1920, with the exception for the years 1940-1941 when it was cancelled due to World War II...
, considered the most difficult race of the trotting world (2700 meters / 1.708 miles - 18 starters)
Varenne won all the most prestigious races around the world beating the strongest horses including champions like Moni Maker
Moni Maker
Moni Maker is a brown standardbred trotter by Speedy Crown out of Nans Catch by Bonefish.She won US$5,589,256, and when her racing career ended in 2000, she was the sport's all-time leading money-winner...
, Général du Pommeau , Fan Idole, Victory Tilly
Victory Tilly
Victory Tilly is a Swedish former racing trotter by Quick Pay out of Icora Tilly by Fakir du Vivier.His most prestigious victories include the Swedish Trotting Derby , Elitloppet, Nat Ray Trot and Gran Premio della Lotteria. At the end of his career, the gelding had earned US$5,168,902...
, Viking Kronos, becoming the king of the trotting.
Since 2010 the name "Varenne" and his story will live forever in the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in New York, the most important American recognition , usually dedicated only to the legendary American horses.
known in Italy with the nickname " Il Capitano" (the Captain) , it 's the only animal in the story with a press office staff. During the period of activity, the Italian cities were covered with giant posters with his picture. Millions of Italians people followed his victories live on TV. For the Italians it was not just a horse, but represented a social event .
His most prestigious victories include Prix d'Amérique
Prix d'Amerique
Prix d'Amérique is a harness race held at the Vincennes hippodrome in Paris, France. The race takes place on the last Sunday of January every year, and has been doing so since 1920, with the exception for the years 1940-1941 when it was cancelled due to World War II...
, Elitloppet
Elitloppet
Elitloppet or Solvallas Internationella Elitlopp is an annual, invitational Group One harness event that has taken place at Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden since 1952. The competition is regarded as one of the most prestigious international events in trotting...
, Gran Premio della Lotteria and Breeders Crown
Breeders Crown
The Breeders Crown is an annual series of Harness races covering each of the sport's twelve traditional categories of age, gait and gender. The series was initiated by the Hambletonian Society, promoters of the Hambletonian Stakes, in 1984 to enhance the Standardbred breeding industry and to...
.The only horse to have won the most important races in the same year. (2001)
Early life
Varenne, the offspring of American stallion Waikiki Beach and Italian mare Ialmaz, was born at Zenzalino horse breeding centre in Copparo, Italy, on May 19, 1995. The foal was named after the street Rue de Varenne, where the Italian embassy in Paris is located. Early owner Jean-Pierre Dubois, a successful French horseman, brought him to NormandyNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After the stay in France, Varenne returned to Italy.
1998
As a three-year-old, Varenne began his racing career. The debut took place in Premio Primavalle in BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
on April 4. Driver was early trainer, Swedish Roger Grundin, but Varenne was disqualified. The second attempt was more successful. Together with Italian driver Giampaolo Minnucci, Varenne won Premio Mirtillo at Tor di Valle
Tor di Valle
Hippodrome of Tor di Valle is an important horse racing venue of the city of Rome. The hippodrome takes its name from the area in which is located and includes a racetrack, a training track and a right track. It is one of the biggest in Europe....
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, on April 30. In October, he won the Italian trotting derby (Italian: Derby Italiano del Trotto), which was to be his most lucrative victory until Prix d'Amérique in early 2001. Varenne ended 1998 by finishing third in Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli. After his first year on the tracks, Varenne had won 8 of 12 races.
During 1998, Dubois sold his share in Varenne to Italian stockbroker Vincenzo "Enzo" Giordano for €50,000. Varenne also switched trainer to Finnish-born and Italy-based Jori Turja. Turja, as well as driver Minnucci, remained Varenne's partners for the reminder of the horse's career.
1999
In 1999, Varenne had a perfect track record: 14 wins out of 14 possible. Among others, he won Gran Premio d'Europa, Gran Premio Tino Triossi and Gran Premio Continentale, all major races in his native Italy. In the fall of that year, the stallion for the first time raced outside his home country. In October, at the Daglfing track in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Varenne won Preis der Besten, even though he faced older and more experienced competitors. After the win in Gran Premio delle Nazioni at San Siro, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Turja and company once again turned their attention abroad. On December 26, Varenne wrapped up his four-year-old season by winning Prix Ariste Hémard at Vincennes
Vélodrome de Vincennes
The Vélodrome de Vincennes is a stadium in Vincennes, near Paris, France.Initially built as a velodrome in 1894, it became the main stadium for the 1900 Summer Olympics; Events that took place in the Velodrome at the 1900 Summer Olympics included cycling, cricket, rugby union, football and...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
2000
January 30, 2000, Varenne made his first attempt to win Prix d'AmériquePrix d'Amerique
Prix d'Amérique is a harness race held at the Vincennes hippodrome in Paris, France. The race takes place on the last Sunday of January every year, and has been doing so since 1920, with the exception for the years 1940-1941 when it was cancelled due to World War II...
, one of the major races in the world of harness, taking place at Vincennes. He finished 3rd, behind French horses General du Pommeau and Galopin du Ravary.
In May, on his first try, he won Gran Premio della Lotteria, the biggest international Italian race. Later that month, he failed to win perhaps the most prestigious one-mile harness race in Europe - Elitloppet
Elitloppet
Elitloppet or Solvallas Internationella Elitlopp is an annual, invitational Group One harness event that has taken place at Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden since 1952. The competition is regarded as one of the most prestigious international events in trotting...
at Solvalla
Solvalla
Solvalla is a horse racing track located in Bromma, Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened in 1927 and is the biggest harness racing venue in the Nordic countries. The last Sunday in May, Solvalla annually hosts Elitloppet, one of trotting's most prestigious international events.-Elitloppet:*...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
18 races in 2000 meant 13 wins, including the European 5-year-old Championship, Olympiatravet
Olympiatravet
Olympiatravet is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Åby Racetrack in Mölndal, 10 km south of Gothenburg, Sweden. The event was carried through for the first time in 1979...
, Gran Premio Giubileo and Gran Premio Gaetano Turilli. During the year, Varenne won World Cup Trot, a competition stretching over a number of races. He repeated the feat two years later.
2001
In 2001, Varenne took all of the top three aged harness events in Europe, as well as the biggest one in North America.It started with a victory in Prix d'Amérique on January 28. Varenne took the lead early on in the race, and maintained that position all the way. After a couple of smaller wins, he once again took Gran Premio della Lotteria in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on May 6. Three weeks later he defeated the reigning champion in Elitloppet, Victory Tilly
Victory Tilly
Victory Tilly is a Swedish former racing trotter by Quick Pay out of Icora Tilly by Fakir du Vivier.His most prestigious victories include the Swedish Trotting Derby , Elitloppet, Nat Ray Trot and Gran Premio della Lotteria. At the end of his career, the gelding had earned US$5,168,902...
, although he was parker for most of the race. Varenne suffered his only loss of the year when he sensationally lost to Jackhammer in Gran Premio U.N.I.R.E in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. After returning to winning ways in Elite-Rennen at Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Germany, Varenne crossed the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
for his first journey to North America.
The first stop was Meadowlands Racetrack
Meadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and the biggest aged harness event in North America; $1 million Breeders Crown Open Trot
Breeders Crown
The Breeders Crown is an annual series of Harness races covering each of the sport's twelve traditional categories of age, gait and gender. The series was initiated by the Hambletonian Society, promoters of the Hambletonian Stakes, in 1984 to enhance the Standardbred breeding industry and to...
, taken place on July 28. After Varenne's sweep in the three greatest European races (he was the first horse to accomplish this in 34 years) the expectations were enormous. The competition consisted of some of the best American trotters, e.g. Dream Vacation, Plesac, Fool's Goal and Magician. Varenne advanced to the lead, but Minnucci let John Campbell
John Campbell (harness racing driver)
John Campbell Born in Ailsa Craig, Ontario John is currently harness racing's all time leading catch driver in money won with.Dunc Campbell and his father before him were Standardbred horsemen. Dunc had at least one son, Jack Campbell based his horses and his family near London, Ontario...
and Dream Vacation overtake them. Varenne was then parked outside Dream Vacation, and in the stretch, Varenne left the opponents far behind. The winning margin was 4 and ½ length, and with the time 1:51.1m (European way of timing: 1:09.1m km rate), Varenne beat Self Possessed's one-mile world record with two tenths of a second.
After the success, Varenne was planned to race at Meadowlands next week again, this time in Nat Ray Trot. This would not become the case, and Varenne would not make an appearance until September 22, when he won Trot Mondial in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In December, Varenne rounded off the year with two wins in Italy. Out of the 14 races Varenne and Minnucci participated in, they were victorious in 13.
2002
If Varenne in 2001 was the first horse in 34 years to win Prix d'Amérique, Gran Premio della Lotteria and Elitloppet in the same year, he, in 2002, would become the absolute first to succeed in making the triple two years in a row.In a similar manner to last years event, Varenne took the lead at an early stage in Prix d'Amérique 2002 as well. No other horse could challenge the Italian stallion, who in this event grabbed the second biggest prize cheque of his career; €400,000. In Gran Premio Mario Locatelli at San Siro, Milan, for the first time since his debut, Varenne was driven by another driver than Minnucci. Finnish Jorma Kontio was chosen for the job, and the stand-in made no mistakes. After wins in Gran Premio Mario Locatelli, Grand Criterium de Vitesse and Olympiatravet
Olympiatravet
Olympiatravet is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Åby Racetrack in Mölndal, 10 km south of Gothenburg, Sweden. The event was carried through for the first time in 1979...
, Varenne and Minnucci beat the event record in Gran Premio della Lotteria with the time 1:10.8 (km rate).
Elitloppet on May 26, meant another defended title and another event record (1:10.2 km rate). Thereafter, the people around Varenne focused their attention to World Cup Trot. If one horse could manage to win all five legs of the world cup, a massive bonus (€1 million) would fall out. First leg was Gran Premio U.N.I.R.E, second leg was Hugo Åbergs Memorial
Hugo Åbergs Memorial
Hugo Åbergs Memorial is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Jägersro Racetrack in Malmö, Sweden. Hugo Åbergs Memorial has taken place since 1970. In 2008, the purse of the event was approximately US$291,000...
at Jägersro in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden, third leg was Jubileumspokalen
Jubileumspokalen
Jubileumspokalen or Solvallas Jubileumspokal is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Solvalla in Stockholm, Sweden. Jubileumspokalen has taken place since 1977. In 2008, the purse of the event was approximately US$281,000 .-Origin:In 1977, Solvalla's 50th Anniversary was...
at Solvalla, Stockholm and fourth leg was Coupe du Monde de Trot at Vincennes, Paris. Varenne and Minnucci succeeded in winning all these races. In between, Varenne won the St. Michel Race in Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. With the time 1:09.3 (km rate), he set a new world record on a 1000m track, a record still valid. Combined with the world record set in Breeders Crown the previous year, Varenne now was world record holder on a mile track as well as on a 1000m track.
Before Trot Mondial in Montreal, reports appeared, saying the up-coming race would be Varenne's last. The event took place on September 28, 2002. Varenne and Minnucci faced, among others, American Fool's Goal and French mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Fan Idole. Varenne had the lead, but was passed by Fan Idole on the stretch and finished second. After the race, Varenne was disqualified for running inside the pylons. Before the race, it seemed, according to Varenne's groom Iina Rastas, that Fan Idole got taken with Varenne. When Fan Idole in 2004 quit racing, Varenne was, perhaps suitably, chosen to be her first stud.
Despite rumours of a comeback, Trot Mondial was to be Varenne's last race. He ended his career by being disqualified, just as he had started it almost four and half years earlier, the only two races he finished outside the money. The 15 races and 14 wins in 2002 took Varennes tally up to totally 62 career victories, 6 seconds and 2 thirds from 73 starts. With US$5,919,961 (€6,035,665) earned, Varenne is the richest trotter ever.