Varenne
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| Breed | Standardbred |
|---|---|
| Sire | Waikiki Beach |
| Grandsire | Speedy Somolli |
| Dam | Ialmaz |
| Maternal grandsire | Zebu |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | May 19, 1995 |
| Country | Italy |
| Colour | Dark bay |
| Trainer | Roger Grundin, Jori Turja |
| Record | |
| 73: 62-6-2 | |
| Earnings | |
| US$ 5,636,255 | |
| Major wins | |
|
Italian Trotting Derby (1998) Gran Premio d'Europa (1999) Gran Premio Tino Triossi (1999) Gran Premio Continentale (1999) Preis der Besten (1999) Gran Premio Delle Nazioni (1999) European 5-year-old Championship (2000) Olympiatravet (2000, 2002) Gran Premio della Lotteria (2000, 2001, 2002) Gran Premio U.N.I.R.E. (2000, 2002) Gran Premio Giubileo (2000) Prix d'Amérique (2001, 2002) Elitloppet (2001, 2002) Elite-Rennen (2001) Breeders Crown (2001) Trot Mondial (2001) Gala' Internazionale del Trotto (2001) Grand Criterium de Vitesse (2002) St. Michel Race (2002) Hugo Åbergs Memorial (2002) Jubileumspokalen (2002) World Cup Trot (2000, 2001, 2002) |
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| Awards | |
| Horse of the Year in Italy (2000, 2001, 2002) Horse of the Year in France (2001, 2002) Horse of the Year in the USA (2001) |
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| Honours | |
| Four stamps in San Marino (2003) Harness Racing Hall of Fame (2010) Kanal 75 The best trotter of all time (2011) |
|
| Last updated on: 2011-10-13. | |
Varenne (foaled in Copparo, Italy, 19 May 1995) is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu.
Varenne is considered to be the best trotter of all time. No other trotter has won so many of the most important races in the world and set as many records as Varenne.
According to several veterinarians, Varenne would never race due to a leg malformation. His first owner bought him for $6000, but because of his perceived handicap (chip) sold him after the first race, considering him to have no future as a race horse.
Varenne won 62 races (53 GPs-major races) at 11 distances (from 0,99 mile to 1,708 miles), while finishing second six times and third twice from 73 career starts. He earned US$ 8,750,000 (€6,035,665), a harness-racing record. Varenne holds the record as the most widely traveled horse in the history of horse racing, winning in 7 countries and on two continents.
He is the sole European trotter to win the Breeders Crown (2001) in the U.S.A., where he set the world speed record ( 1 mile in 1.51.1 - average per kilometer 1.09.1). It was the first time he competed at the distance of 1 mile.
Another historical victory took place at the World Cup 2002 in Vincennes, where Varenne won even though the wheel of the sulky was broken, setting the world speed record of 2100 metres (unbeaten record 1.10.8 average per kilometer - track 1 kilometer).
In Finland on 14 July 2002, in "St. Michel Race" (Mikkeli), in front of 27,000 spectators, Varenne established the world speed record of 1.09.3 on 1000 metres tracks (includes 3 turns in comparison to American one-mile tracks with just two turns). This was his only race in Finland, the home country of his trainer, Jori Turja and keeper, Miss Iina Rastas. The owner of Varenne had earlier promised Turja that he could take Varenne to race in Finland once.
In May 2002 in the Elitlopp, Varenne won in a world record time of 1:53.1 in the elimination and then bested that mark by winning the final in 1:53 – the fastest mile so far (until St. Michel in Finland in July 2002) trotted around three turns (unbeaten record).
He is the first foreign horse to win the Horse of the Year award in the U.S and the only foreign horse to win the Horse of the Year award in France, as well as the only horse to win Horse of the Year in 3 different countries, all in the same year (2001).
Varenne has established numerous track records on various racetracks. He won the Prix d'Amérique twice (2001–2002), considered to be the most difficult race in harness racing (2700 meters / 1.708 miles - 18 starters).
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