Il Capitano

By many considered to be the best trotter in history, he was so popular that his name was even put forward as Foreign Minister of Italy at some point. Though he may have been the greatest trotter of all time, even after his career had started several people doubted that Varenne would amount to much on the track. He would prove them woefully wrong, however, and took both his young Finnish trainer and young Italian driver on a spectacular journey.

Jean Pierre Dubois owns horses in many countries, including Italy and, together with Italian Sandro Viani he bred the legendary Italian trotter. In the early 90s, Viani’s stud farm, Allevamento di Zenzalino, owned six broodmares in partnership with Jean Pierre Dubois. When their 1995-foals were young, Dubois bought out Viani’s share in the horses for 10 million lire, €5,164, each. Normally, all the horses bred by the Zenzalino stud are given a name with a “z” as the last letter, such as Varennes older brother Tatoz, but these six foals did not follow this naming convention. Instead, Viani chose to name the colt Varenne after the street in Paris where the Italian embassy is located. Early at two, the son of Waikiki Beach was sold as Paolo Bezzecchi coughed up 150 million lire (€77,468) but the deal was later canceled after a thorough examination found a potential problem with the horse. The Swedish breeding committee later found the same problem: “The X-ray shows a loose bone fragment in the inner and outer rear part of the tibia at the right hind.” Bezzecchi did not want the two-year-old because of he feared the colt wouldn’t have much of a future with the issue – and he wasn’t the only one. Dubois was also skeptical whether the brown horse had a future on the track.

“He chose me”

The horse trained well, though, and on Apr 4, 1998, Varenne made his debut in the Premio Primavalle at the Arcoveggio racetrack in Bologna. The Swede Roger Grundin, who worked and trained for Dubois, took charge of the reins. Sitting third and then second over, Grundin tipped the horse right midway down the backstretch. Varenne flew past his competition, but going into the final turn the colt broke and was disqualified. Grundin did not actually hear that the horse was disqualified, and let Varenne loose out of the final turn. Down the final stretch the three-year-old flew at breakneck speed and almost caught the winner, but it didn’t matter as he was disqualified.

The performanced impressed quite a few onlookers. One of these was 28-year-old Giampaolo Minnucci, who immediately went to take a closer look at the horse. Minnucci later said that he was struck by the eyes, but also the whole personality, of Varenne. “He chose me”, Minnucci would later say about the colt. Minnucci immediately wanted to buy the horse for one of his horse owners, Enzo Giordano and his Scuderia Dany. Dubois, already skeptical because of the bone fragment, and Minnucci negotiated a price of 180 million lire (€92,962). Minnucci consulted with Jori Turja, the Finnish-born trainer he worked with. Turja, then aged 25, had left his native Finland nine years earlier and had come to Italy to work as a private trainer in 1995. Both Minnucci and Turja looked over the horse and liked what they saw. Funnily enough, both overlooked one detail: the expensive horse, at least for a fresh three-year-old who had been disqualified in his only start, was the brother of the mediocre Tatoz in their stable.

“Varenne had an older brother who was rather average, but in fairness they were also very different horses. Varenne’s movement and gait was much better, as was his conformation”, recalls Turja, “when we where there, Dubois and Grundin had four three-year-olds for sale. They were pretty confident Voyant was going to be a star, while they rated Varenne third out of their four horses. As it turned out, Voyant was good, but nothing extraordinary. Varenne was fast and I liked him. We were all aware of the bone fragment, and the veterinarians differed in their view on this. My uncle, who is a veterinarian back in Finland, was of the opinion that it wouldn’t bother him and, as it turned out, he was right about that. Anyway, it was a bit of coincidence we ended up with Varenne. But it could have been very different, though, as there was already a buyer for him. However, that potential buyer also pulled out because of a skeptical veterinarian.”

Truly special

It didn’t take long before Turja realized they had a steal on their hands. In his first start for Turja & Minnucci, the Waikiki Beach son won in 1.15,8 (2:02.2f) in Rome. “The winning margin was huge, almost the whole final stretch. That’s when I understood he was truly special. His winning time that day was faster than the winning time in the race for aged trotters. At the time, he wore heavy shoes and there were still things to work on. In the beginning he struggled with relatively poor curve technique; I think he had been trained on straight tracks or big tracks, because he had problems with the unbanked curves on Italian tracks. However, he was a very quick learner and later in his career his curve technique was one of his advantages,” Turja points out.

Despite having some hurdles to overcome in the beginning, Varenne won the first three starts for Turja and Minnucci before losing to Viking Kronos in Gran Premio Nazionale. As Viking Kronos was nearing the finish line, Kolgjini annoyed some Varenne fans by his wave to the crowd. “It was a little gesture, but nothing big. Plus, I have the outmost respect for Kolgjini, who is a good friend. However, Minnucci took notice and copied the gesture in the Derby. Varenne was actually a little sick and not that well-prepared for Gran Premio Nazionale, so to finish second was impressive. Viking Kronos was a superstar but I remember thinking we’ll get him the next time. The horses next met was in the Derby and we did indeed win,” Turja remembers. After the Nazionale, the horse continued his winning ways. Two wins was interrupted by a surprise loss to Vigliano Prince, before he won another two races, the last of which was the Italian Derby. Going to the front immediately, Minnucci refused to let Viking Kronos into the race and kept a high tempo to win in 1.13,3 (1.58f) – shattering Sec Mo’s old race record of 1.15,1 (2:00.4f) for the 2100 meter (1 5/16th mile) race.

After the Italian Derby there was only one race left: the prestigious Orsi Mangelli, by many seen as the unofficial European championship for three-year-olds. After winning his elimination in 1.12,6 (1:56.4f), Varenne found a very touch opponent in a Quebec-born trotter in the final, eventually finishing third behind Conway Hall and Danish-born C Tøj Frøkjær. Despite the loss, Varenne’s three-year-old season ended with an impressive 8-2-1 in 12 starts. “Minnucci selected the post in the final and picked four. That was the last time I let him pick”, Turja laughs. “Maybe it would have been different had he picked the 2, but it was Varenne’s first time going two heats in one day. He wasn’t used to it. At the same time I have to give credit where credit is due, Conway Hall was a very good trotter.”

1999 would be different. Varenne had a spectacular season and won all 14 starts. They were no walks in the park either: all were either group 1 or 2 races. “He was simply phenomenal at 4. That year he beat Moni Maker in the Gran Premio delle Nazioni. I like American horses, but not all find it easy to win the biggest races in Europe. However, Moni Maker showed she was the complete package by winning both Elitloppet and Prix d’Amerique, yet Varenne beat her when he was only 4. He did it going outside of her, and most of the last lap he had a flat tire, too. It was extremely impressive.” The four-year-old trotter who seemingly couldn’t lose also became known by the nickname that would follow him for the rest of his career: il Capitano – the Captain.

A crazy performance

Varenne would continue to impress at 5. Going to the Prix d’Amerique, Varenne put in a performance to finish third which must be classified as one of the most impressive in trotting history. “It may be one of his best performances ever. He still wore heavy shoes. Varenne and Minnucci got off to an absolutely terrible start and was last after a few seconds. They were then forced to go around the field three- and four-wide. Despite this he kept going and going, before he got a bit tired in the end. Still, it was just a crazy performance which few, if any, other horse is capable of. The horses who wins the Prix d’Amerique are great, but they don’t win the race in such a manner.”

There was sn unknown backstory that made the performance even more impressive, though. According to Per Ødegaard, “Varenne stood at our stable before the Prix d’Amerique. We had horses from nine nations stabled with us that winter and struggled with shingles. It was pure hell, and some of the youngsters didn’t make it. Varenne was infected, but was well vaccinated and got through it without many problems. Still, I’m not sure Jori even knew about it and to be third in the Prix d’Amerique was a miracle. With that backstory it was a humongous performance.”

Still, if nothing could go wrong at 4, Varenne’s five-year-old season weren’t only filled with wins. He won 13 in 18, but also finished second in the Elite-Rennen, Hugo Åbergs Memorial and Jubileumspokalen, as well as fifth in the Elitlopp final. The latter three were all won by Victory Tilly, who quickly shaped up to be Varenne’s arch-nemesis. The following year, in 2001, the tables were turned, however. In what can only be described as an insane season, Varenne was 14-1 in 15 starts, most of which were international group 1-races. In the Prix d’Amerique, Minnucci had learnt from the previous year’s disappointment and steered the superstar straight to the front from the get-go, leading all the way to the finish line.

Back in Italy, Varenne shattered the race record in the Gran Premio Mario Locatelli, winning in 1.10,9 (1:54f). The race record from 2001 still stands as of 2024. After winning the Lotteria in Naples, Varenne went back to Sweden to take on Victory Tilly in the Elitlopp. While Varenne won his elimination comfortably, it was very different for Victory Tilly as Solar Effe pulled off a huge surprise to defeate the Swedish superstar in the other elimination. However, in the final it was game on as Stig-H Johansson put a Norwegian bridle on Victory Tilly and used it to full effect to get to the lead. The Swedish duo thus held all the aces as Varenne and Minnucci were forced to go outside. The final turned into a match race between the two legends and Varenne showed class by wearing down the Swedish gelding. “That win, his first in the Elitlopp, was very special to me. It may have been his very best performance, too. Being from Scandinavia, I had always dreamt of winning the Elitlopp, so for me it was the biggest of his career. But when it comes to prestige, the Prix d’Amerique is of course also very big,” says Turja.

World record despite injury

Only a surprise loss to Jackhammer in the World Cup Trot ruined a perfect season. “Sure, there were some races where we could have won, but I was never disappointed with him. Never. It’s impossible to be unbeatable through a long career. For the Italian fans the losses were huge disappointments – I get that – but it’s impossible to always win. A few thoroughbreds have been undefeated in their short careers but they didn’t start a lot. When you make 73 starts it’s unavoidable to lose a few times.”

At the end of July Varenne made himself even more legendary by winning the Breeders’ Crown at the Meadowlands in world record time – and again the backstory makes the performance even more impressive. “He actually had a small injury when he set that world record”, Turja recalls. “A few days before he had injured himself kicking in his stall, and had a wound. However, we didn’t medicate him. Varenne was really tough and could easily manage running with some pain, more so than other horses. He was no ordinary horse. It was a great performance and even greater in view of the circumstances.”

The Breeders’ Crown win was the second in a sequence of 19 wins. This sequence includes Varenne’s second wins in both the Prix d’Amerique and the Elitlopp, as well as his third in the Lotteria. In the latter he again defeated Victory Tilly, and was maybe even more impressive than in the Elitlopp. The race was also a carbon copy of the Elitlopp final, with Victory Tilly in the lead and Varenne outside. The Italian stallion put relentless pressure on the Swedish gelding, who refused to buckle. It was like two heavyweight boxers in a title fight, and Varenne was relentlessly punching away at his opponent. Victory Tilly took the battering heroically, but eventually crumbled under the pressure, fading to third while Varenne just kept going. The winning time of 1.10,8 (1:53.4f), on a track which was far from the fastest, was a new race and track record which stood for 14 years.

On July 14, 2002, Turja took the colt back to his native Finland for an assault on the world record. The performance at the lightning-fast track in Mikkeli would be one of Varenne’s crowning performances. Completely mopping the floor with his opponents, the Italian colt smashed the world record on 5/8th mile tracks to pieces when he came home, all by himself, in 1.09,3 (1:51.3f). The world record stood for 10 years.

A foreign minister?

2002 also saw the trotter enter politics. Well, sort of… After Varenne’s Prix d’Amerique win, and on the back of some embarrassing episodes involving Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian newspaper La Stampa suggested that the horse should become the new Italian foreign minister since he was “well-known, universally admired and stayed out of scandals.” Not that Varenne was unfamiliar with being the center of attention. The trotter was exceptionally popular in his home country and had his own a press office staffed with a team of eight people. The owner of the colt also made the horse even more popular when his winnings in the 2002 Premio Mario Locatelli was donated to a charity for people with disabilities. That race was the only one after the purchase where Minnucci didn’t drive Varenne as the reins were entrusted to Finnish champion driver Jorma Kontio.

However, it all had to come to an end at some point. Prior to the Trot Mondial in Montreal at the end of September 2002, rumors were circulating that it would be his last start. Sluggish in the race, Varenne was the front runner until passed by Fan Idole in the final stretch. After the race the Italian colt was disqualified for a pylon violation in the final turn. After the race the rumors were confirmed to be true, and the superstar was retired to stud at Allevamento il Grifone in Vigove.

An elite stallion

Varenne followed up his incredible success at stud. In his first nine crops he produced five winners of the Italian Derby in Lana del Rio, Nadir Kronos, Olona Ok, Pascia’ Lest and Testimonial Ok. However, this was just the beginning of the story. Among his superstar get is International Trot winner Twister Bi as well as numerous group 1-winners such as Arazi Boko, Lisa America, Napoleon Bar, Vernissage Grif, Zarenne Fas. His daughters have also followed up in style, as Varenne is the damsire of stars such as Italian Derby-winners Alrajah One and Charmant du Zack, American stars Mission Brief and Tactical Landing, as well as Always Ek, Capital Mail, Chebba Mil, Eric the Eel plus Danish Derby-winner Dumbo – to name a few.

Varenne’s get was characterized by lots of ability and toughness, but could also be a handful at times. That doesn’t entirely surprise Turja: “Varenne could be a bit tough to drive in training, and he certainly had his opinions. It wasn’t a big deal, because you adjust to the horse, but I have noticed that several of his sons have a temper. That just reflects that Varenne could be sharp when the sulky was hooked. People often have this idea of how things were, and many thought driving Varenne was like driving a car. However, it wasn’t like that – but when it was time to race he straightened himself out and was the perfect horse.”

In 2014, Varenne was awarded the coveted Elite stallion status in Sweden. This came on top of the numerous honors bestowed on the horse: in 2010 he was inducted into the US Hall of Fame. Varenne was Horse of the Year three times as well as 2001 Trotting Horse of the Year in the US – just to name a few of his many honors. No wonder it was the experience of a lifetime for a young Turja: “It was a fantastic time. I honestly don’t know what words can be used to describe my time with Varenne. He was outstanding in every way, truly one of a kind. Like the Italians say; unico – a unicum.”

---

(Note: Varenne’s earnings are sometimes quoted as above 6 million euros. That is incorrect.)