Hen was sacrificed to let his stablemate win the Hambletonian, then sold to Europe in anger. There he became arguably the most...
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While Guy McKinney gained fame as the winner of the very first Hambletonian in 1926, he was not the early spring favorite. That...
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While the first French trotting queen, Uranie, was wholly French-pedigreed, her successor was a great early example of the...
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He was designated as a wedding gift to circumvent export restrictions after WWII, then caused despair when he refused to train...
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When Jean-Baptiste Bossuet looked at the yearling in September 1986, he wasn’t particularly impressed. There just was no...
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He was a war foal who rose to the top of the French elite in the 1920. The first and only horse to be disqualified from a win in...
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He was one of the best trotters the world has seen and went on to become an even better stallion before he died too soon. The story of Ready Cash is a fascinating tale of coincidences, but most of all the story of one of the most legendary trotters ever.
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At 7 he was still a highly average trotter, clearly below the best in France. However, a Dutch trainer thought he saw something in the picturesque colt and purchased him for one of his owners. Willem Geersen needed no time in turning Hairos II from highly average to world class, and thus started one of the most spectacular fairytales in the world of trotting.
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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.
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She was voted the “Greatest of All Time” in an online poll in 2020, and for good reason: Moni Maker put in numerous memorable performances on two continents to forever cement her place as one of the best in trotting history. Her regular driver Wally Hennessy is certain: “She is the greatest trotter who ever lived.”
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He was the undisputed French emperor for several years, and only illness prevented him from winning an unprecedented five Prix d’Amerique-wins in a row. As tough off as on the track, Ourasi was a handful for those around him. He was actually more than a handful for his competitors, who simply couldn’t resist the complete package of strength, speed and an insane will to win. In one race the other competitors even colluded to prevent the chestnut superstar from winning, but Ourasi won anyway.
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He may just be the American horse imported to Europe who has left the biggest and most impressive stamp on trotting history. He was dominant on the track and despite relatively few foals left a lasting legacy. There was only one drawback with Sam Williams: he didn’t like the hill at Vincennes. That is a minor thing in the big picture, though, considering his massive influence on European trotting.
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He was the tiny American with a heart of gold who became a star in the Soviet Union. The pioneering trio of Apex Hanover, Bill Fleming and Rowland Wade took on the Soviet stars at their home in Moscow in the 60s. After overcoming unfair tactics by the Soviet drivers, the US trio won the hearts and minds of the home crowd. Although little Apex Hanover (150 cms/14,3 hands) won the Arden Downs and George Wilkes Stakes as a 2-year-old in 1961, there was very little to indicate that this $18,000 yearling purchase would later enter the world stage.
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A supremely fast trotter, he is most famous for stumbling shortly ahead of the wire in the Hambletonian with victory within reach. Sold to Europe not long after equaling a world record at 4, Brown Berry later likely became a clandestine stallion in France.
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When the French studbook was briefly opened between 1987 and 1992, conservative French breeders generally nixed the opportunity to breed their mares to foreign sires. Some even went as far as claiming they “didn’t want to plant weed in their garden”, saying in no unclear terms that the American standardbred had absolutely nothing to offer the French trotter whose studbook had been closed since 1937 and only opened for five foreign-born stallions and a few other exceptions. Despite what the naysayers claimed, though, opening up the studbook took French trotting to a completely new level – and the best example of this is Coktail Jet.
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When Soviet trainer Maria Burdova wanted to drive Apex Hanover in the Prix d’Amerique in 1965 she was denied with the explanation that sitting in a sulky “is an unnatural position for a woman.” 30 years later the world had finally moved forward and Helen Ann Johansson became the first female driver to win the Prix d’Amerique when she drove Ina Scot to victory.
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