On a bright Sunday in Sweden, in May 2014, eternal conqueror Timoko forged himself a glorious international victory, worthy of embellishing the outstanding prize list which he has been building up in French racing since he was three. When Richard Westerink called upon the services of expert Swedish driver Björn Goop in spring 2014, he was quietly confident that his…
Up and Quick was runner-up to Maharajah in last year’s Prix d’Amérique, and this time he’s aiming for the highest step on the podium. Buvetier d’Aunou’s son has been preparing for the harness racing world championships for months and he is now set for action, with some enviable cards to play. Trained by the formidale Franck Leblanc and driven by…
At the finishing line of the Grand Prix d’Amérique 2014, Örjan Kihlström’s cinder-smudged face lights up with a smile. He has just won, driving Maharajah’s sulky. This Swedish driver with an outstanding prize list has just had a dream come true; other foreign drivers have done it before him and still more will hope to do it after. What race…
It’s never easy to follow in the footsteps of your elders, especially when you happen to be the grandson of Jean-Pierre Dubois, the son of Jean-Philippe Dubois and the nephew of Jean-Etienne Dubois. After winning his first Group I at 18 years old in the saddle of Texas Charm, Julien Dubois is steadily making his own way. Partnering up with…
There has been no revolution: the queen, Roxane Griff, has held on to her throne after a splendid battle with her eternal rival Tiégo d’Etang. However, there were still a few moments where her entourage had butterflies in their stomachs as she pushed hard to the right and ended up next to the railing. Both competitors demonstrated that they were…
This Sunday, Tiégo d’Etang and Roxane Griff (photo) will be the two favourites in the Prix de Cornulier. A week later, they will be rivals again in the greatest of trotting races, the Prix d’Amérique Opodo 2015. What do Jag de Bellouet, Bellino II, Tidalium Pelo and Masina have in common? These four grand champions are the only horses to have…
He was presented as one of the pretenders to the Prix d’Amérique crown at the end of last year, but Aladin d’Ecajeul met with a failed attempt in the Critérium Continental on December 21st. However, Philippe Dewulf’s 5-year-old champion is capable of squaring up to his elders and looking them straight in the eyes and he will be trying to…
On January 25th, Franck Nivard (on the right of the photo) will be competing in his 9th Prix d’Amérique. The Avranches-born driver can quite rightly pride himself on being the most efficient driver in the world trotting championships since the middle of the last decade, and he hasn’t missed a single edition since 2007. Jean-Michel Bazire may well collect ‘’Sulkys…
He is primed for the Prix d’Amérique Opodo, in peak condition and riding high at the top of his game. At 7 years old, Uhlan du Val has gathered all the experience he needs to make himself into a high-level trotter. He was thrown into competitions at the deep end very early on and took part in one of his…