HORSEPLOP.COM
General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: TimTimTimbo on August 19, 2026, 09:42:37 PM
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Varenne, who lived to be 31, set a record of 1:51.1, won 62 of 73 races, and earned $5.63 million (U.S.). Varenne, trained by Finland’s Jori Turja and driven by Giampaolo Minnucci, won virtually every major international race – some of them multiple times.
For two consecutive years, Varenne won the Prix d’Amérique, the Gran Premio Lotteria, and the Elitlopp. In fact, he won the Lotteria three times overall. In the U.S., Varenne won the 2001 Breeders Crown Open Trot in a world-record 1:51.1, and in Canada, he won the Trot Mondial.
Varenne received the 2001 Dan Patch Award for best older male trotter. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2010.
He also left a major mark as a sire. His offspring include Vernissage Grif, Twister Bi, Arazi Boko, Tony Gio, Lisa America, and others.
He also made his mark as a broodmare sire through horses such as Southwind Serena, the dam of Tactical Landing and Mission Brief (dam of this year’s Hambletonian champion, Apex), Alrajah One, Diva Ek, Eric The Eel, and others.
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Aren't you discounting the mighty KARL? ;D
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I was at The M1 when Varenne won his Nat Ray
the winners circle celebration was quite a spectacle
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Truly one of the greatest of all time.
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I was at the Meadowlands when he beat Fools Goal. Varenne was powerful. I remember the foreigners walking around. They were saying 'Varenne is easy'...before the race.