IT was the single most amazing moment of greatness I have seen from a racehorse.
It was Solvalla in May, 2001 as I sat next to Kiwi trainer Tim Butt in the “trainers” grandstand on the home bend to watch the first of the famed Elitlopp unfold.
Butt had a vested interest, these horses were some of the key opponents for his champion trotter Lyell Creek, who was in the second heat.
All the talk was about two horses in heat one, Finnish superstar B.W.T. Magic with a near perfect record and speed to but, along with Italian star Varenne, who insiders declared had “gone to another level” since his fifth to Victory Tilly in the Elitlopp final a year earlier.
B.W.T. Magic led as expected and Varenne sat outside him, but it was that moment rounding the home bend when Butt and I looked at each other that will stay with me forever.
B.W.T. Magic’s driver was flat out, but Giampaolo Minnuccci hadn’t moved a muscle on the hulking Varenne as he stomped past the leader.
Minnucci nursed Varenne to the line for the easiest and most dominant of wins in scorching time.
Butt turned to me, shook his head, and said: “Well, looks like we’re running for second in the final if we make it.”
To this day, before and after that race, I’ve never seen a wow moment like it.
It proved the launching pad for Varenne to go from star to officially the greatest trotter the world has seen – all time.
And the best horse, of harness or thoroughbreds, I have seen.
About two hours later Varenne emphatically turned the tables on Victory Tilly in The Elitlopp final.
The feature race romp had gone into overdrive.
He returned to win the Elitlopp again in 2022, but that was just part of the smorgasbord of feature wins in the next few years.
Varenne raced 73 times for 62 wins, seconds and two thirds and banked almost $US5.7 million.
A mind-blowing 53 of his wins came in features and 22 of those were in genuine “majors”.
The Italian born trotter, who fittingly earned the nickname “Il Capitano”, won feature races in seven countries and two continents.
Along with his two Elitlopps, he also won what’s regarded as the world’s toughest trotting race, the Prix d’Amerique twice, along with three World Cup Trots.
Just months after Butt and I watched him at Solvalla, Varenne went to the US and thrashed a powerhouse field in the Breeders Crown Trot. Amazingly, it was the time he had raced over a mile.
He was Italian Horse of the Year three times, got the same award in France twice and that Breeders Crown win in 2001 earned him US Trotter of the Year.
In 2010 Varenne was inducted into the US Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
A year later, an even bigger honour followed, perhaps the biggest possible.
A panel of 38 judges from harness racing media around the world were asked to ask to vote and resoundingly came back with Varenne as the 2001 Kanal75 Best Trotter of All Time award.
Born in Italy and sold for just $US6000 because of a bone chip, Varenne became a sporting icon in his home country.
“Il Capitano” had his own press office, a raft of sought-after merchandise and in his absolute prime, major Italian cities had billboards recognizing his deeds.
Pause and think about that.
A funny sideline in the aftermath to that 2001 Elitlopp win when Lyell Creek’s owner, Graham “Steel Balls” Bruton, spotted Varenne’s driver, Minnucci, at the after party at Café Opera in downtime Stockholm.
“What a thrill it must be to drive a horse like him?” Bruton asked.
Minnucci, quick as flash, replied: “90 per cent driver, 10 percent horse”.
To this day, Bruton and I can only trust it was said in jest.
Perhaps a less tongue-in-check subsequent quote from Minnucci is more accurate when he said Varenne was “a Ferrari with a brain.”
Varenne, who went on to have a successful stallion career and still has almost 2000 offspring around the world, died yesterday at the age of 31.
As long as I follow the game there will be greatness, but then there will be Varenne.
Rest in peace and thanks for the golden memories, Il Capitano.
CHECK THESE REPLAYS
2001 Elitlopp heat (beating B.W.T. Magic): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK5bhgKp8Jo
2001 Elitlopp final (beating Victory Tilly): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67e6ayMWu0E
PHOTOS: Courtesy @varenne.it
