Prix de Bretagne Sunday Starts Amerique Showdown

Tomorrow begins the racing path to the 2024 Prix d’Amerique raved the last Sunday in January.

The first “B” is the Gr. II Prix de Bretagne (purse 120,000€, 2700 meters voltstart, 18 starters ages 4-10) with the field that includes last year’s winner Hip Hip Haufor with trainer Christian Bigeon at the lines. He scored in 2022 timed in 1.12.4kr the second fastest win time in race history but off the 1.11.4kr time by Face Time Bourbon in 2021. Hip Hop will face five winners of 1,000,000€ or more that includes Italy’s Bleff Dipa (owner by Jean Pierre Barjon), Sweden’s San Moteur, Diable de Vauvert, Ampia Mede SM and last year’s Amerique winner Hooker Berry.

2022 Top Five Finishers:

The prestigious Bretagne has had five two-time winners and only one three-time winner, that being Capitole in 1195, 1997, 1998 with three different drivers (Bernard Oger, Michel Lenoir and Pierre Levesque).

Race winners from 2008-2022 follow.

This year’s Bretagne has several top world class trotteurs missing, Vivid Wise As, Hohneck, Etonnant and the Swedish stalwart Francesco Zet that has 21 career wins in 23 outings. The well-regarded Ca;gary Games (Readly Express-Olympia Tilly) was retired this week and will stand stud permanently at Menhammar Stuteri, The Timo Nurmos trainee had a short but very exceptional racing career with 10 wins in 11 starts for 6,685,000DSEK earned and a 1.11.7kr record over 2640 meters.

The aforementioned Francesco Zet (5m Father Patrick-Shaqline-Credit Winner) also stands stud in Sweden and has been well received by breeders. He bred 133 mares this year. Francesco has earned 21 wins in 23 starts with one time second and another fourth. He has earned 18,455,000SEK with a record of 1.09.4kr. He is unbeaten in four 2023 starts and last raced on August 16. He could be an interesting Amerique contestant.

Also retired this week was the exceptional trotteur Very Kronos (9m Ready Cash-Glide About-Yankee Glide-M.Stewart). He earned 7,322,559€ from 29 wins in 62 career starts.

LeTrot, Paris-Vincennes, ATG files/photos-harness trots

by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink