International trotting star Ecurie D (1:49.2, $1,516,807), who beat the best trotters in commission in Europe and North America, will be available to Australian and New Zealand harness racing breeders this season.
A striking individual in every respect, Ecurie D’s frozen semen will be available through Pat Driscoll’s Haras Des Trotteurs.
Foaled in Denmark and bred by a Frenchman, Ecurie D began his racing career as a three-year-old, winning all seven starts in his first year at the track and establishing himself as the premier trotter in Europe.
Ecurie D put an exclamation mark on his first campaign setting a world record for three-year-olds in a rated time of 1:12.2 over 1640 metres winning the Group 1 European Derby.
He won his first four outings as a four-year-old including the Swedish Elite and finished second in the Solvalla Grand Prix. Of Ecurie D’s 15 successes in Europe, seven were at Group 1 level.
Shipped to America late in his five-year-old year, Ecurie D took US trotting by storm winning his first two outings beating horses the calibre of Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade ($2.1million), Back Of The Neck ($1.4m), Ready For Moni ($1.2m) and Its Academic ($1.3m) in both the $136,000 Allerage Farms Trot at The Red Mile in 1:50.8 and the $650,000 Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands by open lengths.
Ecurie D opened his final campaign winning the $170,450 Cutler Memorial at The Meadowlands in 1:49.2 – equalling the world record and clocking the fastest mile ever in May in harness racing history.
He put the seal on his greatness when he became the first horse in 19 years to win back-to-back $600,000 Breeders Crown Open titles. He scored by three lengths in a stakes record-equalling 1:51 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Following placings in the $610,000 Maple Leaf Trot, $279,000 John Cashman Memorial and $147,000 Crawford Farms Trot, he rounded out his career by capturing the $330,000 TVG Open at The Meadowlands in 1:50.4.
In all, Ecurie D had 31 starts for 20 wins and five placings for $1,516,807 in stakes.
Only a seven-year-old, Ecurie D has an all-European breeding background and one that has been most successful. By the Italian Derby winner and elite sire Infinitif (a son of Pine Chip), he is out of the Muscles Yankee mare To Soon, whose dam, See You Soon, was sired by the champion Love You.
This is the family of a host of millionaire trotters including Flamme du Goutier, Dream With Me, Daguet Rapide and Oyonnax.
Ecurie should prove an ideal outcross to mares boasting the blood of Sundon, Love You, Muscle Hill, Majestic Son, Pegasus Spur, Monarchy, Dream Vacation and Bacardi Lindy.
Haras Des Trotteurs’ principal Pat Driscoll said: He is considered by many good judges to be a beautiful and natural trotter. He’s from the Arndon sireline, the same line that produced Sundon.”
Ecurie D is standing his first season at the prestige Southwind Farms in New Jersey.
His service fee is yet to be announced.
In further news from Haras Des Trotteurs, the American-bred, Swedish-trained Volstead, who formerly held court at the Ballarat stud, sired the winners of both heats of the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic for two-year-old fillies at Maryborough in Violet Stanford and Third Eye.
Both first foals of their dams won brilliantly on debut.
Violet Stanford was bred by Goulburn Valley breeder Bruce Phillips, while Third Eye was bred by Haras Des Trotteurs principal Pat Driscoll.
The Vincent juggernaut continued on both sides of the Tasman last weekend.
The Alabar stallion sired the quinella pair in the three-year-old race at Melton with Our Vinnie and Dukes Choice, while at Addington, his two-year-old son Bronson ran third in the Group 2 NZ Welcome Stakes.
Jilliby Dynamite, a Captaintreacherous gelding bred by the Craven family, became the latest Victorian-bred pacer to enter the 1:50 list in America. The five-year-old clocked 1:49.8 winning a $23,000 race at The Meadowlands last Saturday.
by Peter Wharton, for Harness Racing Victoria