Bilibili wins the Prix de Cornulier in new world record

The 8-year-old French trotter Bilibili, with Alexandre Abrivard in the saddle, was an easy winner of the richest under saddle race in the word, the Prix de Cornulier, raced Sunday (Jan. 20).

Bilibili, with Alexandre Abrivard in the saddle, was an easy winner of the richest under saddle race in the word, the Prix de Cornulier. Gerard Forni photo.

Last year’s winner of the race, Traders with Yoann Lebourgeois, tried a well-known tactic — catch me if you can — and was leading until 120 yards before the finish, where Bilibili went around to win easily in 1:54.3 (mile rate). The purse for the winner was $330,000.

Bilibili lowered the world record held by Traders by one fraction of a second.

Bilibili has been one of the best French under saddle trotters for several years, but this is his biggest victory ever. The last two years he had been placed third in the Cornulier. Bilibili is trained by Laurent Claude Abrivard — the father of Alexandre — and is owned by Jean Philippe Barjon, who 10 years ago won the Prix d’Amerique with Meaulnes du Corta.

Bilibili was an impressive winner, but in an another under saddle race, the 4-year-old Fado du Chene, with P. Ph. Ploquin up, was simply in a class of his own, as he won by open lengths. Fado du Chene won the Group II event raced over 1-5/16 miles in a new race record of 1:56 (mile rate). Number two, File Gin, was timed in 1:59 (mile rate). At the race distance Fado du Chene won by more than four full seconds to second placed File Gin.

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