by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

Some of the best French 5-year-olds raced Saturday (Sept. 1) in the prestigious Criterium des 5 Ans at Vincennes in Paris with a total purse of $300,000. The distance was 3,000 meters or 1-7/8th miles.

Gerard Forni photo

The Best Madrik was a winner in a mile rate of 1:57.2.

The Best Madrik enjoyed a perfect trip for trainer/driver Jean Etienne Dubois and won by a length 1:57.2 (mile rate) followed by rank outsider Tinitin d’Ecouves with Franck Ouvrie in the bike. Timoko, with Ricard Westerink, had a chance to make a unique triple by winning all three French Criterium races, but had to settle for third.

Tiego d’Etang, with Christian Bigeon, was favored to win, but was the victim of interference with five-eighths of a mile to go, where there was a pile-up just in front of him.

The Best Madrik, who earned $150,000 for the win, was the second favorite. Earlier this year he was third in the Prix d’Amerique and there’s no doubt that this is a trotter who will be a stalwart in the big international trotting races in Europe in the years to come.

The Best Madrik is sired by the French champion sire Coktail Jet. His dam has the great Italian sire, Sharif Di Jesolo, as her grandfather. The Best Madrik has lifetime earnings of $1.37 million.

In Finland the Finnish Trotting Derby, raced over the 1-5/8th mile distance with a purse for the winner of $125,000, was won by the heavy favorite Brad de Veluwe, driven by Tuomas Korvenoja, in 2:00.2.

Brad de Veluwe is sired by Andover Hall and out of a Muscles Yankee mare and was 1-10 in the tote.