by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

Ready Cash, a 6-year-old French trotter, stamped himself as the heavy favorite for Europe’s most prestigious trotting race, the Prix d’Amerique, as he won the third test race, the Prix de Bourgogne, on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 2) at Vincennes.

Gerard Forni photo

Ready Cash was a winner in the Prix de Bourgogne on Sunday.

Ready Cash had Pierre Vercruysse in the bike as his regular driver, Franck Nivard, was injured after a fall earlier in the day. Nivard rides in the under saddle races, too, and during the warm-up he fell from his mount and hurt his arm. He’s expected to be absent from racing for the next week.

Ready Cash has always been a top horse, but he has had big problems with his temper. He is owned by the renowned trainer Philippe Allaire, who decided to move the trotter to his colleague, Thierry Duvaldestin.

Allaire has his stable at the famous training center Grosbois, where more than 1,500 trotters are trained, and Ready Cash stressed himself too much there and in the races he very often became too headstrong. Duvaldestin trains from his own farm in the countryside and the move has definitely been a wise one.

Ready Cash is now calmer in the races and the driver is able to handle him without trouble.

In the Prix de Bourgogne — the distance was 1-5/16th miles — Ready Cash was timed in 1:55 (mile rate). Finishing second was last year’s winner of the race, Olga du Biwetz, while the defending Prix d’Amerique champion Oyonnax was third.

The fourth and last test before the Prix d’Amerique is the Prix de Belgique, to be raced on Sunday, Jan. 16. Lou Guida’s Italian mare, Lisa America, will race either in this race or in the Prix Tenor De Baune — a race for 6-year-old trotters, where the winner gets a ticket for the Prix d’Amerique.