by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior Newsroom Correspondent

Jean Michel Bazire went out on a high on the last day of the French Vintermeeting at Vincennes winning the Group 1 race, the Prix de Selection with owned-trained Davidson du Pont 3)on Saturday (March 3).

Jean Michel Bazire has been not only the leading driver winning 65 races during the Vintermeeting, but also the leading trainer with 61 wins – that is a new record – the old record was held by Franck LeBlanc and was 53 victories.

Gerard Forni photo

Davidson du Pont establishes a new stakes record of 1:54 in the Prix de Selection at Vincennes.

The Prix de Selection had a total purse of $300,000 and was raced over 1-3/8 miles with a standing start, however 4-year-olds had a 25 meters allowance for the beginning of the race.

As the best French 4-year-olds were entered most people expected one of them to win, but 5-year-old Davidson du Pont driven by Jean Michel Bazire finished strongly to win by a length in 1.54 (mile rate) equaling the race record.

Davidson du Pont is owned and bred by Albert Rayon and is a homebred as the Rayon family has had the sire as well as the dam for three generations. Therefore, the impact of American blood in Davidson du Pont is a little as 27.28 percent and that hails from Star’s Pride, who is found in the fourth and fifth generation in his pedigree.

Second to Davidson du Pont, the 4-year-old Express Jet has 48.72 percent American Standardbred blood in his pedigree,

On the undercard the 6-year-old mare Uza Josselyn, sired by Love You, won the Prix du Plateau de Gravelle over 1-5/16 miles. She was driven by Alexandre Abrivard in 1.54.1 (mile rate) and after the race was invited to race in the Elitlopp as the just second trotter asked so far.