by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior Newsroom Correspondent

Eighteen trotters will race Sunday afternoon (Nov. 20) in the Grand Prix de Bretagne at Vincennes. This is the first of four test races for open class trotters leading to the Grand Prix d’Amerique on Sunday (Jan. 29).

Among the starters is North American bred Propulsion driven by Ôrjan Kihlström, who will race for the first time at Vincennes.

This year race conditions for the test races have been altered, so from each race the three first finishers are secured a spot in the Prix d’Amerique field.

Earlier there had been a point-based system and starters were determined by their lifetimes earnings.

The new system allows only the four top money earners a spot in the Prix d’Amerique field.

So 12 spots will be determined in the four test races for open class trotters (no geldings) and the winners of Criterium Continental (4-year-olds) and the Prix Tenor de Baune (5-year-olds) will also have a spot.

In total 18 trotters can race in the Prix d’Amerique.

The field for The Prix de Bretagne to be raced over 1 11/16 mile Sunday afternoon, 10.10 am (Eastern time) at Vincennes, Paris, France is as follows:

1 Tony Gio (IT) – Christophe Martens
2 Baltic Charm – Eric Raffin
3 Oibamban Effe (IT) – Pierre Levesque
4 Charly du Noyer – Yoann Lebourgeois
5 Rocky Winner (SE) – Pierre Vercruysse
6 Propulsion (US) – Ôrjan Kihlström
7 Viking de Val – Eric Lambertz
8 Tagada Tagada – Sebastian Ernault
9 Trebol (ES) – Gabrielle A. Pou Pou
10 Belina Josselyn – Jean Michel Bazire
11 Moving On (SE) – David Thomain
12 Lionel (NO) – Mathieu Abrivard
13 Princess Griff (IT) – Roberto Andreghetti
14 Amiral Sacha – Gabriele Gelormini
15 Anna Mix – Franck Nivard
16 Bird Parker – Jean Philippe Monclin
17 Voltigeur de Myrt – Lorenzo Donati
18 Tiego d’Etang – Charles Bigeon