by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

Back in April of this year the 7-year-old French trotter Quif de Villeneuve was sold at a sale for 145,000 Euro. On Sunday afternoon (Dec. 4) Quif de Villeneuve won the final in the Grand National du Trot at Vincennes with a purse for the winner of 75,000 Euro bringing his winnings since the sale up to 280,000 Euro.

Quif de Villeneuve is sired by the French champion Coktail Jet, and after the sale he was transferred to the stables at Franc Leblanc.

Leblanc aimed Quif de Villeneuve for the Grand National du Trot — it’s the Tour de France of harness racing, which consists of 18 legs raced all over France, with the final raced at Vincennes.

Quif de Villeneuve went into the final as the overall leader in points and when driver Dominik Locqueneux guided him to victory, Quif de Villeneuve became only the fourth trotter in the history of the Grand National du Trot to win the points table as well as the final.

The Grand National du Trot was first raced in 1982.

Top mares to race in Europe

Crys Dream and Iron Lady will continue their racing career in Europe. The two mares were bred and still part owned by legendary French horseman Jean Pierre Dubois in his Canadian stable, Reve Avec Moi.

Crys Dream 3,1:53.2s has earnings of $1,262,068 while Iron Lady 3,1:53.3 has earned $190,297. Both mares were sired by Taurus Dream, who has been at stud in Canada for the last few years.

Taurus Dream will also be headed for Europe, as he will stand at stud in Sweden next year.