by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The 8-year-old French trotter Quif de Villeneuve made a blistering debut at Vincennes, Paris, on Sunday (Jan. 22) in the Prix de Cornulier — the richest under saddle race in the world.

Gerard Forni photo

Quif de Villeneuve won in a new race record of 1:55.4 (mile rate).

Quif de Villeneuve, with Y. Lebourgeois in the saddle, won the 1-11/16th mile event in a new race record of 1:55.4 (mile rate) followed by two lengths by Save The Quick and Private Love. The purse for the winner was $450,000.

Quif de Villeneuve, who is trained by Franck Leblanc, has improved quite a lot since he was sold to Ecurie Augustin-Normand, a stable that has invested a lot of money in French trotting as well as flat racing within the last three or four years.

Until last April Quif de Velleneuve had mainly raced in the French province; only twice had he raced at Vincennes.

After he won very impressively at Vincennes on April 15 he was sold to Ecurie Augustin-Normand and transferred to the stables of Franck Leblanc.

Leblanc has raced Quif de Villeneuve 13 times, winning eight races, among those the final in the Grand National du Trot at Vincennes with a purse of $100,000 to the winner.

Quif de Villeneuve, who is sired by the French champion Coktail Jet, will race next Sunday in the Prix d’Amerique, and for the first time Franck Leblanc will probably be in the sulky behind him, as his regular driver, Dominik Locqueneux, has committed himself to Lou Guida’s Lisa America.