by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior Newsroom Correspondent

The world’s richest under saddle-race, the Prix de Cornulier at Vincennes in France was won in a very convincing style by the 6-year-old Italian trotter, Traders, with Yoann Lebourgeois up.

Gerard Forni photo

Traders establishes new French record of 1:54.4.

Traders, who is another great son of champion sire, Ready Cash, won the 1-11/16-mile event with a standing start in a new French record of 1.54.4 (mile rate). The purse for the winner was 315,000 Euro – or $385,000.

Traders is owned and trained by Phillippe Allaire.

Traders was followed by the 5-year old French mare, Draft Life, with Eric Raffin up, while Bilibili with Alexandre Abrivard was third.

Those three trotters finished faster than the old race record of 1.55.4 (mile rate) held by Quif du Villeneuve, who won in 2012 – also ridden by Yoann Lebourgeois.

Traders will most likely skip the upcoming Prix d’Amerique next Sunday and go for the under-saddle race, Prix de l’Ile de France on Feb. 4.