by Dean A. Hoffman

In the coming weeks, you’ll be reading reports on our web site from Karsten Bonsdorf as many of the best trotters in Europe prep for the prestigious Prix d’Amerique, raced at the huge Vincennes racecourse outside Paris.

My USTA colleague, John Pawlak, will be attending the Prix d’Amerique in what has become an annual pilgrimage for him. John has seen racing in many different countries in recent years and the pleasure he’s taken from those trips is obviously addictive.

I’ve been to the Prix d’Amerique myself a couple times and it’s a wonderful spectacle, even though it takes place at the end of January on what is usually a cold and gray Parisian afternoon. The crowd generates enough heat and noise to make you forget the elements.

The race itself usually has 18 starters and they trot a distance of approximately 1-5/8 miles. That’s a thundering herd of trotters. Harness writer Jerry Connors once said that the Prix d’Amerique is the only race in which you can be “seven wide with cover.”

I once described the start of the Prix d’Amerique as resembling the Oklahoma land rush, and I still think that’s accurate. The starting method defies any rationale explanation; it appears to be “every driver for himself.”

Or “herself,” as in 1995 when I saw Helen Johansson of Sweden drive the superb mare Ina Scot to victory over the world’s best trotters in the marathon test. The thought of a female horse with a female driver winning their biggest race was a shocker for many Frenchmen. Later that evening, however, when Helen showed up for the post-race victory dinner at Chez L’Ami Louis, she was given the full rock-star treatment, complete with paparazzi. It was a joyous gathering, to say the least, and I’m just glad I wasn’t paying for all the champagne we consumed that night.

Seeing harness racing conducted in foreign countries is a wonderful experience. You learn that they do many things differently and get along just fine with their methods. A lot can be learned by observing different racing systems. Of course, that’s one of the greatest virtues of travel, particularly for Americans; traveling abroad is the quickest way to discover that America is not the center of the known universe.

The Prix d’Amerique start is a “turn and go” method that’s unlike anything we have in North America. It takes place in the far turn of the 1-1/4 mile Vincennes oval and thus it’s difficult for the spectators to observe all the jockeying for position that invariably takes place.

I’ve seen standing starts in France, Sweden, Australia and I’m intrigued by these systems. They allow for horses to be handicapped and that can make for more competitive racing. I surely don’t think we should close our minds to such ideas in North America.

I’ve seen monte racing (trotting under saddle) in France, where is it enormously popular. Actually, I saw monte racing on videotape first with some French friends, and it was all I could do to refrain from laughter as the jockeys bounced up and down as they posted in the saddle. After a while, I looked beyond the bobbing jockeys to see that these were talented horses giving their all on the trot — simply under saddle instead of hooked to a sulky.

As many people know, in France the emphasis is on allowing horses to mature before asking them to perform at the highest levels. They don’t idolize the juvenile stars the way that we do in North America. The French racing fans love the older stars that perform with consistency year after year.

I recall being in France once and taken to see a certain horse. My tour guide wanted to make sure I saw this horse because he assured me, “He will be a very good horse one day.”

I asked how old the horse was. My French friend told me he was a 5-year-old. I just laughed and said that a very good 5-year-old horse in North America has usually raced and gone to stud.

Over the years, many people have called me at the office and said that they’re planning a business or personal trip overseas. They want to know what harness racing is available in that area. I think that’s a great idea. Why not see trotting as it’s done in Italy? Or in England? And I loved the racing in Australia.

USTA members have, in the past, traveled to Europe and Australia as a group to see the World Driving Championship, and many, I know, are planning to do it again when the tournament takes place in November this year in both the land of the Aussies and Kiwis.

The style of racing may be a bit different, but isn’t that what you want to see? Don’t you want new experiences when you travel? Who goes to France to eat a Big Mac?

One thing you’ll find, however, is that racing fans are pretty much alike all around the world. They like to pick a winner, delight in a good stretch drive, and share a common bond in a love of the horse.