A plan hatched in Europe during a trip to the Prix d’Amerique, France’s legendary trotting race, by a group of Australian and New Zealand square-gaiting enthusiasts 19 months ago came to fruition with the track record-breaking win of Holzarte Vedaquais at Yarra Valley on Friday afternoon.
Several of the tour party including Harness Racing Australia chief executive officer Andrew Kelly, Aldebaran Park principal Duncan McPherson and Haras Des Trotteurs’ owner Pat Driscoll joined a syndicate formed by champion trainer Tim Butt.
The syndicate also includes Sydneysider Bob Jones, prominent Melbourne owner Fred Crews, former Harness Racing SA chairman Gary Crocker, Andy Tomlin, Greg and Leigh Ayers and Kiwi owner Jacquie Le Groot.
While in France they were chaperoned to race meetings, stud farms and the yearling sale by Le Trot, the sport’s governing body.
“I wanted to buy a young racing and breeding proposition,” Butt said.
“I did my homework before we got there. I had a list of six or seven horses to look at but many of them were too expensive.”
The group’s visit to the prestige Haras De Beaumont, Normandy, of Phillipe Allaire paved the way for the purchase of Holzarte Vedaquais, a son of Brillantissime and a grandson of Ready Cash, a pair of Group 1 heroes prepared by the legendary French horseman.
“He fitted the bill in every sense,” Butt said.
Out of a Love You mare, Holzarte Vedaquais had shown up as a two and three-year-old above average in his homeland, winning four races with five placings in nine starts for $170,000 in stakes.
Shipped to Australia earlier last year, the colt made his ‘down under’ debut in a heat of the Victoria Derby at Maryborough, but finished a distant last after racing fiercely and going off stride.
Butt brought the young trotter along quietly this preparation.
“He had four trials leading into his first start, mainly to getting him used to standing starts and teach him ringcraft,” the four-time Inter Dominion-winning trainer stated.
Holzarte Vedaquais made his long-awaited comeback at Yarra Valley.
Sporting silks featuring the Southern Cross on a French flag, the four-year-old settled down in fifth position from his 30m handicap, was momentarily caught facing the breeze in the middle stages before rolling to the front with a round to go.
He won decisively by 6.1m without John Caldow having to remove the earplugs.
His winning mile rate for the 2150m standing start was 2:01.4, more than a full second off the previous track record set by BD Khaoson in September 2019, with the final four quarters in a slick 30, 30.3, 30 and 30.2 seconds.
“He’s a lovely little guy that really floats over the ground. He’s not the finished product but he’ll get there later," Butt said.
“In 12 months’ time he could be awesome.”
Part-owner Duncan McPherson said the recent successes of the American-bred Aldebaran Revani and the French-bred Holzarte Vedaquais showed that the sport is “well on the way to being internationalised and globalised in this country.”
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* pictures courtesy Kate Butt