Varenne, a paternal grandson of 2003 Hall of Famer Speedy Somolli, is the richest trotter of all-time and the fastest all-age and aged trotter on a five-eighths mile track (1:51.3). It is no wonder fans refer to him as “Il Capitano.”

Varenne began his racing career in 1998 as a three-year-old. He had eight wins, including the Italian Derby, in eleven starts and banked nearly $600,000 that year. As a four-year-old he was undefeated in his fourteen starts, including the European Championship, the Premio d’Europa, the Premio Continentale and the Gran Premio della Nazioni, with season earnings of $716,579.

As a five-year-old in 2000, Varenne took victories in France’s Grand Prix Encat and Coupe du Monde. In addition, he took Sweden ’s Olympia Travet and Italy ’s Gran Premio del Lotteria, clinching Italy ’s Horse of the Year title. His thirteen wins out of eighteen starts netted him $1,085,254.

Varenne continued to excel with age and in 2001, at the age of six, became the first trotter in thirty-four years to sweep three of international harness racing’s prestigious titles: the Prix d’Amerique (winning in the second fastest time ever), the Elitlopp and the Gran Premio del Lotteria. His other victories that season included the Trot Mondial, Prix Locatelli, Premio Roma, Prix Renzo Orlandi and the 2^nd leg of the World Cup/Elite Rennen. He became the first European horse to win a Breeders Crown, and even set a world record of 1:51.1 in the process. He also stands as the first foreign trotter to be elected France ’s Horse of the Year and took the USTA’s Trotting Horse of the Year title. With fourteen starts and thirteen wins, Varenne had season earnings totaling $1,825,297.

In 2002 Varenne became the fifth horse to have consecutive wins in the Elitlopp. He took it in a world record time of 1:53.1 in the elimination and then bested that mark by winning the final in 1:53 – the fastest mile ever trotted around three turns. Varenne scored a second-year Prix d’Amerique victory, this time in 1:57 (mile-rated) for the 1⁵/₈ mile race. That year, Varenne topped the $2 million mark with $2,188,048 with fourteen wins out of fifteen starts.

Varenne was retired in November 2002 with a reported sixty-two wins from seventy-two starts. He now stands at stud in Italy and Sweden . From four North American crops, he is the sire of thirteen starters, including Southwind Serena 3,1:55.2 ($385,088) who won the 2007 Breeders Crown.

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