The legend of Varenne. The greatest horse in the history of trotting has died

The horse that whispered to men. Varenne has passed away. He was not just an animal, but a legend. The greatest trotter of all time. He was thirty-one years old – a phenomenal age. The announcement on social media: ‘Run free forever and remain our Captain for ever’. Incidentally: he was the first horse to have his own personalised website. They mourn the ‘Sultan of the Harem’, but it’s nicer to think that the more than three thousand offspring he sired during his successful life as a stud are neighing words of gratitude into the wind.

We are witnessing the end of a story straight out of a novel, which began in Copparo, in the province of Ferrara, at the Zenzalino stud farm, where Varenne was born on 19 May 1995. He was given this name because Varenne was the name of the street in Paris where the Italian embassy was based at the time. He was a legend, a poster boy, worthy of leading the evening news bulletins, of documentary films, a song (by Enzo Jannacci) and poems. His honours list is truly impressive: he won – often in triumphant fashion – 62 out of 73 races contested, securing a total of 6.3 million euros in prize money. In his prime, from 1998 to 2002, he rewrote the history of trotting by winning 51 Grand Prix races worldwide.

He was much loved by Italians, who regarded him as a football hero. In old news reports, there is even mention of a Neapolitan gentleman who had given his son a double first name at the registry office: Giampaolo, in homage to Minucci, the legendary jockey behind the horse’s triumphs, and, of course, Varenne. Among his most prestigious honours were the Grand Prix d’Amérique, won two years running, the Gran Premio Nazionale in Milan, and three Gran Premi Lotteria di Agnano. His golden year was 2001, during which he seemed truly unbeatable. The mechanics of his trot – a series of lightning-fast strides, a devastating power in his gait – were the closest thing to perfection ever seen on a track. He had previously belonged to the lawyer Enzo Giordano, a racing and horse enthusiast who – following Varenne’s spell in France – had acquired him for 180 million lire. Before that, he had been very close to Luciano Moggi, who instead ended up buying one of his rivals without realising his potential. In 2000, 50 per cent of his ownership had passed to the National Union of Horse Racing Agencies (SNAI), with a valuation of 7 billion lire. Since his retirement, his peaceful retreat had been Eboli, in the Salerno area. For over fifteen years – during the breeding season from 15 February to 15 July – his day had been structured around the breeding process. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – after a jogging session – Varenne’s semen was collected. No mating took place, as infections were feared. Each test tube was packed in a box with ice and then dispatched to the various buyers. His most talented descendants continue to keep Varenne’s reputation alive to this day.