Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

French trotter Ready Cash won the 1 million euros ($A1.39 million) Prix d'Amerique, trotting's most prestigious race, at Vincennes Racetrack in Paris, on January 30, 2011.

The 6-year-old trotted home a length in front of Swedish race favorite Maharajah while Prix Du Cornulier victor Olga du Biwetz (Eric Raffin) third. Last year’s winner Oyonnax (Sebastien Ernault) was fourth with Quaker Jet finishing a few lengths behind, while the only 5-year-old in the race, Sévérino, finished sixth.

A strong international field of 18 horses lined up for the 90th edition of France's most prestigious race in front of more than 40,000 people at the Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris over the 2700 meter oval. Two recalls were necessary before the field was able to start.

Ready Cash was sent to the front by his driver, 31-year-old Franck Nivard, just before the turn into the obscenely long straightaway, passed Maharajah, who had been forced to set the early pace after leading Italian hopeful Lana de Rio went on a break and was disqualified. Italian hope Lana de Rio (Santo Mollo) broke when pressured by favourite Maharajah (Orjan Kihlstrom) and Nuit Torride (Bernard Biton).

Maharajah had several hundred of his 6,000 mainly Swedish syndicate owners in the stands, hoping to see him garner his second Prix d'Amerique championship.

Ready Cash's first win of the season more than justified the decision by his owner Philippe Allaire to send him to the rural pastures of his trainer Thierry Duvaldestin.

"This is not something that I dreamed of as a kid," said 51-year-old Allaire, whose father Pierre-Desire trained two trotting superstars for French actor Alain Delon. "It was more a case of why can't I grow up to have a Prix d'Amerique winner."

Duvaldestin said that he had never doubted his star would win the race.

"Bravo to Franck (Nivard)," said Duvaldestin. "We had the best horse in the race. He controlled the race. In the end it was no contest. This is superb. He is a super horse."

Ready Cash is a 6-year-old stallion by Indy de Vie, a son of Viking Way, a son of the Bonefish stallion Mickey Viking.

This was Ready Cash’s first win in the Prix d’Amerique in a time of 1:12.1 per kilometre (1:56.0 mile rate), just a tenth of a second from the race record held by Offshore Dream from 2007. Horses are paid down to seventh place in this French trotting classic. The order of finish is below.

Click here to watch the race, and watch the outside--the starting points for Ready Cash and Maharajah.

Prix d'Amérique Marionnaud Group 1 International €1,000,000 ($1.3 Million)
2700 metres For 4- to 10-yo. (T to N), geldings excluded
1. READY CASH (INDY DE VIVE - KIDEA) F. NIVARD Owner: M. Philippe Allaire - Trainer: M. Thierry Duvaldestin - Dist.: 2700 - Km Rate: 1.12.1 - Purse: €500000

2. MAHARAJAH (VIKING KRONOS - CHILI KHAN) O. KIHLSTROM Owner: Ecurie Travkompaniet - Trainer: M. Stefan Hultman - Km Rate: 1.12.1 - Purse: € 250000

3. OLGA DU BIWETZ (CEZIO JOSSELYN - BRISE DE LA TOUR) E. RAFFIN Owner: Ecurie Nathalie Chatelain - Trainer: M. Fabrice Souloy - Km Rate: 1.12.3 - Purse: €130000

4. OYONNAX (IN LOVE WITH YOU - HERMINE D'URGA) S. ERNAULT Owner: M. Manuel Ahres - Trainer: M. Vincent Brazon - Km Rate: 1.12.4 - Purse: €60000

5. QUAKER JET (LOVE YOU - JENNY JET) J.-ET. DUBOIS Owner: M. Jean Etienne Dubois - Trainer: M. Jean Etienne Dubois - - Km Rate: 1.12.5 - Purse: €30000

6. SEVERINO (GOBERNADOR - KATIA DE TILLARD) CH. BIGEON Owner: Ecurie Christian Bigeon - Trainer: M. Christian Bigeon - - Km Rate: 1.12.7 - Purse: €20000

7. ROC MESLOIS (LOOK DE STAR - HEROIQUE MESLOISE) P. BELLOCHE Owner: Ecurie Bois Doufray - Trainer: M. Pierre Belloche - - Km Rate: 1.12.7 - Purse: €10000