Cheval		Chrono	Driver	Propriétaire	Cote
1.	OFFSHORE DREAM	1'12"0	P. Levesque	Ec. de Rougemont	12/1
2.	KOOL DU CAUX	1'12"3	F. Nivard	J. Villetorte	20/1
3.	KAZIRE DE GUEZ	1'12"7	J.-M. Bazire	R. Guezille	35/4
4.	KESACO PHEDO	1'12"8	M. Lenoir	Ecurie Wildenstein	3/1
5.	JARDY	1'12"9	Ch. Bigeon	Ecurie Wildenstein	32/1
6.	SUPER LIGHT	1'13"2	J. Westholm	Stall Valvert HB	7/1
7.	LUDO DE CASTELLE	1'13"4	P. Vercruysse	J. Séché	91/1
8.	JAVA DARCHE	1'13"5	Th. Duvaldestin	Ecurie Darche	79/1
9.	LADAKH JIEL	1'13"6	J. Verbeeck	J. Luck	11/1
10.	MARA BOURBON	1'13"6	E. Adielsson	J.-P. Dubois	26/1
11.	LADY D'AUVRECY	1'13"6	S. Baude	Ec. Franck Harel	14/1
12.	NIKY	1'13"7	B. Piton	J.-P. Barjon	12/1
13.	MALABAR CIRCLE AS		E. Bellei	Sc. Golden Stars	55/1
14.	LAZIO DU BOURG		J. Van Eeckhaute	J. Adam	152/1
15.	JALBA DU PONT		J.-Y. Rayon	Ecurie Albert Rayon	157/1
dai	LOUMANA FLOR		M. Abrivard	M. Gozlan	181/1
dai	CONNY NOBELL		B. Goop	Stall Lökene AB	25/1
dai	JAG DE BELLOUET		Ch. Gallier	M. Gallier	7/2
OFFSHORE DREAM (Rêve d'Udon-Enfilade-Tarass Boulba);breeder: Ec. de Rougemont. KOOL DU CAUX (Bijou du Bignon- Vénus de la Bonde- James Pile); breeder: F. Bouelle. KAZIRE DE GUEZ (Udo de Touraine-Egyptia de Salomon- Sancho Pança); breeder: R. Guezille. KESACO PHEDO (Caballio In Blue- Feria de Vrie- Hêtre Vert); breeder: Mme D.-M. Touvais.

 

Cheval			Chrono	Driver	Propriétaire	Cote
1.		JAG DE BELLOUET	1'12"4	Ch. Gallier	M. Gallier	6/4
2.	1.	GIGANT NEO	1'12"5	D. Locqueneux	Stall T.Z. & Stall Lövis	25/4
3.	2.	JARDY	1'12"9	Ch. Bigeon	Ecurie Wildenstein	38/1
4.	3.	JAVA D'ARCHE	1'13"0	P. Lambert	Ecurie Darche	195/1
5.	4.	SUPER LIGHT	1'13"0	J. Westholm	Stall Valvet HB	22/1
6.	5.	LAZIO DU BOURG	1'13"0	J. Van Eckhaute	J. Adam	83/1
7.	6.	NAGLO	1'13"1	O. Kihlström	Stall Carall	72/1
8.	7.	ECHO' DEI VELTRI	1'13"1	E. Bellei	Sign.a L.Osti	96/1
9.	8.	SCARLET KNIGHT	1'13"1	B. Goop	Stall T.Z. & Stall Lövis	83/1
10.	9.	KEED TIVOLI	1'13"2	M. Bézier	A.-P. Bézier	24/1
11.	10.	MALABAR CIRCLE AS	1'13"4	A. Guzzinati	Scud. Golden Stars	26/1
12.	11.	MARA BOURBON	1'13"4	J.-P. Dubois	M. J.-P. Dubois	6/1
13.	12.	JOYAU D'AMOUR		J. Verbeeck M.	A. Cayron	11/1
14.	13.	JALBA DU PONT		J.-Y. Rayon	Ecurie A. Rayon	124/1
15.	14.	NIJINSKI BLUE		Y. Dreux	P. Guenik	47/1
16.	15.	NI HO PED D'OMBREE		J.-R. Deshayes	Mme G. Deshayes	108/1
dai.		KAZIRE DU GUEZ		J.-M. Bazire	R. Guezille	15/4
Jag de Bellouet (Viking's Way- Vaunoise- Nicos du Vivier); breeder: Ecurie J-Cl. Monthéan Gigant Neo (Super Arnie- Clorita Lobell- Speedy Crown); breeder: Family Ohlsson Jardy (Cygnus d'Odyssée- Courtisane- Petit Sam); breeder: Haras des Coudraies Java d'Arche (Baccarat du Pont- Bérénice de Sial- Lutin d'Isigny); breeder: M.&Mrs. Postaire

 

Cheval		Chrono	Driver	Propriétaire	Cote
1.	JAG DE BELLOUET	1'12"6	Ch. Gallier	M. Gallier	4/10
2.	GIGANT NEO	1'12"8	D. Locqueneux	Stall T.Z. & Stall Lövis	34/1
3.	ILSTER D'ESPIENS	1'13"0	J.-H. Treich	J.-H. Treich	57/1
4.	HILDA ZONETT	1'13"0	R. Bergh	Stall Zonett	78/1
5.	CIVIL ACTION	1'13"1	P. Leoni	Scuderia Milor	211/1
6.	SUPER LIGHT	1'13"6	J. Westholm	Stall Valvet HB	73/1
7.	JOYAU D'AMOUR	1'13"8	T. Le Beller	A. Cayron	71/1
8.	ALESI OM	1'14"0	G. Minnucci	Scuderia Mondial Sport	119/1
9.	NAGLO	1'14"1	O. Kihlström	Stall Carall	22/1
10.	SCARLET KNIGHT		J. Verbeeck	Stall T.Z. & Stall Lövis	15/2
11.	INFANT DU BOSSIS		J. Kontio	Ecurie du Bossis	81/1
12.	MEMPHIS DU RIB		J.L.C. Dersoir	Ecurie Rib	137/1
13.	KAZIRE DU GUEZ		S. Delasalle	R. Guezille	12/1
arr.	JALBA DU PONT		J.-Y. Rayon	Ecurie A. Rayon	168/1
arr.	JAMINSKA		P. Levesque	M. Gozlan	20/1
dai.	ENERGETIC		P. Vercruysse	Evorna AB	212/1
dai.	LAZIO DU BOURG		J. Van Eckhaute	J. Adam	240/1
dai.	KESACO PHEDO		J.-M. Bazire	Ecurie Wildenstein	35/4
Starters: 18, Prix: 500'000 euros; 250'000; 130'000; 60'000; 30'000; 20'000; 10'000. JAG DE BELLOUET (Viking's Way- Vaunoise- Nicos du Vivier); breeder: Ec. J.-C. Monthéan

 

 

Cheval		Chrono	Driver	Propriétaire	Cote
1.	KESACO PHEDO	1'12"3*	J.-M. Bazire	Ecurie Wildenstein	6/4
2.	ABANO AS	1'12"4	Jos Verbeeck	Ecurie Tierce-magazine	11/1
3.	JAG DE BELLOUET	1'12"5	C. Gallier	M. Gallier	15/2
4.	NAGLO	1'12"6	O. Kihlström	Stall Carall	13/4
5.	GENERAL DU POMMEAU	1'12"7	J. Lepennetier	J. Grisanti	37/4
6.	GIGANT NEO	1'12"7	J. Kontio	Stall T.Z, & Stall Lövis	28/1
7.	ILSTER D'ESPIENS	1'12"8	J.-H. Treich	J.-H. Treich	50/1
8.	KIWI	1'13"0	Ch. Bigeon	Ecurie Manuel Garcia	39/1
9.	MALABAR CIRCLE AS	1'13"0	T. Jansson	Ecurie Bäth Svante AB	30/1
10.	ENERGETIC	1'13"5	P. Vercruysse	Stall Evorna AB	136/1
11.	HILDA ZONETT		R. Bergh	Stall Zonett	10/1
12.	IPSON DE MORMAL		U. Nordin	E. Genin	75/1
13.	LEDA D'OCCAGNES		D. Locqueneux	Ecurie des Charmes	75/1
14.	GEBRAZAC		J.-M. Monclin	J.-C. Fromentoux	146/1
15.	ROYAL GULL		P. Levesque	Mrs. S. de Moratalla	148/1
16.	ZINZAN BROOKE TUR		M. Smorgon	F. Angiolini	51/1
	dai JASODA		G. Lannoo	M. Hagon	173/1
	dai JARDY		J.-Ph. Mary	Ecurie Wildenstein	69/1
Starters: 18, *=record de la course Prix: 500'000 euros; 250'000; 130'000; 60'000; 30'000; 20'000; 10'000. KESACO PHEDO (Caballio in Blue- Feria de Vrie- Hetre Vert); breeder: Mme D. Touvais

 

A few days before the Prix de Belgique, which takes place at Vincennes racecourse on the 11th of January 2004, and which is the last preparatory test of the french classic series, the mystery about the conditions in which the german trotter will face this world trotting championship remains complete.
ABANO AS has actually been prepared for his great appearance as challenger in the Prix d'Amérique by the talented Erik Bondo at his headquarters at Appiano Gentile near Milan, and there are very few clues with which to judge his chances of victory this year. The son of DYLAN LOBELL has run two races in Italy in the last two months, thus revealing his management's decision to give complete freedom to the young Danish trainer.
ABANO AS was first presented in the Gran Premio delle Nazioni on the 1st of November at San Siro (Milan), where he didn't really give valid evidence about his chances of running at his best at Vincennes. On that day, the race went very badly.
Jamil Boukarabila, the well-known trotting-professional at all European racecourses analysed the case of the shock winner of the 2003 Prix d'Amérique (he won at 31-1): "Last year, I was very confident and betted on him especially for Jos Verbeeck's drive. This year things are different. In my humble opinion, he will be too fresh for the big race in January. Can you really prepare for such a big race with such a small number of trials during the year ?
What you can do with a VARENNE, you will not necessarily be able to do with a horse which is not two classes above his adversaries. No doubt ABANO AS is one of the best "free for all" in Europe but he doesn't dominate as only the greatest champions know how to."
Jamil Boukarabila was hence present during the Gran Premio delle Nazioni and he had this to say about the disappointing afternoon for ABANO AS's men: "frankly we have only been able to observe a few things. The horse came onto the track at a half canter and never really began trotting. He was tense (nervous) in the warming-up and in the heat and Jos Verbeeck probably tried not to put too much pressure on him by quick heats. But the going of the racetrack certainly didn't help him; because on that day the going was hard and not very compact. The horse gave the impression of being a bit stiff and not letting himself go. There was a false start and ABANO AS had begun correctly; on the restart (which takes place rather abruptly on the Milan racecourse) the horse began at a gallop and never recovered his trot quickly enough to get back into contact with race. It must however be said that the horse seemed to be in good condition: a very shining coat and supple powerful muscles. My impression was really that the horse was a bit fresh on the one hand, and that he didn't find himself on the track surface."
On the 26th of December, that's two months later, ABANO AS ran again in the GALA DEL TROTTO at the roman racecourse of Tor di Valle. It was a tactical race always under the control of Lutfi Kolgjini and his faithful REVENUE. ABANO AS had a bad starting number. He was never in the race, not being able to get back among the leaders when they broke away five hundred meters from the finish. It would have been necessary for ABANO AS to trot more than 500 meters in 1'04"-1'05", which was not within the capacity of a horse however good he was on the roman racecourse. We may think, however, that the race will have satisfied the horse's stable as the running of the test will have, without doubt, contributed to moving forward his preparation and will have got him back into condition a bit without him having had a hard race which probably constituted a priority for Jos Verbeeck.
Here is a horse which is to the liking of punters betting on good outsiders at interesting odds. Of course a victory of ABANO AS would not bring in as much this year but, even so, because of the good quality of competitors which from the class angle have no reason to fear ABANO AS, the odds could remain interesting. The next Prix de Belgique on sunday the 11th of January will be more than ever a decisive test. It will be a good bet that observers in the trotting world will have their binoculars trained on ABANO AS all through the race. If, on this day, the horse finishes five or six, he will have a good chance of doing something or even winning in the next 2004 Prix d'Amérique.
We have no doubt that Jos Verbeeck will be driving ABANO AS in the highest prized event. As KIWI has not been running well recently, we cannot see Jos giving preference to him about ABANO AS. The second choice of the champion catch-driver is more likely to be JEANBAT DU VIVIER or even ROYAL GULL if he was qualified (he also is running to get into peak condition), or even a style sensation: a last minute association with GENERAL DU POMMEAU who deserves to win another Prix d'Amérique to finally end his career as an exceptional champion of french trotting.

 

Force nous est de constater que le Prix d'Amérique aura surtout été  "la" course des grands champions, qu'ils soient hommes ou chevaux, les uns ou les autres, sinon les deux ensemble.
Ainsi, chez les drivers, Alexandre Finn, Hans Frömming, les frères Gougeon (Jean-René et Michel-Marcel), et la grande révélation de ces dix dernières années, Jos Verbeeck, ont marqué la grande épreuve parisienne de leur talent unique, de ce don divin que les générations futures de scientifiques s'évertueront à cloner, sans doute en vain. Pour ce qui est des chevaux. URANIE, ROQUEPINE, BELLINO II, OURASI et VARENNE, même si la liste n'est pas forcément exhaustive, sont entrés dans la légende et font encore rêver tous ceux qui possèdent, entraînent, ou drivent des trotteurs français, américains, italo-américains, franco-italiens, ou....tout simplement européens !! Car le Prix d'Amérique se veut un grand moment de sport international dont le verdict est sans appel, et son vainqueur se voit gratifié d'une légitimité indiscutable de par l'importance de l'enjeu et surtout la renommée des concurrents.
     Ainsi, il est bien curieux de constater dans ce contexte qu' hommes et chevaux ont ceci en commun: on ne fabrique pas un être surnaturel en laboratoire !! Bien qu'il serait intéressant, pour simple information, d'avoir accès sur chaque programme de course à la liste des chevaux provenant d'insémination artificielle, avec- pourquoi pas ?- une astérisque pour indiquer s'ils sont issus de sperme frais ou congelé... La curiosité ne démange-t-elle pas les amateurs de statistiques ?...
     Quoi qu'il en soit, les grands sportifs (d'esprit !!) auront pleinement reconnu l'avénement de ce prodige qu'est Jos Verbeeck bien avant la victoire dans son quatrième Prix d'Amérique, en cette année 2003. Contrairement à bien des grands noms, en tête des classements saisonniers, Jos Verbeeck n'a plus rien à prouver à ce stade de la compétition. Nous autres, passionnés de trot, lui sauront gré de nous gratifier de ses interprétations au plus haut niveau pendant de très nombreuses années encore.

 

Jos Verbeeck bekommt den Ehrenpreis aus
den Händen von franzosen Landwirtschaftminister,
kurz nach seinem vierten Prix d'Amérique, Januar 2003.

Cheval		Chrono	Driver	Propriétaire	Cote
1.	ABANO AS	1'15"1	Jos Verbeeck	A. Schockemöhle	30/1
2.	INSERT GéDé	1'15"1	Yves Dreux	J. Séché	3/1
3.	GIGANT NEO	1'15"1	Jean-Michel Bazire	Stall T.Z. & Stall Lövis	9/1
4.	GENERAL DU POMMEAU	1'15"2	Jules Lepennetier	J. Grisanti	6/4
5.	ENERGETIC	1'15"3	Orjan Kihlström	Evorna AB	54/1
6.	FLAMBEAU DES PINS	1'15"3	Mathieu Fribault	Ecurie M.J. Fribault	46/1
7.	LEGENDARY LOVER K	1'15"5	Steen Juul	Ecurie River Aps	56/1
8.	FAN IDOLE	1'15"6	Richard-William Denéchère	R. Ménard	7/1
9.	HILDA ZONETT	1'15"6	R. Bergh	Stall Zonett	152/1
10.	IPSON DE MORMAL	1'15"7	Ulf  Nordin	E. Genin	52/1
11.	GéBRAZAC	1'16"0	Serge Peltier	M. Valette	7/1
12.	TINAK MO	1'16"1	Biagio Lo Verde	Scuderia Rosanna	198/1
13.	GRÂCE DUCAL		Joël Van Eeckhaute	J. Adam	188/1
14.	REVENUE		Lufti Kolgjini	Stall Revenue	106/1
15.	COM HECTOR		Catarina Lundström	Stall  Lövis	84/1
16.	JACKHAMMER		Wilhelm Paal	Team  Jacky KB	173/1
	JOYAU D'AMOUR	Dai	Eric Raffin	A. Cayron	57/1
	SCARLET KNIGHT	Dai	Stefan Melander	Stall T.Z. & Lövis	12/1
Prix (euros): 400'000; 200'000; 104'000; 48'000; 24'000; 16'000; 8000. ABANO AS, m 6, (Dylan Lobell- Armbro Junction- Meadow Road), éleveur:  A. Schockemöhle.

 

Jos Verbeeck geehrt, und  Prinzessin 
Charlotte de Monaco ist auch anwesend.

Année	Cheval	Chrono	Driver	Propriétaire
2004	KESACO PHEDO	1'12"3*	J.-M. Bazire	Ecurie Wildenstein
2003	ABANO AS	1'15"1	Jos Verbeeck	A. Schockemöhle
2002	VARENNE	1'12"9	Gian Paolo Minnucci	Scuderia Dany
2001	VARENNE	1'13"7	Gian Paolo Minnucci	Scuderia Dany
2000	GENERAL DU POMMEAU	1'12"6*	Jules Lepennetier	J. Grisanti
1999	MONI MAKER	1'14"3	Jean-Michel Bazire	Ecurie Week-End
1998	DRYADE DES BOIS	1'14"3	Jos Verbeeck	Ecurie Ténor
1997	ABO VOLO	1'14"6	Jos Verbeeck	A. Viel
1996	COKTAIL JET	1'15"5	Jean-Etienne Dubois	D. Wildenstein
1995	INA SCOT	1'14"7	Helen Johansson	Stall Ina Q AB
1994	SEA COVE	1'15"0	Jos Verbeeck	Stall Cicero
1993	QUEEN L	1'15"8	Stig-H. Johansson	Ecurie Ringen
1992	VERDICT GéDé	1'16"6	Jean-Claude Hallais	Mme G. Dreux
1991	TéNOR DE BAUNE	1'15"5	Jean-Baptiste Bossuet	J.-B. Bossuet
1990	OURASI	1'15"2	Michel-Marcel Gougeon	R. Ostheimer
1989	QUEILA GéDé	1'15"5	Roger Baudron	R. Baudron
1988	OURASI	1'15"7	Jean-René Gougeon	R. Ostheimer
1987	OURASI	1'15"7	Jean-René Gougeon	R. Ostheimer
1986	OURASI	1'16"6	Jean-René Gougeon	R. Ostheimer
1985	LUTIN D'ISIGNY	1'17"8	Jean-Paul André	M.-G. Cornière
1984	LURABO	1'17"0	Michel-Marcel Gougeon	M. Macheret
1983	IDEAL DU GAZEAU	1'18"7	Eugène Lefèvre	P.-J. Morin
1982	HYMOUR	1'16"9	Jean-Pierre Dubois	J.-P. Dubois
1981	IDEAL DU GAZEAU	1'17"4	Eugène Lefèvre	P.-J. Morin
1980	ELEAZAR	1'18"2	Leopold Verroken	A. Weisweiller
1979	HIGH ECHELON	1'18"2	Jean-Pierre Dubois	Cte de Senneville
1978	GRANDPRé	1'16"9	Pierre-Désiré Allaire	P.-D.Allaire
1977	BELLINO II	1'17"9	Jean-René Gougeon	M. Macheret
1976	BELLINO II	1'19"1	Jean-René Gougeon	M. Macheret
1975	BELLINO II	1'17"8	Jean-René Gougeon	M. Macheret

*=record de la course