Don Fanucci Zet still playing with them at 10

by Thomas Hedlund

There may be plenty of racing left in Don Fanucci Zet (Hard Livin).

It was hard to believe otherwise after watching the 10-year-old star capture the $120,000 Jämtlands Stora Pris at Östersund on Saturday (Aug. 8).

His rivals certainly didn’t hand him anything early. Fredrik Plassen, driving Global Concept for trainer Jörgen Westholm, was reluctant to surrender the lead to the heavy favorite around the first turn. Eventually, however, Örjan Kihlström worked Don Fanucci Zet to the front following a sharp :26.4 opening quarter.

Global Concept made a break shortly after being passed, allowing Global Etalon (Brillantissime) to inherit the pocket.

From there, Kihlström was able to take the sting out of the pace. Don Fanucci Zet reached the 1,200-meter mark in a comfortable 1:27, giving the leader a valuable breather before the serious racing began.

Behind him, Daniel Wäjersten with Kuiper and Mats E. Djuse with Dream Mine engaged in a tactical waiting game. Eventually, Kuiper was sent forward first-over, while Dream Mine launched a three-wide attack down the backstretch and quickly moved into contention approaching the final turn.

His challenge soon flattened out.

Instead, the danger came from the pocket. Global Etalon found room at the top of the stretch and, for a brief moment, appeared capable of making a race of it.

It was an illusion.

Kihlström still had the ear plugs to pull, and once he did, Don Fanucci Zet found another gear. The son of Hard Livin accelerated away again and won comfortably in a 1:54 mile rate for 2,140 meters.

“He’s just unreal,” Kihlström said. “He’s such an incredible horse. And today he was actually more fired up than usual. He felt terrific throughout. The opening was tough because the horse inside us didn’t want to take a seat behind Don Fanucci Zet, so we had to go pretty fast early. Of course, you start thinking about that when Dream Mine is sitting back there waiting to attack, but today there was never really any danger.”

Global Etalon held second, while Kuiper (Face Time Bourbon) turned in a game first-over performance to finish third.

IDAO DE TILLARD SETS TRACK RECORD AT ARGENTAN

Idao de Tillard added another major victory to his résumé on Saturday (Aug. 8), capturing the $125,000 Critérium de Vitesse de Basse-Normandie at Argentan in a track- and stakes-record 1:51.1 for the mile.

For trainer Thierry Duvaldestin, the victory came close to home. His training center in La Ferté-Fresnel is located approximately 45 kilometers from Argentan, making the Normandy oval something of a home track for the Duvaldestin stable.

The previous record belonged to Hohneck, who recorded a 1:09.2 kilometer rate in winning the race last year.

Idao de Tillard (Severino) was expected to control the event, although getting to the front proved more complicated than anticipated.

Inmarosa left quickly, forcing Clément Duvaldestin to take his time before eventually moving Idao de Tillard to the lead. Once there, the star trotter didn’t always appear completely comfortable hugging the inside on Argentan’s right-handed oval. At times, he carried his head outward, a tendency he has also displayed in the opposite direction during races at Vincennes.

Still, there was never any serious cause for concern.

Idao de Tillard remained in control throughout the stretch and safely held Jingle du Pont (Niky) and Ideal Ligneries (Repeat Love) at bay.

“I couldn’t see the entire race from where I was standing, but I thought the horse looked very good without having to exert himself too much,” Thierry Duvaldestin said. “It seemed like a comfortable race for him, and we all know how fast this horse can go. We raced him with shoes today because it was a right-handed track. He raced this direction earlier in his career, so there was no reason to think it would be a problem. Still, I told Clément to take it easy around the first turn, which is why it took a little while to reach the lead.”

Despite his proximity to Argentan, the victory marked Duvaldestin’s first in the historic event.

“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “When I was younger, I used to come here specifically to watch this race, and not that many years ago I watched Love You win it. So many great horses have won this race. It has a wonderful history, and that makes winning it very special.”