Val de l'Orne (1972–1993) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won four of his five races between September 1974 and June 1975 before his racing career was ended by injury. In 1974 he won on his debut and then finished second in the Group One Grand Critérium. In the following year he was undefeated, winning the Prix Noailles and the Prix Hocquart before recording his most important success in the Prix du Jockey Club. He did not race again, but became a successful breeding stallion.

Background

Val de l'Orne was a bay horse with no white markings bred in France by W. Stora. He was one of the best horses sired by Val de Loir who won the Prix du Jockey Club in 1962. Val de l'Orne was the first foal of Aglae, a mare who finished fourth in the Prix de Diane and came from a very successful family: her dam Aglae Grace won the Prix de Diane, produced the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Soltikoff, and was the ancestor of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains winners Red Lord and No Pass No Sale.^[1]

In 1974, Val de l'Orne was offered for sale and was bought by representatives of the French businessman Jacques Wertheimer. The price of ₣360,000 was the highest price paid for a yearling colt at auction in France that year. The colt was sent into training with Alec Head and was ridden in most of his races by his trainer's son Freddy Head.^[2]

Racing career

Assessment

There was no International Classification of European two-year-olds in 1974: the official handicappers of Britain, Ireland and France compiled separate rankings for horses which competed in those countries. In the French Free Handicap, Val de l'Orne was rated the fourth best two-year-old of the year, behind Mariacci, Green Dancer and the filly Broadway Dancer. The independent Timeform organisation awarded him a rating of 129, five pounds inferior to their top-rated two-year-old colt Grundy.^[2] In the following year he was rated 130 by Timeform, seven pounds behind their Horse of Year Grundy. In their annual Racehorses of 1975 the organisation commented that Val de l'Orne's early retirement, and the fact that he had never been tested against older horses made him difficult to assess. In the official French handicap he was the highest-rated three-year-old of the season ahead of Patch and Ivanjica.^[3]

Stud record

Val de l'Orne was retired to the Head family's Haras d'Etreham near Bayeux in Normandy^[3] and was later transferred to stand at the Windfields Farm in North America.

He was a successful breeding stallion whose best winners included Pay The Butler (Japan Cup), Golden Choice (Queen's Plate), La Lorgnette (Queen's Plate), Val Dansant (Prince of Wales Stakes), Victory Zone (Hollywood Derby), Valuable Witness (Goodwood Cup), River God (Queen's Vase), Alice Springs (All Along Stakes), Baron de Vaux (Woodlawn Stakes), Ruscelli (Prix de La Jonchere) and Truculent (Prix La Force).

Pedigree

References