The Prix de Paris “Marathon Race”, scheduled for Sunday February 28 at Hippodrome Paris-Vincennes, will close the Prix d’Amérique Races ZEturf competition. This Group I will also be the third Ultimate Final, after the Prix d’Amérique “Legend Race” and the Prix de France “Speed Race”. The champions will compete on 4,150 meters, or two laps of the Parisian Grande Piste, a very long course which is perfectly suited to competitors who also shine in the uphill, the other discipline of Trotting. Several top competitions under the saddle have won the Prix de Paris “Marathon Race”. Let’s start this series with Bellino II.
Bellino II was a real media star in his time, even to the point of having stepped on the set of Yves Mourousi’s 13-hour TV news on TF1. The “steamroller”, nicknamed for its devastating acceleration, occurred in competition between 1970 and 1977. He recorded 55 victories in his career, both on the mounted and on the harness, at the highest international level. All the most prestigious races appear on its hunting board. History retains his three successes in the Prix d’Amérique “Legend Race” (1975, 1976, 1977) and as many trophies in the Prix de Cornulier, the world championship for trotters under the saddle (1973, 1975, 1976) . He also won the Prix de Paris “Marathon Race” three times, in 1975, 1976 and 1977. His robustness, endurance and speed enabled him to shine in this atypical event.
His greatest achievement, however, remains to have succeeded in the challenge of the Ultimate, called in his time the Triple Crown, that is to say to remove during the same winter the Prix d’Amérique “Legend Race”, the Prix de France “Speed Race” and the Prix de Paris “Marathon Race”. Bellino II achieved this feat in 1976. Only Gélinotte, in 1956 and 1957, and Jamin, in 1959, had done it before him. Bold Eagle is the only champion to have signed this hat-trick after Bellino II, that is in 2017. The crack in the red cap died at the age of 14, on September 6, 1981 at the Villepelée stud farm in Orne.
Watch two videos paying homage to Bellino II below:
His victory in the Prix de Paris “Marathon Race” 1977:
Triple Couronne (The Ultimate today) history video:
