319:
Val de l'Orne gradually wore down the
British challenger and won by a head. It was subsequently revealed that the winner had sustained a serious shoulder injury, which Freddy Head believed had occurred before the turn into the straight. The injury did not respond to treatment and Val de l'Orne did not race again.
327:
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,
318:
by ten lengths. Head settled the colt towards the rear of the field before moving up to dispute third place early in the straight. Patch had taken the lead and looked the likely winner but Val de l'Orne began to make rapid progress and was only a length behind 200 metres out. In the closing stages
681:
344:
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
298:
Val de l'Orne began his three-year-old season in the Prix
Noailles over 2100 metres at Longchamp on 27 April. Starting at odds of 1.6/1 in a seven-runner field he defeated the odds-on favourite Top Gear by three-quarters of a length without Head having to use his
303:. Two weeks later, started 11/10 favourite for the Prix Hocquart against eight opponent including Top Gear and Easy Regent. Racing on soft ground he won "effortlessly" by two lengths from Top Gear who was in turn two and a half lengths clear of the remainder.
285:
fourth choice in the betting. After being settled in fifth place by Freddy Head he moved up to take the lead 400 metres from the finish but was overtaken in the closing stages and finished second, two lengths behind the winner
182:. 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
265:
Val de l'Orne was kept off the racecourse by several training setbacks, including a serious respiratory infection before making his debut in a race over 1600 metres at
290:. Alec Head commented that if anyone had told him in August that Val de l'Orne would finish second in the Grand Critérium he would have thought them "crazy".
727:
248:
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
722:
732:
336:. The independent Timeform organisation awarded him a rating of 129, five pounds inferior to their top-rated two-year-old colt
717:
712:
230:
273:
from Blue
Vermillion, Tiepolino and Easy Regent. The form of the race was subsequently boosted when Easy Regent won the
222:
340:. In the following year he was rated 130 by Timeform, seven pounds behind their Horse of Year Grundy. In their annual
217:
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
274:
397:
358:
315:
277:. The colt was then moved up sharply in class for France's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the
236:
In 1974, Val de l'Orne was offered for sale and was bought by representatives of the French businessman
405:
269:
in
September. He disputed the lead from the start before drawing away in the straight to win by three
307:
306:
On 8 June, Val de l'Orne started 4/5 favourite for the Grand Prix du Jockey Club over 2400 metres at
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464:
425:
311:
198:
150:
237:
110:
278:
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and came from a very successful family: her dam Aglae Grace won the Prix de Diane, produced the
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417:
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346:
245:
421:
401:
370:
333:
282:
413:
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310:. His eleven opponents included Mariacci, Top Gear, Easy Regent from France as well as
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409:
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40:
448:
300:
249:
214:
183:
92:
30:
544:
515:
381:
226:
120:
366:
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66:
362:
314:, an ex-Italian colt who had been transferred to England and won the
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201:. He did not race again, but became a successful breeding stallion.
213:
bred in France by W. Stora. He was one of the best horses sired by
376:
He was a successful breeding stallion whose best winners included
281:
over 1600 metres at
Longchamp on 13 October and started the
189:. In the following year he was undefeated, winning the
441:Pedigree of Val de l'Orne (FR), bay stallion, 1972
197:before recording his most important success in the
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21:
357:Val de l'Orne was retired to the Head family's
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635:
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8:
209:Val de l'Orne was a bay horse with no white
369:and was later transferred to stand at the
18:
244:360,000 was the highest price paid for a
439:
607:
233:winners Red Lord and No Pass No Sale.
165:Top-rated French three-year-old (1975)
163:Timeform rating 129 (1974), 130 (1975)
7:
16:French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse
14:
174:(1972–1993) was a French
396:(Queen's Plate), Val Dansant (
229:, and was the ancestor of the
1:
728:Racehorses trained in France
294:1975: three-year-old season
749:
231:Poule d'Essai des Poulains
723:Racehorses bred in France
621:. Thoroughbred Bloodlines
586:
573:
568:
555:
538:
533:
526:
511:
498:
493:
480:
463:
455:
445:
261:1974: two-year-old season
223:Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
162:
139:
733:Thoroughbred family 11-e
275:Critérium de Saint-Cloud
666:Timeform staff (1976).
644:Timeform staff (1975).
619:"Scandal – Family 11-e"
595:Melanie (Family 11-e)
398:Prince of Wales Stakes
718:1993 racehorse deaths
713:1972 racehorse births
316:Lingfield Derby Trial
308:Chantilly Racecourse
267:Longchamp Racecourse
442:
426:Prix de La Jonchere
199:Prix du Jockey Club
151:Prix du Jockey Club
668:Racehorses of 1975
646:Racehorses of 1974
440:
420:), Baron de Vaux (
416:), Alice Springs (
373:in North America.
342:Racehorses of 1975
238:Jacques Wertheimer
111:Jacques Wertheimer
599:
598:
489:Vieille Canaille
428:) and Truculent (
400:), Victory Zone (
328:behind Mariacci,
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740:
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641:
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569:Aglae Grace (FR)
507:Fille de Soleil
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418:All Along Stakes
406:Valuable Witness
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747:
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682:"Val de l'Orne"
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422:Woodlawn Stakes
402:Hollywood Derby
371:Windfields Farm
359:Haras d'Etreham
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334:Broadway Dancer
325:
296:
279:Grand Critérium
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240:. The price of
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187:Grand Critérium
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12:
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5:
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556:Commemoration
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534:Armistice (FR)
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481:Vielle Maison
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378:Pay The Butler
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332:and the filly
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430:Prix La Force
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390:Queen's Plate
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256:Racing career
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219:Prix de Diane
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195:Prix Hocquart
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191:Prix Noailles
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172:Val de l'Orne
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146:Prix Hocquart
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141:Prix Noailles
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22:Val de l'Orne
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690:. Retrieved
688:. 2014-03-07
685:
676:
667:
645:
623:. Retrieved
582:Spring Tide
577:Rose Prince
512:Her Slipper
457:Vieux Manoir
414:Queen's Vase
410:Goodwood Cup
394:La Lorgnette
375:
356:
341:
330:Green Dancer
326:
305:
297:
264:
235:
208:
176:Thoroughbred
171:
170:
41:Vieux Manoir
670:. Timeform.
648:. Timeform.
449:Val de Loir
353:Stud record
250:Freddy Head
215:Val de Loir
31:Val de Loir
707:Categories
692:2014-08-16
686:Equineline
625:2014-08-16
602:References
551:San Tares
529:Aglae (FR)
499:Sunny Boy
323:Assessment
205:Background
135:Major wins
590:Amfortas
545:Wild Risk
516:Tetratema
494:Vali (FR)
476:Vitamine
470:Blandford
382:Japan Cup
227:Soltikoff
184:Group One
121:Alec Head
58:Armistice
37:Grandsire
574:Mousson
559:Vandale
484:Fingals
465:Brantôme
436:Pedigree
367:Normandy
347:Ivanjica
288:Mariacci
246:yearling
211:markings
193:and the
102:W. Stora
67:Stallion
587:Agathe
271:lengths
225:winner
130:5:4-1-0
117:Trainer
99:Breeder
81:Country
55:Damsire
540:Worden
363:Bayeux
338:Grundy
158:Awards
153:(1975)
148:(1975)
143:(1975)
127:Record
89:Colour
84:France
73:Foaled
571:1947
536:1959
531:1965
502:Jock
496:1954
461:1947
453:1959
361:near
312:Patch
107:Owner
50:Aglae
459:(FR)
451:(FR)
446:Sire
301:whip
180:sire
76:1972
27:Sire
527:Dam
432:).
404:),
392:),
384:),
365:in
283:9/2
93:Bay
63:Sex
47:Dam
709::
684:.
654:^
634:^
610:^
349:.
252:.
695:.
628:.
408:(
388:(
380:(
242:₣
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