Sad news arrives from France with the death at the age of 28 of Jag de Bellouet, a pupil of Christophe Gallier, if not a dominator, certainly a major player on the European trotting scene between 2004 and 2006. Born in 1997 out of Viking’s Way and Vaunoise, he was perhaps one of the last examples of a totally eclectic subject. Capable of winning the Prix de Cornulier three times in monté race, he also dominated the Prix d’Amerique in 2005. In fact, he was the last trotter to hit what can be defined as a historic ‘double’ (Cornulier/Amerique) of two races that, among other things, are traditionally run a week apart. In 2006, he won both the Amerique in Paris and the Elitloppet in Solvalla, but was disqualified due to ‘doping’ for diclofenac, a painkiller and anti-inflammatory for which the suspension time had been miscalculated. His triumphs also include a triple win in the Prix de L’Atlantique and a record of 1.09.9 in the mile in 2006. However, there are 36 of his career victories with earnings of more than EUR 4.2 million.
