He was the driver of the strongest trotter ever. Gianpaolo Minnucci tells us about the excitement, the fear, the hope he experienced 25 years ago. It was the year 2000, when he appeared for the first time at the Prix D’Amerique, with Captain Varenne. After that debut, he appeared again in both 2001 and 2002 with overwhelming results. Varenne is the only horse in the history of international horse racing to have won Horse of the Year in three different countries: Italy, France and the United States, and he is the only one to have won every major race in the world in 2001. But let’s rewind the tape.
Gianpaolo, you have been driving horses for thirty-six years. Is there a moment in your career that you would like to relive a thousand times over?
Life is made of steps. I could tell you when I won the first race in my career. I remember once when I was at Vincennes as a spectator, in the company of the great William Casoli, I said out loud: one day I’d like to run on that black charcoal.
Seeing how that turned out, did your wish exceed your wildest expectations?
In fact, not only did I race on it, I won two Americas. It’s like asking the universe for a glass of water and instead I got the sea.
And with the giant Varenne, you became a legend. Can you describe how you experienced those three editions?
At the first Amerique I wasn’t tense. Just think that the night before, me and Pippo Gubellini, who had won the Prix de Luxemburg on Saturday, were up at five in the morning. I practically showed up at the parade with my clothes on (he emphasises in plain clothes, laughing), while the others were already in their overalls. The twenty minutes from the start are deadly. Just then, I felt a chill down my spine. I remembered when I was in the stands as a spectator.
And the other two you won?
I experienced 2001 as revenge. I had a poisoned tooth because of how the previous year had gone, where we finished third. In 2002, we were expected and so there was the adrenaline to confirm our value.
Have you ever felt you were the most important driver in the world since you won everything with Varenne?
Not that, I never thought that. But I can proudly say that I had the honour of driving ‘the horse’, not a horse, but ‘the horse’. And I have said it all.
And to the detractors who say that your good fortune was to drive ‘HIM’, how do you respond?
The horse is the driver, but meanwhile I happened to have that luck. Everything else is boredom.
How was your relationship with the French?
At first they looked down their noses at us. The French are not bad, they are French. Then the esteem increased, but never overtly. After the winning era of the 1970s, with our return to Paris in the 2000s and the successes we achieved, the Italians rose to prominence again. I can say that I was a pioneer of our reappearance in the roll of honour. And then it has to be said, we are smart drivers. After a couple of races on a difficult track like Vincennes we already know what to do.
You are the only driver to have received the honour of ‘Cavaliere dello Sport’ from President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
Yes in the end these are the things that count, not the cups.
Are you going to the Prix D’Amerique on Sunday?
Of course. If I don’t go, they don’t do it. Just kidding!
