Ourasi (7 April 1980 – 12 January 2013) was a chestnut

French Trotter The French Trotter is a French breed of trotting horse bred for racing both ridden and in harness. It was bred specifically for racing in the nineteenth century, principally in Normandy in north-western France. History Ridden trotting rac ...

. He earned $2,913,314 during his career. His

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

victories included three consecutive

Prix d'Amérique Prix d'Amérique is a harness race held at the Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris, France. The race takes place on the last Sunday of January every year, and has been doing so since 1920, with the exception for the years 1940-1941 when it was cancell ...

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...

, the second by approximately 18 lengths. Ourasi is considered by many to be the horse of the century. He won more than 50 consecutive races. Jean-René Gougeon (who died in July 2008), his trainer and driver, won the "Prix d'Amérique" with Ourasi 3 times. Ourasi won the "Prix d'Amérique" a fourth time with Minou Gougeon, the brother of Jean René Gougeon, who had had a stroke.

Background

Ourasi was born in Normandy in a small stud belonging to Raoul Ostheimer and Rachel Tessier. He was sired by Greyhound F out of Fleurasie by Remember F (his sire was not the illustrious American trotter of the same name).

Racing record

When Ourasi was 2 years old, he made his racing debut. He was trained by Rachel Ostheimer and driven by Raoul Ostheimer, who was deaf. At the beginning of 1989, when Ourasi was 9 years old and trying to win his fourth Prix d'Amérique. The French president,

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

, came to see the race. Few expected Ourasi to lose. However, he finished third behind "Queila Gédé" and "Potin d'Amour". On 28 January 1990, Ourasi broke the Prix d'Amérique's record.

Retirement

After mating with 130 mares from France, Scandinavia, and the United States, Ourasi produced only 8 foals from his first year at stud. Specialists were called from the around the world, but nothing could be done, and within 10 years, Ourasi produced just 38 foals. None of these foals became a champion.

Death

Ourasi was put down on 12 January 2013, after a brief spell of sickness, which had prevented him from eating for several days.

Major wins

* Elite-Rennen: 1986 *

: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990 *

Prix de France Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

: 1986, 1987, 1988 * Grand Critérium de Vitesse de la Côte d'Azur: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 *

Prix de Paris Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell (American ...

: 1989 * Prix de l'Étoile: 1985 *

Prix René Ballière Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

: 1986, 1988 * Critérium des 5 ans: 1985 * Critérium des Jeunes: 1983 * Prix de Bretagne: 1986 * Prix du Bourbonnais: 1985, 1986, 1988 * Prix de Bourgogne: 1987, 1988, 1989 * Prix de Belgique: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 * Prix de Washington: 1988 * Prix de Croix: 1985 *

Prix d'Europe The Prix d'Europe is a Canadian study grant that is funded by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec of the Government of Quebec. Established in 1911, the award has been distributed annually to a single individual through competition wi ...

: 1985, 1986, 1988 * Prix Roederer: 1985 * Prix Kalmia: 1983 * Prix Robert Auvray: 1985 * Grand Prix du Sud-Ouest: 1987 *

Oslo Grand Prix Oslo Grand Prix is an annual Group One harness event that takes place at Bjerke Racetrack in Oslo, Norway. The competition was inaugurated in 1966 and is regarded as Norway's biggest trotting event. It is raced over 2,100 meters and is part of t ...

: 1989

Main honourable mentions

* March of Dimes Trot at Garden State Park : 2nd in 1988 *

: 3rd in 1989 * Prix de Bretagne: 2nd in 1985

Pedigree

External links

Ourasi Legend Horse
{{Authority control French Standardbred racehorses 1980 racehorse births 2013 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Harness racing in France