Italian trotting champion Varenne dies at age 31 after earning over 6 million euros
Varenne, the champion Italian harness racer known as Il Capitano, died of a heart attack at the LJ stud farm in Eboli after winning over 60 races and siring more than 2,000 offspring.
Final hours in Eboli
Varenne, widely regarded as the most successful trotting horse in racing history, died of a heart attack at approximately 2:00 AM on Tuesday at the age of 31. The stallion passed away in his stall at the LJ stud farm in Eboli, located in the Sele plain of southern Italy, where he had lived since March 2025. Farm owner Dario De Angelis reported that the horse had just returned from an evening walk in the surrounding park before collapsing beside his handler. Varenne lived in a 30-square-metre box with two entrances, three cooling fans, and dedicated care from two veterinarians and a nutritionist who provided five scheduled meals daily.
He was together with Giovanni, one of our collaborators who took care of him, when he suddenly collapsed.
Racing career and world records
Born on 19 May 1995 at the Zenzalino breeding farm in Copparo near Ferrara, the bay trotter was sired by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz. Neapolitan stockbroker Enzo Giordano bought him in 1998 for 92,000 euros after his competitive debut in Bologna, later forming a team with Finnish trainer Jori Turja and Rome-based driver Giampaolo Minnucci. Across a five-year racing career ending in 2002, Varenne achieved between 62 and 63 victories in 72 to 73 starts, earning more than 6 million euros in prize money. In 2001, he became the only horse voted Horse of the Year in Italy, France, and the United States in the same calendar year, winning the Prix d'Amerique, the Gran Premio Lotteria di Agnano, and the Breeders Crown.
He was a Ferrari with a brain.
- Born at the Zenzalino breeding farm in Copparo
- Makes racing debut in Bologna and is acquired by Enzo Giordano
- Named Horse of the Year in Italy, France, and the United States
- Races for the final time at the Mondial Trot in Montreal
- Enters stud career, going on to sire over 2,000 horses
- Inducted into the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame
- Dies of a heart attack at the LJ stud farm in Eboli at age 31
Retirement, breeding, and cultural standing
Following his final race on 28 September 2002 at the Mondial Trot in Montreal, Varenne began a second career as a breeding stallion in 2004. Between 2004 and 2024, his covers were sold worldwide for between 10,000 and 20,000 euros each, generating more than 2,000 offspring, including his first son, Italo Del Ronco, who sold for 150,000 euros. Before moving to Eboli, Varenne spent 17 years residing at the Il Grifone breeding facility in Vigone until 2019. His celebrity status extended beyond equestrian circles into broader public life, inspiring a 2001 song by Enzo Jannacci and leading to his induction into the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2010.
Political and civic tributes
Italian officials and civic leaders issued statements following the announcement of Varenne's death. Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy's Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, praised the horse's athletic record on social media, recalling an award presented to the trotter during the Fieracavalli exhibition in Verona.
Today, an extraordinary horse passes away, but he remains a legend.
Veneto Governor Luca Zaia noted that the stallion's name entered everyday Italian idiom as a description for exceptional speed and strength, while Copparo Mayor Fabrizio Pagnoni and Piedmont Governor Alberto Cirio offered condolences celebrating the horse's ties to their respective regions.
