Val de l'Orne

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 Longchamp Racecourse in September. He disputed the lead from the start before drawing away in the straight to win by three lengths from Blue Vermillion, Tiepolino and Easy Regent. The form of the race was subsequently boosted when Easy Regent won the Critérium de Saint-Cloud. The colt was then moved up sharply in class for France's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the Grand Critérium over 1600 metres at Longchamp on 13 October and started the 9/2 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 Mariacci. 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".[2]

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 whip. 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.[3]

On 8 June, Val de l'Orne started 4/5 favourite for the Grand Prix du Jockey Club over 2400 metres at Chantilly Racecourse. His eleven opponents included Mariacci, Top Gear, Easy Regent from France as well as Patch, an ex-Italian colt who had been transferred to England and won the Lingfield Derby Trial 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 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.[3]