 Champion filly in France
The Summer and Autumn of 1985 were not just notable for the successes of Helen Street -
in France another Troy filly was making her mark. This was the hitherto unheralded
Walensee, who outstayed her rivals to win one of France's premier races for fillies, the
Prix Vermeille (Group 1). This race is the championship race over 12f for fillies (the
French Oaks, Prix de Diane, is run over a shorter distance) and is a significant trial for
the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe run about a month later.
Defeated the Best
In winning this race Walensee beat some of the best middle-distance fillies in Europe
and proved herself the top French-trained 3yo filly of her year. However she had been the
unconsidered outsider of them all at the post, having only been lightly raced.
Broodmare Career
Interestingly, in common with Helen Street, until 200 Walensee
had not bred anything as good as
herself at stud. It is a quirky coincidence that Troy's two best daughters have not been
the ones to carry his name on as a broodmare sire - this distinction has been left to the
lesser performers among them. However this may change with the emergence of
War Game, who looks as though she could be a top-class filly after
her win in the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil in France.
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