The French Tank
by Lisa Harkema
Some horses just make everybody, their owners, trainer, driver as well as the racing fans, go through the full spectrum of emotions. Few horses have done this more so than the French tank, Rapide Lebel. The gelding would occasionally trot away like his opponents weren’t there and was simply unstoppable at his best. However, on occasion the trotting public got to see the nutty side of the star.
Rapide Lebel was no childhood star. Sold at the yearling auction in Caen by the breeders Alain Lerévérend, and Yves Bellec, the future star only cost €3,800. Those who saw him said he was nothing special to look at, not too big and his hock was described as not perfect. He would grow into his body though, often being called the “French tank”, a very solidly built horse with an extremely powerful stride. He qualified early in June as a two-year-old but did not make his debut until February the following year. Owned by Jean-Pierre and Cedric Megissier, Rapide Lebel did not win until his 9th start. He made breaks and was very inconsistent – and not always well-adjusted around other horses – but did show ability.
Winning a race in the spring of 2009 as a 4-year-old, one of those that saw potential was Alexandre Provost who figured that this was a horse who could easily make a couple of hundred thousands if he could just get the right person to train him and make him blossom. With his friend Andre Battal he bought the gelding for €120,000 that summer – a sizeable sum in itself and at that time Rapide only had career earnings of slightly less than €50,000.