Varenne, the horse who wrote the history of world trotting, turns thirty today. Born on a stormy night on May 19, 1995, following a complicated birth, he has become an Italian sporting star with an astonishing career that includes 73 races, 62 victories, and over 6 million euros in earnings. From 1998 to 2002, he won everywhere: Paris, Stockholm, Rome, and New York. Varenne has been compared to legends like Alberto Tomba and Michael Schumacher, but for Neapolitans he remains the “Maradona of trotting". His longtime owner, Enzo Giordano, who passed away two weeks ago, was Neapolitan too: a devoted Napoli fan and money changer with a shop at the station, he fell in love with Varenne after seeing him on TV in a terrible race in Bologna. But he didn't give up; he used all of the family's savings to buy it. The story is well-known: Varenne took off at the age of three and became a media sensation. The Jannacci dedicated a song to him, Fiorello hosted him on prime time TV, and his second victory at the Amerique set a record share. Thousands of tricolors emerge on racecourses. Varenne is still an icon today, as proven by the recent audience at the Agnano Lottery, where 15,000 people came to applaud him. His driver, Giampaolo Minnucci, says: "Varenne does incredible things for a horse. During the race, he slowed only when the others had given up. And when he senses the warmth of the crowd, he shakes his head as if to say thank you". Since 2003, he has lived a second life as a stallion, fathering over 3,000 progeny all across the world, many of whom have gone on to become champions themselves. Today, at thirty years old - an age equivalent to nearly ninety human years - he enjoys his retirement in Eboli,  where Giordano wanted him nearby during his illness.