Peintre Celebre was lightly raced as a two-year-old. He entered only two races, winning one and finishing third in the other. In 1997, at age three, the horse won the
French Derby and the
Grand Prix de Paris before facing the best horses in Europe in France's most valuable race, the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Ridden by jockey
Olivier Peslier, Peintre Celebre won by five lengths and broke the track record by 3.4 seconds. His victory made him only the second horse after
Le Pacha in 1941 to complete that treble of Group One races. Peintre Celebre raced five times that year, winning four starts and finishing a close second in the other. He was named
European Horse of the Year and the International Classification rated him the best in the world in 1997. ==Stud career==