Oriana Fallaci

Sponsored by Meg, Keelan Lidia and Thai

Oriana has been racing since a yearling, and has an insanely upbeat attitude, tough head, and endurance. She also is one of the most gifted athletes on the team and the lightest on her feet, I've seen her turn impossibly fast on a dime and spring right over the tall monster Hawkeye. At a recent vet check, the veterinarians commented on her incredible flexibility and relaxed resting state. Oriana shines when the team gets smaller and the terrain gets harder, and executes a flawless trot or lope. She is the smoothest mover in the team and mesmerizing to watch. Over the past few years, Oriana has run in every position but seems the most focused in wheel or the back four, bringing incredible drive and determination to the team, a fuzzy bird-boned whisp of a thing with a loud deep-throated bark.

As she enters into her prime, she is finally showing the strength of her lineage. When I told Stephane, who bred her, that I spayed her and was beginning to regret it he said ‘you will take that to your grave.’

Oriana, from her days as a puppy, has always been a mama’s girl. It is not a coincidence that when I work with photographers, they pick up on how special Oriana is to me and she appears in most of the photos. At the end of every run, Oriana is there hitting me with her paws for attention, right behind me when the other dogs are exploring.

Oriana is named after the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, known for her revolutionary politics and portrayals of underground resistance. Oriana and her brother Paolo (now living in MN with Nancy Lang) were the ‘Italian’ puppies, named after a trip to Tuscany for my good friends Celia and Mark’s wedding. Oriana thereby kicked off a trend in naming puppies after trips, and after activist writers. Also, ‘Oriana’ was a name my mother had considered naming me.

Born: 2015

Bidou (Duplessis) x Bebitte (Duplessis)

Race Experience:

2022:
Can Am 30: 12th place

2020:
Can Am 100 (1st place)

2019:
Beargrease Marathon
Can Am 250.

2018
Eagle Lake 100
UP200
Can Am 100

2017
UP200
Wilderness Race 60
Can Am 250