Prix Niel
At age two, Vision d'Etat won the Prix le Pompier at the Les Sables-d'Olonne racecourse and the Prix de la Malmontagne at the Fontainebleau racecourse. At age three, he won the Prix Alcantara II at Saint-Cloud Racecourse, and at Chantilly Racecourse, both the Prix de Suresnes and the prestigious French Classic, the Prix du Jockey Club. His last outing in mid September was at Longchamp Racecourse where he won the Prix Niel. Undefeated in his first six starts, on October 5, 2008 Vision d'Etat finished fifth in France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.