Over 115,000 shouted home Japan's "Golden Horse" Orfevre to victory in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen, 1m4½f (1-9/16m, 2500 meters) on Turf, at Nakayama on Christmas Day.

As Japan's first Triple Crown winner since Deep Impact JPN (Sunday Silence USA) in 2005, the spectacular three-year-old chestnut was sent out 6/5 favourite over 12 older horses - many of whom are multiple Grade winners.
 
Those Grade winners included the five-year-old mare Buena Vista JPN (Special Week JPN), winner of the 2011 Japan Cup, who was feted at her retirement after the race known as Japan's "Grand Prix" which is equivalent in national popularity to the Kentucky Derby, Grand National or Melbourne Cup.

The Arima Kinen purse is 416 million yen (£3.41 million or $4.9 million).

The three-year-old son of Stay Gold got a slow start in a slowly-run race and was second last for most of the first 10 furlongs when his jockey, Kenichi Ikezoe, pulled him five wide on the outside round the bend. 

Orfevre dug that amazing toe in, gearing up slowly about two furlongs out, and ground down the opposition Eishin Flash by ¾ length and To The Glory third in a sprint finish.

Buena Vista finished eighth and this year's Dubai World Cup winner, Victoire Pisa, behind her.

Ikezoe said "the colt stretched really well.  He's still a young horse - he was born later than the horses of the same age group (May 14, 2008) - but he is growing and getting better day by day."

Once unleashed, again and again, Orfevre has proven himself progressive if not invincible at longer distances. 

He lost his first three career races (a 10th 7f in a Grade 3, second and third in Grade 2s) and won his last six on a trot - four Grade 1s and two Grade 2s.

His trainer, Yasutoshi Ikee, equalled Japan's trainer record with five Grade 1 successes (four of which are Orfevre's) in one season.

Ikee said, "We are aiming for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but we are also examining the possibilities of racing him in Dubai in March".

The Dubai World Cup would probably be too short a trip for him now.

This is the horse who can finally bring the Arc cup home to Japan. 

As one of the world's best racehorses, Deep Impact should have won it, but did not because of poor race tactics.

Whatever races precede the Arc, they will be carefully chosen to enhance Orfevre's chances to win it and his career-long jockey primed to snatch Japan's coveted prize.

England has Frankel, Australia Black Caviar and Japan has its "Golden" boy - the three greatest horses racing on the Flat today.

©Posted December 26, 2011

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