Orfevre: set to have final start in fantastic career

 PICTURE: Getty Images, BY NICHOLAS GODFREY3:36PM 20 DEC 2013 

One of the world’s richest races with a total purse of 384,860,000 yen (£2.25m), the famous race is a national sporting event in Japan that reaches far beyond the usual fan base, much like the Grand National in Britain, the Kentucky Derby in the States and the Melbourne Cup in Australia.

Orfevre, forever synonymous in Europe with the erratic performance with which he threw away last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, is drawn six in a 16-runner field as he makes his 21st and final start.

“He almost retired last season, but I begged the owners to put it off a year,” trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said, speaking to the Japan Racing Association.

“Win or lose, this will be his last race. But I don’t think I’ll have the luxury of dwelling in the emotions on the day of the race; I’ve got four other horses who will be in the race and to look after.”

The five-year-old, a domestic Triple Crown winner two years ago, finished second to Treve on his most recent visit to Paris for the Arc, after which he bypassed the Japan Cup to concentrate on the Arima Kinen, which he won in 2011.

“I could only admire how strong Treve was,” added Ikee. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horse hit the switch rounding the last turn and still manage to pull away from the field. She could possibly be the world’s best racehorse in decades.

“Orfevre ran a good race, left everything behind out there. Last year, he flew back two days after the Arc and I thought there was just no way he was going to be ready for the Japan Cup. That’s the kind of form he was in at the time. This year, he had plenty of time to recover before boarding his flight. The time he’s been given to recover has made a huge difference for this race.”

Kenichi Ikezoe, who has ridden Orfevre for every one of his starts on home soil, takes over once more from Christophe Soumillon.

“There are only seven horses who have won the Triple Crown in history, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be one of the seven jockeys to have ridden them,” said Ikezoe.

“I know everyone wants him to win; I just hope I can come through. I know how strong he can be, and it’s my job to settle him and make sure he has a clean race. He is the fans’ number-one pick and I’m fully aware of the expectations.”

Standing in Orfevre’s way is dual Classic winner Gold Ship (Naosuke Sugai/Ryan Moore), whose performance in winning last year’s Arima Kinen was enough for him to become the world’s top-rated three-year-old according to Racing Post Ratings.

However, he must rebound from a mulish display in the Japan Cup, where he flopped behind Gentildonna, leading to a jockey change with Ryan Moore taking over.

Moore, who rode Gentildonna, is rapidly earning cult status in Japan, where he is riding on a short-term contract. He has ridden four Grade 1 winners in the country altogether; Gold Ship has won both starts at this tight venue.

fonte: RacingPost