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Orfevre – The Tyrant King

Uma Musume
Birthday: May 14
Height: 165 cm
Weight: Radiance of gold
Measurements: B82 / W55 / H80

A tyrannical Uma Musume who unabashedly calls herself the king of the racing world. “The turf is my domain; the Triple Crown has always been mine, and so, I will seize it back with my own hands.” At the academy, it is said that students, captivated by her overwhelming talent and charisma, constantly gather around her as loyal vassals.

Racehorse
Sex: Male
Date of Birth: May 14, 2008
Coat Color: Chestnut
Sire: Stay Gold
Dam: Oriental Art
Racing Record: 21 starts, 12 wins (Japan: 17 starts, 10 wins; Overseas: 4 starts, 2 wins)
Earnings: ¥1,344,084,000　($9,171,571)
Honors:
2015: Horse of Fame (Hall of Fame)
2013: Best Older Male Horse
2012: Best Older Male Horse
2011: Horse of the Year, Best Three-Year-Old Colt

Major Wins:
2011 & 2013 Arima Kinen (G1)
2012 Takarazuka Kinen (G1)
2011 Kikuka-shō (Japanese St. Leger) (G1)
2011 Tokyo Yūshun (Japanese Derby) (G1)
2011 Satsuki Shō (Japanese 2000 Guineas) (G1)
2012 & 2013 Prix Foy (G2)
2013 Sankei Osaka Hai (G2)
2011 Kobe Shimbun Hai (G2)
2011 Spring Stakes (G2)

Ridden by Kenichi Ikezoe, regular jockey of his brother Dream Journey, Orfevre won his two-year-old debut before unseating his rider after the finish. After several near misses, he captured the Spring Stakes, then the Satsuki Sho (run at Tokyo due to the Great East Japan Earthquake), and went on to claim the Japanese Derby on heavy ground, securing the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

With no rivals left among his generation, Orfevre scored a decisive victory in the Kikuka Sho, becoming the seventh colt in history to complete the Triple Crown. Although he bolted after the finish and unseated his jockey. As a result, Ikezoe became the youngest jockey ever to capture the Triple Crown, at 32 years, 3 months, and 1 day.

Kikuka-shō (Japanese St. Leger) (G1)

He carried that momentum into year’s end, capturing the Arima Kinen for his sixth straight win and earning the title of Horse of the Year. The same race had also been won in 2009 by Dream Journey, making it the first-ever victory in the event by a pair of brothers. In addition, winning the Triple Crown and the Arima Kinen in the same year was only the third such achievement, and the first in 17 years, since Narita Brian.

At four, his unpredictability resurfaced in the Hanshin Daishoten, where he nearly veered off course yet still finished 2nd. After a poor showing in the Tenno Sho (Spring), he rebounded to win the Takarazuka Kinen.

Later that year, he traveled to France, winning the Prix Foy before finishing a heartbreaking 2nd in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, fading near the end. Returning to Japan, he lost a fierce Japan Cup duel against the Triple Tiara mare Gentildonna.

2013 Arima Kinen (G1)

At five, he won the Osaka Hai but skipped the Takarazuka Kinen due to a bleeding incident. Once again, he finished 2nd in the Arc, but redeemed himself in his retirement race, the 2013 Arima Kinen, crushing the field by eight lengths.

“This is it, burn it into your eyes—this is Orfevre!”

The Story of Orfevre and the Boy

After returning from the Arc, jockey Kenichi Ikezoe learned of a terminally ill boy who wished to meet Orfevre. A special meeting was arranged at Northern Farm Shigaraki, where the normally temperamental horse showed rare gentleness toward the child. Touched, Ikezoe vowed, “I will win for this boy.” Sadly, two weeks before the Arima Kinen, the boy passed away. Ikezoe strengthened his resolve, determined to win and deliver the news to heaven. On December 22, 2013, in his final ride on Orfevre, Ikezoe carried both immense pressure and deep emotion into their last triumphant race.

He finished eight lengths ahead of the second place horse and leisurely crossed the finish line.
After the race, he looked up at the sky from his horse and reported, "I won."