23.10.2011 Kyoto (JPN) 11.Race Japanese St. Leger 2011 ( Kikuka Sho ) Group I 3.000 m

[JPD639]

Orfevre is the best 12f horse in the world right now. What a great 2011 season his had and its fantastic that a triple crown winner will race on as a 4 year old!!!

[GBeret83]

Orfevre is supposed to be coming to Dubai this year for a shot at the G1 Sheema Classic!! If he run's as well as he has in the 3 Japanese Triple Crown races at Meydan? Difficult to imagine Orfervre wouldn't have a huge shot at winning the Sheema Classic. The G1 Arima Kinen on Christmas Day in Japan, against Buena Vista and other top older horses should make for a fair yardstick as to as how well he'll do in Dubai, IMO.

[GBeret83]

This colt has got bags of speed, and he really is super-impressive. But what makes his winning the Japanese Triple Crown so impressive to me is that after he had won the G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas and the G1 Japanese Derby, he ran in, and won, the G2 Shimbun Hai Stakes at Hanshin before winning the third leg, the Japanese St. Leger. The only other horse I've ever heard of doing that in racing was Citation back in the 1940's. He won a stakes race at Monmouth between his Preakness and Belmont wins.

[riotracer]

Super impressive.

[WhiteCamry]

1) Given that last 200m, it'd be interesting to see Orfevre and Win Variation in the Melbourne Cup.

2) It's a lowdown dirty shame North American racing doesn't run at these distances any more.

[711ATOM]

@WhiteCamry I agree - Forego won the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 1974 when it was run at 2 miles. Now they call a 1-1/2 mile race a marathon. Forego also won the Vosburgh Handicap (now Stakes) at 7 furlongs and was named 1974 sprint champion. Racing was better then.