Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre has completed his first pieces of work ahead of a tilt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Triple Crown winner prepares for Arc challenge
Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre has completed his first pieces of work ahead of a tilt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Orfevre, who travelled to France with his stablemate Aventino, arrived in France on Saturday August 25 and is pencilled in to have his first start next month in the Prix Foy at Longchamp.
The son of Stay Gold, who won the Triple Crown in 2011, will be based at the Chantilly yard of France-based Japanese trainer Satoshi Kobayashi.
"It was a long trip," trainer Yasutoshi Ikee told the Japanese Racing Association website,
www.japanracing.jp.
"It took 30 hours from leaving Ritto Training Centre. But, (Orfevre) has had no fever since arriving so I'm relieved. . . . He's a bit nervous but I think he'll settle down once he's gotten used to the new surroundings," commented the 43-year-old Ikee, who also said he planned to keep the horse's work schedule "flexible."
Orfevre was worked twice up the dirt hill course on Monday, the first time at an easy gallop over 800 metres and the second at a gallop over 1,200 metres.
Hard Yakka
"The first time up, his work partner was slow and so (Orfevre) was a bit hesitant. But, the second time up he seemed to be enjoying the gallop for the first time in a while. I'm happy with the work," Ikee said
His trainer believes that he will have to get plenty of work into him before his first race, a key trial for the Arc: "He moved well but the time wasn't good," Ikee had said. "I asked the rider to ride 53 seconds for 4 furlongs so the exercise was too light. He will have to do some hard work in Chantilly before his prep race."
Orfevre has won eight of his 14 starts, with five wins at the top-level, including the three races that constitute Japan's Triple Crown.
He has proved wayward this year, pulling himself up halfway down the backstretch on his reappearance before finishing with a flourish to go close to snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
He then followed that with an even more surprising run when he finished far down the field in the Grade One Tenno Sho (Spring) but returned to form in the Grade One Takarazuka Kinen when beating this year's Hong Kong QE II Cup winner Rulership.
