Orfevre: had to undergo track test after being beaten on seasonal debut
PICTURE: Masakazu TakahashiOrfevre passes track test ready for Tenno Sho
Japan: Last year's Triple Crown winner Orfevre, whose long-term target is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, has been given the green light to run in the Tenno Sho (Spring) after passing a full-scale test following his errant performance on his seasonal debut last month in the Hanshin Daishoten.
Thefour-year-old was beaten at odds of 1-10 in truly remarkable circumstances as he blew the turn and virtually pulled himself up in that Grade 2 event, in which he was still beaten only a half-length by Gustave Cry.
On Wednesday morninghe was partnered by big-race jockey Kenichi Ikezoe in an 'exam' on the dirt track at the Ritto Training Centre.
Running from the backstretch to the home turn, Orfevre moved smoothly and ran straight in the home stretch - enough for the eight-member stewarding committee to accept his entry for the Tenno Sho.
Ikezoe said: "I am so relieved but I could communicate with him because I've been riding him every morning."
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