ENGLISH TEXTS
travel with their feed. This has to be cleared through customs in Frankfurt, but through a different process than the rest of the equipment: trunks, etc. We also handle the booking of training gallops through France Galop. In short, we are a travel agency for horses and their grooms. It is very demanding because our Japanese clientele is exacting, with great attention to detail. But they are also very respectful, very organized people and I have enjoyed working with them all these years.
G. How will you feel if a Japanese horse wins the Arc on October 5? F. C. F. I’ ll be delighted! The Japanese love France and remain loyal to it, they are serious and learn more each year. They deserve to win the Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe one day!
If El Condor Pasa and Deep Impact were true champions, Barbe believes that in other editions of the Arc, Japan has contested about twenty, their horses simply weren’ t good enough.“ Take Do Deuce. He was brilliant in Japan, though inconsistent. He even beat the phenomenal Equinox by a neck in the 2022 Japanese Derby. But in France, he managed only fourth in the Prix Niel, then finished nineteenth and next-to-last in the Arc. One can sometimes question the true level of Japanese racing.”
Four Times Second( Inter) Japan has nonetheless come agonizingly close to Arc glory four times, each time finishing a frustrating second. After El Condor Pasa, Nakayama Festa narrowly lost to Workforce in 2010 after a legendary battle down the straight. Then, despite his exceptional ability, Orfèvre could do no better in 2012 and 2013. In his first attempt, the chestnut carrying Sunday Racing’ s silks, the same as Croix du Nord, was held up before Christophe Soumillon launched him in the final turn. But Orfèvre, very difficult to handle, drifted badly right, even hitting the rail! The window was too good to miss for Olivier Peslier on Solémia. That catastrophic scenario greatly contributed to the legend of the“ cursed” Japanese Arc bids, especially since the following year Orfèvre ran into Trêve!“ He was a true champion but with a fiery temperament. Once launched, you couldn’ t hold him back,” analyzes Barbe.“ It was his character that cost him two victories.” It should be noted that Japanese colors had also taken second place in the Arc in 1991, but with a mare trained in France! Magic Night, trained by Philippe Demercastel, had been purchased on Barbe’ s advice after winning the Prix Vermeille. Owner Hideo Yokohama hoped she would become an Arc winner, but Suave Dancer, trained by John Hammond and ridden by American star Cash Asmussen, beat her by two lengths. The excellent Magic Night later finished second in the Japan Cup.
Tricky Ground( Inter) Cristian Demuro is among the exceptional riders to have won the Arc twice, in 2020 with Sottsass and in 2023 with Ace Impact. He knows Japan well, where his brother Mirco was a jockey, and where he himself has gone for two months every winter for over a decade. Currently leading France’ s jockey rankings, he rides top races there:“ There are Group 1s every week, and I ride good horses that I later partner in Dubai or the U. S. for the Breeders’ Cup.” For Demuro, Japanese failures are not about horse quality but ground conditions:“ At home they only race on flat, firm, very fast tracks. In France, they often perform well in Arc prep races, but on Arc day the ground is too heavy for them. Their training methods are also very different: they work on uphill woodchip tracks, over short distances of 800 – 1,000m... That’ s a world away from the Chantilly gallops at Les Lions or Les Aigles.” The Paris- Longchamp track rises and falls; it is technical and hard to master. Are Japanese jockeys, used to flat tracks and a certain“ courtesy” in the pack, a handicap for their horses?“ They don’ t get the chance to develop adaptability like European jockeys,” says Barbe. Demuro adds:“ In Japan, races start very fast, everyone quickly finds their place, the rhythm
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