10/20/2011 2:10PM

Kyoto: Orfevre going for Japanese Triple Crown

By Steve Andersen
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Orfevre can become the first horse in six years to sweep Japan’s Triple Crown when he starts in Sunday’s Group 1 Japanese St. Leger, the Kikuka Sho, at Kyoto, Racecourse.

The winner of the Japanese 2000 Guineas in April and the Japanese Derby in May, Orfevre warmed up for Sunday’s race over about 1 7/8 miles on turf by winning the Group 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai Stakes over 1 1/2 miles at Hanshin Racecourse last month.

By Stay Gold, Orfevre is trained by Kenichi Ikezoe for Sunday Racing Co. Yasutoshi Ikee has the mount.

Orfevre will have a full field of 17 rivals in the Japanese St. Leger, which has a purse of approximately $2.7 million. Several horses who have chased Orfeve in recent starts are part of the Japanese St. Leger field.

Win Variation, second in both the Japanese Derby and Shimbun Hai Stakes last month, is part of the field, along with Belshazzar, third in the Japanese Derby, and Sadamu Patek and Danon Ballade, who were second and third in the Japanese 2000 Guineas.

If Orfevre wins the Japanese St. Leger, he will be the seventh horse to sweep the Japanese Triple Crown, and first since Deep Impact in 2005.