Orfevre completed Japan’s 2000 Guineas – Derby double with a brilliant turn of foot in Tokyo on Sunday.  He emulated Deep Impact who also completed the double on the way to the Triple Crown in 2005.

Orfevre (3c Stay Gold – Oriental Art by Mejiro McQueen) held off Win Variation (Heart’s Cry) by nearly two lengths before a crowd of 82,240.  They were seven lengths ahead of third placegetter Belshazzar (King Kamehameha).

Sheikh Mohammed attended the Derby to watch Frankie Dettori pilot Darley homebred Debonair.  The Agnes Tachyon colt started third favourite behind the winner and Sadamu Patek (Fuji Kiseki) but finished with the tailenders.

Orfevre is a brother to Japanese champion Dream Journey.  He is prepared by Yasutoshi Ikee who became the youngest Derby-winning trainer in JRA history.

Orfevre’s sire Stay Gold won the 2001 Dubai Sheema Classic and G1 Hong Kong Vase before retiring to the Breeders Stallion Station.  He is a son of Sunday Silence and also sired Derby fourth Nakayama Knight.  Runner-up Win Variation is a first crop son of another Sunday Silence sire in Heart’s Cry.

Orfevre is the third Group 1 winner by Stay Gold following his champion brother Dream Journey (2009 Arima Kinen) and Nakayama Festa who ran second in last year’s Arc.