Details
| Name / Japanese | Marche Lorraine / マルシュロレーヌ |
| Birth Year | 2016 |
| Sex | mare |
| Earnings | 193,279,000 yen (only Japan) |
| Races-Wins / G1-Wins | 22-9 / 4-1 |
| Sire | Orfevre |
| Dam (Sire) | Vite Marcher (French Deputy) |
| Other site link | JBIS / Umanity / en.netkeiba |
| Awards | NAR Grand Prix for Special Award (2021) NTRA Moment of the Year (2021) |
All grade races + Sakurajima Stakes
| Y D/M |
Track | Race | No. | Pl. |  / E |
|
| 2020 25/04 |
Fukushima T1800 |
Fukushima Himba Stakes (G3) | 7 | 9 | G | |
| 2020 14/06 |
Hanshin T2000 |
Mermaid Stakes (G3) | 15 | 6 | G | |
| 2020 05/09 |
Kokura D1700 |
Sakurajima Stakes (Allowance) | 3 | 1 | ▲ / G | |
| 2020 08/10 |
Ohi D1800 |
Ladies Prelude (G2) | 10 | 1 | ◆ | |
| 2020 03/11 |
Ohi D1800 |
JBC Ladies Classic (G1) | 13 | 3 | ◆ | |
| 2021 20/01 |
Ohi D1800 |
TCK Jo-o Hai (G3) | 4 | 1 | G | |
| 2021 04/03 |
Kawasaki D2100 |
Empress Hai (G2) | 11 | 1 | G | |
| 2021 22/05 |
Chukyo D1900 |
Heian Stakes (G3) | 11 | 3 | ◆ | |
| 2021 30/06 |
Ohi D2000 |
Teio Sho (G1) | 12 | 8 | ◆ | |
| 2021 12/08 |
Monbetsu D2000 |
Breeders’ Gold Cup (G3) | 5 | 1 | ◆ | |
| 2021 06/11 |
Del Mar D9F |
Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) | 10 | 1 | G | |
| 2022 26/02 |
King Abdulaziz D1800 |
Saudi Cup (G1) | 14 | 6 | G | |
- She won three turf races and tried turf grade races, but failed to win her fourth.
- In the Sakurajima Stakes, it was her first time running a dirt race.
She won by 1+1/4 lengths, making it her fourth win. - In the Ladies Prelude, she was the 1st favorite.
She won her first grade race by 3 lengths. - In the JBC Ladies Classic, she was by far the most favorite.
However, she was beaten to 3rd place by Fashionista. - She went on to win the TCK Jo-o Hai, Empress Hai and Breeders’ Gold Cup, and remained one of the top-ranked mares running dirt races in Japan.
However, since dirt races were not as popular as turf races in Japan and she never won against male horses, her name recognition was not so high. - Trainer Yoshito Yahagi decided to take Loves Only You and Marche Lorraine to the Breeders’ Cup in the United States.
He later said, “I thought the West Coast could be a good place for Japanese horses to win.”
Many Japanese horse racing fans knew that Loves Only You had gone to the United States, but not much was known about Marche Lorraine.
And even those who knew about Marche Lorraine thought and underestimated her, such as “She is a role to keep Loves Only You from being lonely, and cannot be expected to have a good run.”
(Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You have been grazing at the same place since they were in foal at Northern Farm and have been good friends since joining the Yahagi Stable.) - Before the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Loves Only You, ridden by Yuga Kawada, won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
It was the first time in history that a Japanese horse trained by a Japanese trainer and a Japanese jockey won the Breeders’ Cup race. - In the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Marche Lorraine was ridden by Oisín Murphy.
She began to move on the last corner and took the lead.
She was nearly caught by Dunbar Road in the homestretch but was not overtaken and finished 1st.
It was her first G1 win.
This was the first foreign dirt G1 race victory by a Japanese-trained horse.
(The Dubai World Cup, won by Victoire Pisa, was held on an all-weather track.
The Korea Cup and Korea Sprint have also been won by several Japanese horses, but they are not international G1 races.) - The NAR presented her with a special award for her Breeders’ Cup victory.
She was also selected for an award in the United States.
She did not receive the JRA’s Special Award.
Some critics and sports papers raised questions about that. - She retired after running the Saudi Cup.
Her family
- Her granddam is Kyoei March.
- As I described in my post about Kumohata, her family line is a very old family line in Japan.
A few Japanese horse racing fans were surprised by her very old family line.
(A few American horse racing fans might be surprised to find that Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You are the sire line of Sunday Silence, who left the U.S. in the past.)