Marche Lorraine (Japanese: , Hepburn: Marushu Rorēnu; foaled February 4, 2016) is a retired Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She is known for being the first Japanese and non-North American trained horse to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff, the race that concludes the dirt filly races of that season, in 2021.

Background Marche Lorraine was born at the Northern Farm in Abira, Hokkaido on February 4, 2016. Her sire, Orfevre, won 6 G1s including 2011 triple crown and 2 Arima Kinen. Her dam, , did not have a remarkable race career with only 1 win in her 9 starts, but her mother, Kyoei March, won five group races including the Oka Sho. Kyoei March only produced 4 crops before dying, and Vite Marcher was the only filly. The horse was offered for 75,000 JPY a share for a total of 30 million yen by , a Hitokuchi Banushi organization that offers stakes in horse ownership.

Marche Lorraine's name is derived from the French patriotic song of the same name.

Racing career

2019: Three-year old season After being sent to Yoshito Yahagi's stable at the Ritto Training Center, she made her debut at a maiden race on February 3 held at Kyoto Racecourse, where she came in 2nd behind I Love Tailor. She would win her first race after 5 starts. She finished that year with an additional victory, with her total wins at 2 out of 7 starts.

2020: Four-year old season Marche Lorraine won her 3rd win at her first race of the season, which was the Shikoku Shimbun Hai. She ran in group races but could not win before turning to dirt races after coming in second place at the Hakata Stakes on August 16.

After winning her first dirt race, she went on to run her first NAR race at the , where she won the race with a 3 lengths lead, making it her first group race win. Later on she entered the Japan Breeding farm's Cup Ladies' Classic, where the horse became the most favored, but wound up in 3rd place to Fashionista.

2021: Five-year old season Marche Lorraine's first race of the season was the , which she won. She also won her next race, the , where she passed the other horses from the rear. The horse was sent to run in mixed-gender races after this, and while she came in 3rd at the Heian Stakes, she finished at 8th at the Teio Sho. Marche Lorraine returned to filly-only races and won the showing her strength once again.

Marche Lorraine finished her season with her first race abroad, with her entering the Breeders' Cup Distaff held at Del Mar Fairgrounds on November 6. She placed herself in the rear of the pack in the early stages of the race, and took the lead at around the 4th corner, where she went neck-and-neck against Dunbar Road before winning the race, making it her first G1 victory.。This race also marked the first victory of an international dirt G1 race abroad for a Japanese-trained horse. As a result, the horse was awarded the 2021 NAR Grand Prix Special Awards. She was also nominated for the American Champion Older Dirt Female Horse of the Eclipse Awards that year but lost to Letruska. Marche Lorraine was, however, awarded the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year together with Loves Only You.

2022: Six-year old season Marche Lorraine entered the Saudi Cup that year as her final race of her career before retiring to stud, with Christophe Soumillon as her jockey. She could not win that race and finished in 6th place. Her racehorse registration was withdrawn as of March 9 to become a broodmare at the Northern Farm Airport Farm. She was bred with Drefong for her first season.

Racing statistics The list below is based on information available at JBIS Search, netkeiba.com as well as equibase.com, Sakab Jockey Club, and Racing Post. DateRacecourseRaceGroupTrack and distanceEntryPPOdds (Favored)FinishedTimeJockey1st place（2nd place）2019 – three-year-old seasonFeb 3Kyoto3-Year-Old NewcomerTurf 1600m16168.9（4th）1:37.0Kenichi IkezoeI Love TailorFeb 23Hanshin3-Year-Old Maiden RaceTurf 1800m1496.3（5th）5th1:48.6Ryusei SakaiDanon TeioMay 25Kyoto3-Year-Old Maiden RaceTurf 1600m18189.1（4th）9th1:34.3Kenichi IkezoeMidsummer HouseJul 21Chukyo3-Year-Old Maiden RaceTurf 1600m1613.9（3rd）5th1:36.3Yuichi FukunagaManiAug 10Kokura3-Year-Old Maiden RaceTurf 1800m1697.0（4th）1:47.0 Yuichi Fukunaga（Essenza）Oct 19Niigata3-Year-Old & Up C1WTurf 1600m18186.6（2nd）6th1:36.4Katsuharu TanakaCandy StormNov 3Fukushima3-Year-Old & Up C1WTurf 2000m1426.5（4th）1:59.8Yukito Ishikawa（La Raison）2020 – four-year-old seasonMar 29HanshinShikoku Shimbun HaiC2WTurf 2000m919.1（5th）2:01.4Ryusei Sakai（Rambling Alley）Apr 25FukushimaFukushima Himba StakesGIIITurf 1800m16720.4（8th）9th1:47.8Ryusei SakaiFairy PolkaMay 16NiigataPearl StakesC3WTurf 1800m1439.4（4th）12th1:48.7 (34.4)Yuta NakataniAndrasteJun 14HanshinMermaid StakesGIIITurf 2000m161529.2（13th）6th2:01.7 (37.0)Ryo TakakuraSummer ScentAug 16KokuraHakata StakesC3WTurf 2000m986.0（3rd）1:57.9 (35.5)Yutaka TakeCathedral BellSep 5KokuraSakurajima StakesC3WDirt 1700m1433.8（2nd）1:43.7 (35.0)Yuga Kawada（Kurino Flash）Oct 8 OhiLadies PreludeJpnIIDirt 1800m16102.3（1st）1:52.1 (36.8)Yuga Kawada（Madras Check）Nov 3OhiJBC Ladies' ClassicJpnIDirt 1800m15131.3（1st）1:51.7 (37.8)Yuga KawadaFashionisa2021 – five-year-old seasonJan 20OhiTCK Jo-o HaiJpnIIIDirt 1800m941.9（1st）1:53.7 (37.0)Yuga Kawada（Reine Blanche）Mar 4KawasakiEmpress HaiJpnIIDirt 2100m11112.3（1st）2:14.1 (38.9)Yuga Kawada（Salsa Dione）May 22ChukyoHeian StakesGIIIDirt 1900m16115.6（3rd）1:55.9 (37.1)Yuga KawadaAuvergneJun 30OhiTeio ShoJpnIDirt 2000m131255.0（9th）8th2:04.8 (38.7)Taito MoriT O KeynesAug 12MonbetsuBreeders Gold CupJpnIIIDirt 2000m851.5（1st）2:06.6 (36.5)Yuga Kawada（Linen Fashion）Nov 6Del MarBC DistaffG1Dirt miles111051.0（9th）1:47.67Oisin Murphy（Dunbar Road）2022 – six-year-old seasonFeb 26KAASaudi CupG1Dirt 1800m141421.0（11th）6th1:52.75Christophe SoumillonEmblem Road

In popular culture An anthropomorphized version of Marche Lorraine appears as a character in the Japanese multimedia franchise Umamusume: Pretty Derby, voiced by Tsukino Chikasada. She is depicted as a highly talented artist, but struggles with extreme social anxiety that leaves her unable to communicate with others except through a hand puppet, who has a much more sociable and livelier personality. However, she is comfortable speaking normally around her schoolmates Orfevre and Loves Only You, who is also her childhood friend.

Pedigree

Her half brother, , won the 2022 and 2023 . Marche Lorraine's niece, Namur, won the 2023 Mile Championship. Namur's sister, , won the Artemis Stakes and Challenge Cup. Marche Lorraine is the mareline descendant to , making her a distant relative to Oguri Cap.

References

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