The 38th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar certainly fulfilled anticipations in numerous aspects. In the previous year, attendees were not allowed at the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Therefore, the attendees who made it to the 2021 event at California’s picturesque Del Mar were more than thrilled to celebrate as NBC Sports recorded the activities. Regarding the caliber of talent displayed on the track, several races showcased remarkably competitive contenders – and the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff was undoubtedly among them.
The Distaff featured an 11-horse lineup that boasted five Grade/Group 1 victors and five Grade 2 victors, spotlighted by a duo of fillies destined to be named champion older female dirt runner and champion 3-year-old filly, respectively, at the Eclipse Awards in Letruska and Malathaat. Uniquely, the only participant lacking a graded or group stakes triumph was a 30-1 longshot according to morning line odds.
Five-year-old Marche Lorraine traveled to Del Mar from Japan, backed by a respectable race record of eight wins in 20 career attempts, with four of these secured in stakes events. Nevertheless, all her stakes victories occurred at second-tier venues in her homeland. Consequently, they were not categorized at the same competitive racing level as those held at major tracks like Tokyo or Hanshin. The level of competition at premier Japanese tracks was, and continues to be, perceived as below the standards seen within the elite dirt racing circuits of the U.S. That made the daughter of Japanese Triple Crown champion Orfevre seem like an afterthought for most gamblers, especially when compared to her stablemate Loves Only You, the 2019 Japanese Oaks victor who also traveled to Del Mar, recognized as one of the frontrunners for the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Both fillies were under the guidance of Yoshito Yahagi, who had found prosperity in his native Japan with triumphs in the Japanese Derby, Japanese St. Leger, as well as various other notable competitions. However, he was relatively unknown in the U.S. That would soon change. Following an impressive Saturday at Del Mar, however, the elegantly dressed Yahagi and the translated gratitude he expressed would remain among the lasting impressions of Breeders’ Cup 2021.
The successful day began in Race 7, when Loves Only You secured a captivating victory in the Maker’s Mark Filly and Mare Turf by a margin of a half-length as the 4.30-1 second betting preference. A group of Japanese associates encircled the winner’s enclosure. Three races later, the lineup entered the starting gate in the Distaff, with Letruska installed as the favorite at 1.70-1 odds, Malathaat the second betting choice at 3.60-1, and U.S.-based Royal Flag and Shedaresthedevil supported at 5-1 and 8.40-1, respectively. Meanwhile, Marche Lorraine was a 49.90-1 longshot when the gate opened, holding the third-longest odds in the lineup. Irish jockey Oisin Murphy was aboard Marche Lorraine for the first occasion, having guided Yahagi’s horses on several international starts, and the British champion jockey aimed to secure his first Breeders’ Cup after 10 prior attempts without a placing.
California-based Grade 2 victor Private Mission secured the early lead from the inside post, with Letruska – who entered the race having captured four graded stakes in succession by leading at each point of call – racing just behind her as the lineup navigated the initial turn of the 1 1/8-mile Distaff. The opening quarter-mile was achieved in :21.84, with the half-mile in :44.97, which was an extremely rapid pace, even for top-tier horses. Neither frontrunner slowed as they hit the six-furlong mark in 1:09.70, and Letruska moved alongside Private Mission. Marche Lorraine was positioned 10 lengths behind the leading runners at the half-mile mark, yet she and the remaining field were ready to leverage that intense pace, with the race scenario significantly altering on the second turn.
2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks champion Shedaresthedevil was the initial runner to advance from her stalking position, seizing the advantage on the turn. Soon after, Royal Flag moved to her outside and, between them, was a competitor that few anticipated to be a factor.
Seizing control at the quarter-pole, Marche Lorraine was strongly ridden by Murphy throughout a thrilling stretch duel as she angled out about five paths away from the rail. Royal Flag drifted out six wide, with Grade 1 winner Clairiere rallying even farther out. Grade 2 victor Dunbar Road and Malathaat both gained ground rapidly along the inside and, with fewer than 100 yards remaining, Dunbar Road momentarily claimed the lead under Jose Ortiz. However, Marche Lorraine demonstrated tremendous resolve, and the photo finish revealed that she had prevailed by a nose, achieving one of the most significant upsets in Breeders’ Cup history.
“I made an effort to disregard her odds, striving to offer her the optimal opportunity during the race, with the expectation she could complete the effort strongly,” Murphy shared with BloodHorse. “Frankly, we were at the mercy of circumstances. I positioned her at the rear, and [the leaders] set a very quick pace. That scenario was essential for our chances, and she gave a brilliant performance.”
If conceivable, the assembly of Japanese links gathered at Del Mar’s winner’s circle following Marche Lorraine’s victory were even more jubilant than they had been earlier. The victory coupled with Loves Only You’s triumph affirmed Japan’s emergence as the significant narrative of the 2021 World Championships. They became the pioneering pair of horses based in Japan to secure Breeders’ Cup wins (Japan-bred Karakontie, who triumphed in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Mile, raced in Europe). Marche Lorraine participated in one additional event in early 2022, finishing sixth in the $20 million Saudi Cup, after which she was retired to Northern Farm in Japan, her place of birth, to commence her career as a broodmare.
