Epoca d'Oro, (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: エポカドーロ, foaled 15 February 2015) is a retired Japanese

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...

. After finishing third on his only appearance as a two-year-old in 2017 he showed steady improvement in the following spring, winning two minor races and finishing second in the Spring Stakes before recording his biggest success in the

Satsuki Sho Satsuki is a traditional Japanese name for the month of . It is commonly used as a feminine given name and, more rarely, as a surname or a masculine name. Possible spellings Satsuki can be spelled using different ''kanji'' characters and can mean ...

. He went on to finish runner-up in the

Tokyo Yushun Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

but failed to reproduce his best form in two subsequent starts that year.

Background

Epoca d'Oro is a bay colt bred in Japan by Toru Tagami. As a foal in 2015 he was consigned to the Select Sale and was bought for ¥36,720,000 by the Union Owner's Club. The colt was sent into training with Hideaki Fujiwara. He was ridden in most of his races by Keita Kosaki. He was from the first crop of foals sired by Orfevre, who was the

Japanese Horse of the Year The Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given to the most outstanding horse in Japanese thoroughbred horse racing. It is awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Since 1987 the honor has been part of the JRA Awards. This ...

in 2011 and was the Triple Crown winner that year as well as coming in second place in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

for two years in a row. Orfevre's other progeny include

Lucky Lilac Lucky Lilac (, foaled 3 April 2015) is a Japanese retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active broodmare. As a two-year-old in 2017 she was undefeated in three races including the Artemis Stakes and Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and took the JRA Award f ...

. Epoca d'Oro's dam Daiwa Passion was a top-class performer whose wins included the

Fairy Stakes The Fairy Stakes (Japanese フェアリーステークス) is a Grade 3 horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run in January over a distance of 1600 metres at Nakayama Racecourse. The race was first run in 1984 and has been ...

and the

Fillies' Revue The Fillies' Revue (Japanese フィリーズレビュー) is a Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse, Takarazuka, Hyogo. The race is run in March and ...

. She was a great-granddaughter of the outstanding Irish mare Cairn Rouge whose other descendants have included

Persuasive Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for influence. Persuasion can influence a person's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviours. Persuasion is studied in many disciplines. Rhetoric studies modes of persuasio ...

Racing career

2017: two-year-old season

Epoca d'Oro made his first and only appearance as a two-year-old in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1800 metres at

Kyoto Racecourse is located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 120,000. The current stand was built in 1999. History Kyoto Racecourse opened at its current location in December 1, 1925. In prepara ...

on 9 October. Racing on

firm A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

turf he finished third of the ten runners behind Tanglewood and Satono Eternal.

2018: three-year-old season

On his three-year-old debut Epoca d'Oro recorded his first victory when he defeated Rano Kau and fourteen others in a

maiden race In horse racing, a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

over 1600 metres at Kyoto on 21 January. Three weeks later he was stepped up in distance and followed up successfully in the Asunaro Sho over 2000 metres at

Kokura Racecourse is located in Kokura Minami-ku Kitakyushu, Japan. It is used for horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set ...

. In the following month he was moved up in class for the Grade 2 Spring Stakes (a trial race for the

) over 1800 metres at

Nakayama Racecourse was built in 1990 in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan, for horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for c ...

and was made the 4.3/1 third choice in a field of thirteen runners. Ridden by Tosaki he settled in second place before taking the lead in the straight but was caught on the line and beaten a nose by the favourite Stelvio. On 15 April at the same track Epoca d'Oro, with Tosaki again in the saddle, started at odds of 13.5/1 for the 78th edition of the Satsuki Sho over 2000 metres.

Wagnerian Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most ...

started favourite ahead of Stelvio with the other thirteen runners including Kitano Commandeur (Sumire Stakes), Time Flyer (

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

, Gendarme ( Daily Hai Nisai Stakes), Oken Moon ( Tokinominoru Kinen) and Generale Uno ( Keisei Stakes). Aithon set a strong pace from Jun Valerot and Generale Uno with the trio pulling many lengths clear of the others who were headed by Epoca d'Oro. The leaders began to tire approaching the final turn and Epoca d'Oro gained the advantage from Generale Uno in the last 200 metres before drawing away to win by two lengths from Sans Rival. Tosaki commented "I was able to position him as planned. He ran in good rhythm and responded well rounding the final corner. He's a smart horse and is developing with each race. His powerful run today shows that he will have no problem handling the extra distance in the

". At

Tokyo Racecourse is located in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has a capacity of 223,000, with seating for 13,750. Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) ...

on 27 May Epoca d'Oro was made the 8.5/1 fourth choice behind Danon Premium,

Blast Onepiece Blast Onepiece, (, foaled 2 April 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning his only start as a two-year-old, he improved to become the best colt of his generation in Japan the following year. He recorded Grade 3 victories in the ...

and Kitano Commandeur in the 85th running of the Tokyo Yushun over 2400 metres. He took the lead soon after the start, led the field into the straight and repelled several challengers before being caught in the final strides by Wagnerian and beaten half a length into second place. After a break of almost four months the colt returned for the

Kobe Shimbun Hai The Kobe Shimbun Hai (Japanese 神戸新聞杯) is a Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in Takarazuka, Hyogo, in September, but was contested over ...

Hanshin Racecourse is located in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. It has a capacity of 139,000 and is used for horse racing. The land was originally owned by Kawanishi Aircraft Company, which manufactured combat planes during World War II. After World War II, GHQ orde ...

in September and started joint-favourite with Wagnerian. After stumbling as he exited the

starting gate A starting gate, also called a starting barrier or starting stalls, is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing. History Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to star ...

he raced towards the rear of the field before staying on in the straight and came home fourth of the ten runners. On his final start of the season Epoca d'Oro started third favourite for the Kikuka Sho over 3000 metres. He was in contention for most of the way but faded in the closing stages to finish eighth behind Fierement, beaten five lengths by the winner. In the

2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2018 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on ...

Epoca d'Oro was rated the 15th best three-year-old colt in the world and the 78th best horse of any age or sex. In January 2019 Epoca d'Oro finished fourth behind Blast Onepiece, Wagnerian and the dirt champion Le Vent Se Leve in the poll to determine the

JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt The JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt is a title awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Since 1987 the honor has been part of the JRA Awards. Winners References {{reflist Horse racing in Japan: JRA Awards
Horse racing aw ...

for 2018 .

2019 and 2020: four-and-five-year-old season

Epoca d'Oro began his third campaign in the Grade 2

Nakayama Kinen The Nakayama Kinen (中山記念, ''Nakayama Kinen'') is a Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged four and older run over a distance of 1,800 metres at the Nakayama Racecourse, Funabashi, Chiba. The race is run in late February ...

on 24 February and came home fifth of the eleven starters behind

Win Bright Win Bright (, foaled 12 May 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in Hong Kong. He showed good early form, winning once as a juvenile and taking the Spring Stakes and Fukushima Kinen in the following year. ...

, Stelvio and Suave Richard, beaten two lengths by the winner. In the Grade 1 Osaka Hai the horse started a 13.3/1 outsider in a fourteen-runner field. He set the pace and maintained his advantage into the straight but dropped away quickly in the closing stages and finished tenth behind

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

. Epoca d'Oro did not race again due to numerous health issues before formally retiring from horse racing in August of 2020. Epoca d'Oro is currently standing stud for 500,000JPY at the Arrow Stud in

Shinhidaka, Hokkaido is a town located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Shinhidaka is the most populous town, and the economic center of Hidaka Subprefecture. History The river valleys of what is now Shinhidaka were occupied by the Ainu. From the 19th cen ...

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2015 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 1-l Satsuki Shō winners