Rey de Oro

Rey de Oro (Japanese: レイデオロ foaled 5 February 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a juvenile in 2016 he was undefeated in three races including the Grade 2 Hopeful Stakes and was rated one of the best two-year-old colts in Japan. In the following year he won the Tokyo Yushun and Kobe Shimbun Hai and finished second in the Japan Cup. At the end of the season he was rated one of the best three-year-old colts in the world and took the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt. As a four-year-old in 2018 he won the Sankei Sho All Comers and took the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho.

Rey de Oro is a bay horse with a white star bred in Japan by Northern Farm. During his racing career he carried the green, white and pink colours of U Carrot Farm and was trained by Kazuo Fujisawa. He has been ridden in most of his races by Christophe Lemaire.

His sire, King Kamehameha was one of the best Japanese colts of his generation, beating a field including Heart's Cry and Daiwa Major in the 2004 Japanese Derby. His other winners as a breeding stallion include Lord Kanaloa, Rose Kingdom, Leontes, Apapane and Duramente. Rey de Oro's dam La Dorado showed some racing ability, winning four of her eighteen races between 2009 and 2011 and was a half-sister to the Grade 3 winner Gold Blitz. She was a granddaughter of the Irish-bred mare Wind In Her Hair, the dam of Deep Impact.

Rey de Oro made his debut in a contest for previously unraced two-year-olds over 2000 metres at Tokyo Racecourse on 9 October and won by a length. He followed up on 3 December when he won the Hopeful Stakes over the same distance at Nakayama Racecourse. The colt was then moved up in class for the Grade 2 Hopeful Stakes over the same course and distance on 25 December. He started the 1/2 favourite in a fourteen-runner field and won by one and a quarter length from Meiner Sphene.

Rey de Oro finished runner up to Satono Ares in the voting for the JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Colt.

On his first run of 2017 Rey de Oro started at 9.4/1 in an eighteen-runner field for the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho over 2000 metres at Nakayama. He was towards the rear in the early stages before finishing well and came home fifth behind Al Ain, Persian Knight, Danburite and Clincher. On 28 May Rey de Oro was one of eighteen three-year-old colts to contest the 84th running of the Tokyo Yushun over 2400 metres at Tokyo Racecourse. He was made the 4.3/1 second favourite behind the Aoba Sho winner Admirable while the others included Suave Richard, Al Ain, Satono Arthur, Persian Knight, Danburite and Clincher. With Lemaire in the saddle he raced towards the rear before moving up into second place behind the front-running My Style approaching the final turn. He took the lead 200 metres from the finish and won by three quarters of a length from Suave Richard, with Admirable a length and a quarter back in third. Lemaire reportedly commented "We had no specific tactic, but we were forced to travel toward the rear after a slow start and the pace was slow, so I decided to move forward in the backstretch. He was very relaxed and was responding well in the homestretch so I knew we will win in the last 100 meters."

After a summer break, Rey de Oro returned for the Grade 2 Kobe Shimbun Hai (a trial race for the Kikuka Sho) over 2400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse. Starting the 1.2/1 favourite he tracked the leaders before taking the lead inside the furlong and won "readily" by two lengths from Kiseki. On 26 November Rey de Oro was matched against top class older horses to contest the Japan Cup over 2400 metres at Tokyo and started 2.8/1 second favourite behind the five-year-old Kitasan Black. After racing in mid-division he stayed on strongly in the straight to finish second to Cheval Grand with Kitasan Black in third. The other beaten horses included Idaho, Makahiki, Soul Stirring and Satono Crown.

In January 2018, Rey de Oro won the JRA Award for Best Three-Year-Old Colt, taking 289 of the 290 votes.