Orewa Matteruze: Smile, Because I’m Here!
This is the story of a horse who carried on his sister’s wish. His name is Orewa Matteruze (オレハマッテルゼ), a name that can be depicted as “I’ve been waiting” or “I’m obsessed with it.” The name comes from the 1957 Japanese action film I Am Waiting (俺は待ってるぜ), directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara (蔵原 惟繕) and starring Yujiro Ishihara (石原 裕次郎).
An original Umamusume character based on him was also created by 无央ナオ, and I highly recommend to check it out too.
.
.
My Wish Is...
On January 16, 2000, a beautiful chestnut foal with golden mane and tail was born at Northern Farm (ノーザンファーム). His mother was Curly Angel, his father was the famous Sunday Silence, and he had a sister named “Egao o Misete (エガオヲミセテ),” who had won two graded races, and had a face marking looked just like him. For her story, feel free to check out my previous post.
Given his pedigree and his sister’s ability, many placed great hopes in him, especially after just one month following his birth, his sister Egao o Misete was killed in a fire. People soon looked to him to carry forward the smiles once entrusted to his sister.
.
He was purchased by Yuuichi Odagiri (小田切 有一), the same owner as his sister, and was then trained by Hidetaka Otonashi (音無 秀孝), who had also guided his sister. Many who had been close to Egao o Misete returned once more, and they carried the memories and hopes that had once been hers with them.
With their backing, and despite his weak body, Orewa Matteruze made his debut in a 2,000-meter race at Chukyo Racecourse on May 25, 2003, a rather late start for a racehorse. He went off as the second favorite but ultimately finished eleventh. Unlike his sister, who had won on her second try, it took him four starts to break his maiden.
.
.
All I Can Do Is Keep On Running.
Though he finished in the top five in most of his following starts, his unstable temperament, perhaps inherited from his sire Sunday Silence, kept him from securing a decisive victory. Even so, he did not give up. He kept running, kept running, until he finally reached open class at age five after winning the Banshun Stakes on May 1, 2005. By then, he had already run in 19 races, but only finished below fourth place four times.
.
Following that victory, he did not celebrate; instead, he entered his first graded race: the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup just two weeks later. This is a 1,400m race held in Tokyo Racecourse. After the start, he secured a good position on the outside of the leading pack, and after reaching the final stretch, he started to speed up and gradually passed the horses ahead of him one by one.
However, when he reached the 200-meter mark, he saw that on the inside, Asakusa Den'en (アサクサデンエン) was spurting even faster. There was nothing he could do but watch as Asakusa Den’en drew away and captured his first graded race victory. Orewa Matteruze finished two and a half lengths behind, taking second.
.
Feeling that he was in good form, trainer Otonashi decided to enter him in the G1 Yasuda Kinen. His rivals, of course, included many top horses from Japan as well as from overseas.
At the time, past G1 or JPN1 winners in the field included Sweep Tosho (スイープトウショウ), Telegnosis (テレグノシス), Daiwa Major (ダイワメジャー), Admire Max (アドマイヤマックス), Utopia (ユートピア), and Dance in the Mood (ダンスインザムード). From Hong Kong came Silent Witness (精英大師) and Bullish Luck (牛精福星), both of whom had already captured multiple G1 mile races there.
In fact, Orewa Matteruze was one of the few contenders who had never won a graded race, so he was sent off as only the 13th favorite. Though facing such strong opponents, he did not back down, but courage alone was not enough to make the goddess of victory smile upon him.
Instead, it was Asakusa Den’en who shook off the pursuit of the past G1 winners and claimed the silk banner with a perfectly timed late surge, just three weeks after his first graded-race win, while Orewa Matteruze finished 11th.
He next ran in the open-class Capital Stakes, where he finally scored his first win at that level by a nose. He then contested the G3 Kyoto Kimpai at the start of 2006 but could only manage ninth place.
.
.
My Only Wish Is To Bring You Happiness.
At the time, his distinctive name, his beautiful flaxen-chestnut coat, and his persistence on the racetrack made him popular with many fans. Some even used his name as a pun when talking with others—for example, when meeting someone they might say, “I’ve been waiting for so long!” When Orewa Matteruze won, they would exclaim, “I’ve been waiting for this!” Meanwhile, those who hadn’t bet on him groaned in regret, saying, “You didn't wait for me this time!” They also liked to say they were “obsessed with” horse racing.
His name made winning and losing on the track feel less important, reminding his fans that what truly mattered was having fun and sharing a laugh, so long as they didn’t think too hard about their wallets, of course.
.
While bringing joy to more people, he entered the G3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai, the last race his sister had ever run, in which she finished 14th. He almost won the race, only being overtaken in the last moment by Fuji Silence (フジサイレンス), the 11th favorite, and beaten by a head and got second. That race marked Fuji Silence’s first graded victory, achieved in his forty-second start.
.
Then he went to Hanshin Racecourse, where his sister had once excelled and captured two graded wins, to run in the 1,400-meter G3 Hankyu Cup. He was sent off as the race favorite, and many hoped he would finally claim his first graded victory there.
The race began in heavy rain, and Orewa Matteruze once again secured a position on the outside of the front pack. As they passed the final corner, he launched his spurt, but something seemed amiss. His stride wavered, as if his mind were elsewhere. To the eyes of many watching, it looked like he was searching for something, perhaps a presence that no longer lingered on the track.
By the time he finally got past the horse in front of him, two others had already swept by on the other side like the wind. In the end, Blue Shotgun (ブルーショットガン) crossed the finish line first, capturing his first graded race victory in his 47th start.
Blue Shotgun's rider, Mikio Matsunaga (松永 幹夫), was making his second-to-last appearance as a jockey, which also was his final graded race, before retiring to become a trainer. Remarkably, Matsunaga also won his very next race, the last of his riding career, giving him 1,400 career victories in the JRA and a perfect ending to his life as a jockey.
.
As for Orewa Matteruze, he finished third. It was the third time he had seen a rival capture their first graded-race victory. Time and again, he fought bravely, only to become the witness to another horse’s breakthrough. His fans recognized his true ability, but they were still waiting for the goddess of victory to bless him.
Trainer Otonashi, too, was hoping to find a stage where Orewa Matteruze could demonstrate his true strength. At the same time, jockey Yoshitomi Shibata (柴田 善臣), who had ridden Orewa Matteruze in his two most recent races, had an idea. He noted that Orewa Matteruze tended to lose focus when spurting alone in front, and that he might perform better at shorter distances. There was, in fact, a perfect stage to test this theory: the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, a 1,200-meter race at Chukyo Racecourse with a shorter final stretch. After consulting with trainer Otonashi and owner Odagiri, his next target was set.
.
.
At That Moment, Please Send Me Your Smile.
In the 2006 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, with the top sprinters of the previous generation, such as Durandal (デュランダル), Calstone Light O (カルストンライトオ), and Admire Max (アドマイヤマックス), retired from the turf, predictions for who would claim the spring sprint crown were wide open.
The popular choices included Symboli Gran (シンボリグラン), who had won a G2 sprint race three months ago; She Is Tosho (シーイズトウショウ), a mare who had remained on the sprinting path for two years with decent results, including one G2 win and two G3 wins; and Rhein Kraft (ラインクラフト), who had captured the G1 Oka sho and G1 NHK Mile Cup the previous year, though this would be her first time contesting a 1,200m sprint race. Orewa Matteruze was rated the fourth favorite.
.
On March 26, 2006, the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen started in cheers from the main stand. This time, Orewa Matteruze positioned himself on the inside of the front pack. She Is Tosho was drawn wider and slightly ahead of him, with Rhein Kraft on the far outside beside her. Meanwhile, the heavily supported Symboli Gran was settled at the very back of the pack.
In the blink of an eye, they were already approaching the grand stretch. The frontrunner, Copano Fujin (コパノフウジン), was now directly ahead of Orewa Matteruze, but his stamina was fading and his stride was slowing.
.
Just as Orewa Matteruze was about to be blocked, a pigeon flew across in front of the pack, gliding toward the finish line before soaring into the wide sky above.
.
"Finally found you."
He began to carve out his own path, chasing the wings along the trail it left behind. Steadily, he put pressure on She Is Tosho to his outside until she yielded. At the 200-meter mark, the path ahead finally opened.
.
"I've been waiting for this moment."
And then, he burst out of the pack like a bullet train.
.
Upon seeing him pass She Is Tosho, Rhein Kraft launched her own spurt. Though she showed her strength and tried desperately to close the gap, she could not catch him in time and finished second. She Is Tosho eventually finished third, while Symboli Gran came in sixth.
.
After all the waiting, Orewa Matteruze himself finally answered the promise within his name. He was no longer the witness to others’ victories, he was the one standing in the winner’s circle this time. From the stands came waves of cheers, hands waving high, faces lit with joy.
Seeing their smile, jockey Shibata responded with several winning poses. He was especially happy, as this was his first G1 victory since riding King Halo (キングヘイロー) to win the Takamatsunomiya Kinen six years earlier. Coincidentally, the runner-up this time was Yuichi Fukunaga (福永 祐一), who rode Rhein Kraft. He had also finished second behind Shibata and King Halo six years earlier while riding Divine Light (ディヴァインライト).
.
And for trainer Otonashi and owner Odagiri, this G1 victory meant even more.
It was Otonashi’s first G1 win as a trainer, and fittingly, the horse that brought him this milestone was owned by Yuuichi Odagiri. The two had known each other since Otonashi’s riding days. As a jockey, Otonashi captured only one G1 title, which was the 1985 Japanese Oaks, when he rode Noah no Hakobune (ノアノハコブネ), also owned by Odagiri. After retiring and become a trainer, Otonashi entrusted most of his horses to his stable. And on this day, more than twenty years later, he was finally able to return that trust and friendship by giving Odagiri another G1 trophy.
Under the gentle spring sunlight, the long-awaited ceremony for Orewa Matteruze began. Smiles spread among the crowd as they offered their congratulations, celebrating both his victory and the quiet strength that had carried him beyond his sister’s shadow.
.
“Look how far you’ve come. Thank you.”
Among the cheers of the crowd, someone whispered.
.
.
With Words of Blessing.
In his next race, the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup, Orewa Matteruze once again faced his old rivals, such as Telegnosis, Fuji Silence, and Symboli Gran. Though sent off as the third favorite, he took the lead early and held it all the way, winning by two lengths and proving that his G1 victory was no accident.
But this race also marked the peak of his career. He struggled in the races that followed; even in the next year’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen and Keio Hai Spring Cup, he could manage only fifth and third place, respectively. Though he wasn’t winning anymore, fan-made banners showing his and his sister’s names could still be seen beside the paddock.
.
His long journey on the track came to an end in late 2007. From then on, he stood at stud at East Stud in Urakawa, Hokkaido. Here’s some footage of him during his time there.
With his golden mane, soft chestnut coat, and a name that seemed too bold for such a gentle face, he captured even more hearts. Together with Taiki Shuttle (タイキシャトル), another flaxen chestnut stallion, he stood as one of the brightest symbols of East Stud.
As a stallion, his record was respectable, siring several graded-race winners such as Hana’s Goal (ハナズゴール) and King Heart (キングハート). His maternal grandson, Sayono Nature (サヨノネイチヤ), also achieved remarkable results at Oi Racecourse. In the end, he passed away from severe wobbler syndrome on October 30, 2013, at the age of thirteen.
.
.
When the Purple Sweet Pea Blooms
In 2022, Orewa Matteruze was selected as the featured portrait of the year for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen. Alongside his portrait, a poem dedicated to him was written:
.
.
What I wish for—
.
There are only a handful of times
when one’s efforts are truly rewarded.
Even so, step by step,
all I can do is keep on running.
.
My only wish is just one thing:
that I might bring you
more and more happiness.
.
And when that time comes,
please show me your smile,
together with words of blessing:
“You’ve come this far, well done.”
.
---------------
The purple sweet peas bloom beautifully beyond the finish line, where smiles and blessings are waiting.
.
To the next stories.
---------------
Afterword:
Thank you all so much for the kind words on my last post! It means a lot knowing that so many of you guys willing to read through my probably-too-long story about a horse you might not even know.
I can’t promise to post every week, since I do get a little busy or lazy sometimes, but I’ll keep writing whenever I can.
As for requests, I’ll mainly focus on horses that have already retired, since there are still so many fascinating stories waiting to be told. Still, I’ll be happy to take a look at any suggestions you share, though I might not be able to cover every one of them.
Thank you again for your support and encouragement, and see you in the next story!
.
-----------------
My past work:
Egao o Misete: Please Keep Smiling, Even After I’m Gone
Resistencia’s Weight-Check Series: 1,231 Days of a Cameraman’s Love Story
Sushi Train: Horse with a Bizarre Name and a Big Dream
Offside Trap: The Winner on the Glorious but Silent Sunday
Posted Oct 7, 2025, 1:11 PM UTC