PARIS: Yasutoshi Ikee vowed to return and win Europe’s most prestigious race the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in this year’s renewal on Sunday at Longchamp.

The 37-year-old Japanese trainer, whose trainer father Yasuo was also left disappointed in the 2006 Arc when his favorite Deep Impact was third, had just seen his 2011 Japanese horse of the year Orfevre denied by a neck by 40/1 outsider Somlemia.

“It is not good enough, second place is not sufficient, we came here to win, it is a trainer’s duty to win,” was Ikee’s immediate reaction.

However, half an hour later the softly spoken trainer was more sanguine about the defeat and about a return to Longchamp and finally win a race that has become to the Japanese like their quest for the mythical Holy Grail.

“I don’t know whether Orfevre will be back as he could well go to stud,” he told AFP.

“However, I am keen to return and to win the Arc as it is a magical race and it is hard to come so far and leave with victory having been so close to hand.”

What made it more upsetting for Ikee and the thousands of Japanese, including his father, who boosted the attendance to over 60,000 was that Orfevre had cruised into the lead around 400 meters from the line having passed Solemia with ease.

All of a sudden, though, his momentum came to an abrupt halt and Solemia rallied.

Soumillon could not get more out of his valiant horse and had to be content with Japan’s third runners-up spot in the 33 years they have been trying to win the race.

Ikee told AFP he wasn’t sure whether it was his quirky character or exhaustion having had to come from the worst draw of 18 of the 18 runners in testing ground.

“It was at around the 50 meters mark that I realized that Solemia would win,” said Ikee, who first dreamt of winning the Arc when he worked for English trainer Sir Michael Stoute in the late 1990’s.