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SARGA.CO – Amid the roaring crowd of Arcamanik, Bandung, in 1975, a seemingly ordinary dawuk-colored mare carved an extraordinary story. Her name was Valencia, a 148 cm racehorse representing Jakarta—quietly carrying the blood of champions. Born from a G1 lineage, sired by Keen Cort and out of Bintang Putri, Valencia rose to fame at the second Indonesia Derby, a prestigious title still in its infancy at the time.
But that victory did not come easily. In fact, Valencia rarely had the chance to show what she was capable of.
When Valencia’s jockey, J. Lampus, recalled the race, he revealed a lesser-known story. Before the race even began, a jockey from North Sulawesi told him: “If there’s a dawuk-colored horse, I’ll disturb it.”
Valencia was underestimated because of her dawuk coat. Back then, most trusted racehorses were black, bay, or chestnut. That provocative remark became reality once the race started. Lampus shared that Valencia’s start was intentionally disrupted, trapping her at the very back and “closed in” by other horses. As if that wasn’t enough, the starting gate malfunctioned—the door didn’t open right away.
“I already thought we’d lose. But the horse… she really was good,” Lampus said.
For many horses, such obstacles would have ended any chance of winning. But for Valencia, this was where her remarkable transformation began.
Three-quarters of the Race Spent Chasing
The Derby that year featured 12 horses running 1,200 meters—a short race where even a small mistake can erase any hope of victory. Yet Lampus made a bold decision: he pulled Valencia out of the pack and steered her to the outer track.
Only in the final 600 meters did the miracle unfold. Valencia began overtaking horses one by one, with a measured yet ferocious speed. Spectators watched as the small dawuk mare turned into a missile streaking down the track. From last place, she surged forward relentlessly, pressing on until she finally took the lead in the final decisive seconds.
One of Valencia’s strongest rivals that day was a horse from West Java named Kapilawas, who had to settle for second place. Valencia won with absolute conviction, proving that a horse’s worth cannot be judged by coat color—or by any obstacle faced at the start.
(Source: YT Baharna TV)
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