Orfevre was beaten in his first two races in 2011 but won his next six races. In March he won the Spring Stakes at Hanshin Racecourse. A month later he won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), beating the odds-on favourite Sadamu Patek by three lengths. The race had been delayed for a week and moved from Nakayama to Tokyo as a result of the March 11 earthquake. On 29 May, Orfevre took the second leg of the Japanese Triple Crown when he came from well off the pace to beat Win Variation in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).