Montjeu is a prominent character from Umamusume: Pretty Derby, based on the famous European racehorse of the same name. She is well-known as the mentor of Venus Park and is a strong presence in the France setting. Montjeu appears as a rival in both the game’s main story and special training scenarios, often connected to prestigious races like the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. While her design pays tribute to both her real-world horse origin and previous anime versions, she has yet to become a playable character. Montjeu’s story is full of intense competitions against Japanese Umamusume, and she carries both pride and strength as her defining traits.
Montjeu's design draws from her real-life horse counterpart and the earlier anime character Broye. Unlike Broye, she has brown hair, just like the real Montjeu's bay color. There is a single star mark on her forehead.
Her body is stronger and more muscular compared to many other Umamusume, especially in her arms.
Her outfit is military style and uses the red, white, and blue colors of the French flag. It includes a sleeveless jacket and pants, inspired by her owner's racing colors.
Montjeu is confident, proud, and likes to face strong rivals.
She enjoys exciting races and respects those who are strong and hardworking. Montjeu teaches her students the importance of not only strength but also attention to detail.
She is both strict and caring, as shown when she mentors Venus Park in cooking and racing.
Montjeu is the first officially named overseas Umamusume to appear in the series with her real name.
She was introduced at the end of the first part of the main story, shocking many fans with her sudden reveal. Although she appears as a strong NPC rival, she does not yet have a spot in the character list or as a playable character in the game.
Her master, Venus Park, is from France and considers Montjeu her respected mentor.
The anime version features a similar character called Broye, inspired by Montjeu. Even after Montjeu's reveal, Broye continues to appear in later anime seasons.
Montjeu is an extremely strong runner in the story.
She often appears as a hidden boss in training scenarios related to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, only if certain conditions are met.
Even when players lose, she may appear as a rival, but she becomes even stronger if the player is doing very well.
- Venus Park: Montjeu is Venus Park’s mentor, and Venus Park looks up to her.
- El Condor Pasa: Montjeu defeats her at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
- Special Week: Montjeu races against her at the Japan Cup.
“Let me see what you can do... Japanese Umamusume!”
Main Story and Appearances
Montjeu appears in the last chapter of Part 1 of the game’s main story.
She beats El Condor Pasa in the Arc and then faces Special Week at the Japan Cup.
Project L'Arc
In the “Reach for the stars: Project L'Arc” scenario, Montjeu is a strong rival players can face.
Players fight against her in the senior stage of the Arc if they were undefeated at the classic stage.
She can show up even if the player is not at the very top, but becomes stronger if the player wins.
Manga Appearance
Montjeu makes her first manga appearance in "Umamusumemeshi" chapter 44.
She visits Venus Park at home and teaches her how to make pot-au-feu.
Montjeu tells her disciple that even simple things like meals matter in racing, teaching that carefulness in small things leads to bigger achievements.
Real Horse: Montjeu
Montjeu was a bay stallion born in Ireland on April 4, 1996. She trained in France under John Hammond.
Her father was Sadler's Wells, one of the best stallions in European history.
Montjeu won the French Derby and Irish Derby in 1999. She then won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, beating El Condor Pasa.
She traveled to Japan for the Japan Cup and finished fourth to Special Week.
In 2000, she returned stronger and won several races, including the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, easily beating Air Shakur from Japan.
She aimed for a second Arc win but lost to Sinndar, ending up fourth.
Montjeu raced two more times that season, then retired with a record of 16 races, 11 wins, and 6 Group 1 victories.
As a stud, Montjeu produced many champions like Hurricane Run and Motivator. Her descendants have won big races in Europe and Asia, but her bloodline has struggled to continue through direct male heirs.
Montjeu died from sepsis complications on March 29, 2012, at age 16.
Some of her grandchildren, like Treve and Panthalassa, have become strong opponents or even allies for Japanese horses.
Trivia
- Montjeu is the first overseas Umamusume to appear under her real name.
- She is the first character in Umamusume to use a cover name at first, then reveal her true name later.
- Her voice actress changed from Haruna Ikezawa (anime) to Arisa Sakuraba (game).
- Unlike Broye, Montjeu speaks Japanese normally in the game, making it easy to communicate with Japanese Umamusume.
- Montjeu’s racing outfit is based on the colors worn by her real-life owner, Michael Tabor.
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