November 8, 2024

In the Breeders' Cup Turf paddock, Christophe and jockey Christian DeMuro emerged from the jockey room together. DeMuro was wearing the same Sunday Racing livery he wore at Rosham Park. The Italian jockey, who began riding in Japan on a short-term license on October 26th, achieved an impressive eight wins in his first week in Japan. Christophe spoke highly of DeMuro's riding skills, saying, "What's impressive about him is his balance on horseback. He's still young, but he has sharp judgment and rides with confidence. His riding style is different from his brother, Mirco DeMuro, but both are top jockeys." He seemed to enjoy competing at the top level.

Various sponsors supported the races at this year's Breeders' Cup. CyberAgent, known for its "Uma Musume" series, served as the main sponsor of the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Christophe commented, "I've met Shin Fujita several times before, and I was able to meet him again this time in the United States. I also appeared in a TV commercial for "Uma Musume" with jockey Yutaka Take, and I have great respect for Fujita's skills as a businessman. In addition to his business interests, Fujita actually owns racehorses, including Forever Young, who competed in the Breeders' Classic. It's a great honor for the horse racing industry to have him spread the appeal of horse racing to so many people." We may see a Uma Musume boom in the United States in the near future.

As a local reporter for the "CL by C. Lemaire," I spent two days at Del Mar Racecourse photographing with a single-lens reflex camera. I met many people at the racetrack, but one of the most memorable was Amande. He is a former jockey who fell off a horse about 40 years ago and suffered the same spinal cord injury as me, and now uses a wheelchair. It was very encouraging to be able to talk to him about his life and experiences. Coverage of this year's Breeders' Cup has been posted on the "CL by C. Lemaire" official Instagram and the Tokyo Sports website in "Kanichiro Fujii's Breeders' Cup Report," so please take a look if you're interested. I'm delighted to have had such a valuable experience with the "CL by C. Lemaire."

Now, the stage returns to Japan this week. We spoke with jockey Lemaire about Regaleira, who he will be riding in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kyoto Racecourse this weekend. He has ridden Regaleira five times so far, and in her last race, the Rose Stakes, a step race, she finished fifth. "I've felt her great potential since her victory in the Hopeful Stakes. In the Derby, she showed great speed at the end despite the slow pace, and competed well against the male horses. In her last race, after a break, she made a good comeback in the straight. The start will be key, but she's a talented horse, so if she can get into the flow on Kyoto's outer course, she has a good chance," he said. After the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, there's the Mile Championship, making for two consecutive weeks of major races at Kyoto Racecourse. We look forward to seeing Christophe's handling of the reins!