The first time we spoke was at the end of last year, in the training stands at Ritto Training Center, when Christophe approached me and asked, "Would you be willing to lend your support to my 'CL by C. Lemaire'?" I remember being thrilled to hear such kind words. We were good friends, and we would often ride our road bikes around the city and mountains of Kyoto in our private time, and we would also chat in the jockey room.
When I fell off my horse in April 2022, he immediately sent a "CL by C. Lemaire" shirt and cap to the hospital where I was admitted, saying, "Wear this and get well soon. Let's surprise everyone with the strength of our recovery as jockeys." When I was transferred to Sapporo, he arranged for my mother to stay in the room he usually uses for the Hokkaido races in the summer, and Christophe himself came out of the hospital to visit me, which really motivated me to continue my rehabilitation.
Christophe is currently on hiatus due to the effects of his fall from a horse in Dubai. Hearing the news about Kota Fujioka while he was in Dubai, he said, "I was very shocked when I heard that he had passed away. My fondest memory is when I passed the JRA jockey exam and had a ceremony with jockey Mirco Demuro at a horse temple in Kyoto, and Kota also came. I still remember how warmly he welcomed me as a Japanese jockey." He said he wanted to say his final goodbyes, but was unable to attend the funeral due to flight schedules, and spoke with great regret.
Regarding his return to racing, he gave us a positive message: "I have a cracked collarbone and ribs, but I'm not in bad shape. In Dubai, I was relaxing and doing light exercises, like walking on the beach. I'm aiming to return in the first half of May. To that end, I worked hard in training this morning (April 19th). I'll be back riding more powerful than ever." We hope we can all give a warm welcome when Christophe returns to the racetrack.
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藤井勘一郎
こんにちは、藤井勘一郎です。このたび『CL by C.ルメール』のホームページでクリストフ・ルメール騎手のブログを担当させていただく事となりました。毎週金曜日、私からの視線でルメール騎手の魅力や競馬の話、そして『CL by C.ルメール』に対しての情熱を書いていくつもりです。文章を書くことは私にとって新しいチャレンジですが、引き受けたからには皆さんにも楽しく読んでもらえるように頑張ります。よろしくお願いします！
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