Wikipedia

Christophe Lemaire

Not to be confused with Christophe Lemaitre or Christophe Lemaire (fashion designer).

Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:クリストフ・ルメール (Kurisutofu Rumeru), born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years since 2017.[1]

Christophe Lemaire
Lemaire in 2023 (Takarazuka Kinen)
OccupationJockey
Born (1979-05-20) 20 May 1979 (age 45)
Gouvieux, France
Career wins1,800+ (Japan)
718 (France)
Racing awards
JRA Award for Best Jockey (races won) (2017-2021, 2023)[1]
JRA Award for Best Jockey (winning average) (2015, 2016, 2018)
JRA Award for Best Jockey (money earned) (2016-2021, 2023)
Most Valuable Jockey (2017-2021)
JRA Grand Prize Jockey (2018)
Significant horses
Heart's Cry, Makfi, Pride, Almond Eye, Equinox

Career

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Lemaire began racing in 1999, after he obtained the license required for a French jockey. From there, he has steadily built up a good track record, becoming the seventh leading jockey in 2003, and winning the French Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris in the same year.

In 2002 he also began racing in Japan Racing Association races using the 3-month short-term licence (短期免許, tanki menkyo) system, taking part mainly at local racecourses such as Chukyo Racecourse and Kokura Racecourse. Within a few years he had already placed in Japan's major Grade 1 stakes races, finishing second in the 2004 Autumn Tenno Sho on Dance in the Mood, second in the 2004 Japan Cup on Cosmo Bulk, and second in the 2005 Mile Championship on Daiwa Major.

Lemaire secured his first Japanese graded stakes victory, and first Japanese Grade 1 win, aboard Heart's Cry in the 2005 Arima Kinen. The victory broke the winning streak of Triple Crown winner and eventual Horse of the Year Deep Impact. It was also the fourth straight year that a foreign jockey won the Arima Kinen, following three consecutive wins by Olivier Peslier.

In 2006 he rode Heart's Cry to victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic. He also rode Pride in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, beating the favourite, Hurricane Run.

In 2008 he rode the winner of England's second classic of the year, the 1,000 Guineas, aboard the Pascal Bary-trained Natagora.

In September 2009, he was chosen by the Aga Khan as first jockey.[2]

He won the 2011 Melbourne Cup in a photo-finish riding Dunaden.[3]

Lemaire became a full-time JRA jockey with Italian jockey Mirco Demuro in February 2015.[4][5] He was scheduled to start riding in Japan in March of that year, which would have been his first time in Japan after a demotion at Kyoto Racecourse in November 2014. However, he was suspended by stewards of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) for 30 days after he used Twitter the night before he was scheduled to participate in races at Hanshin Racecourse.[6][7] JRA regulations bar any outside contact by jockeys from 9 PM the night before racing until after they have ridden in their final race of the day.[8] After he served his suspension, Lemaire marked his first victory as a JRA jockey on April 6 with a graded race victory at the Osaka Hai.[9]

In 2017, he became the first foreigner to be Japan's leading jockey, winning 199 JRA races in the year. In 2018, he won Yushun Himba for the second time, on his 39th birthday.[10] In October 2018, he rode Almond Eye to her victory at the Japan Fillies Triple Crown and won the championship for the second consecutive year, breaking Yutaka Take's long standing record for wins in a year in Japan (215 wins vs 212).[11][12]

In 2019, he retained his title in Japan for the third consecutive year, winning 5 G1 races as well as the Dubai Turf, the first international G1 win of Almond Eye. In 2020, he again won the championship–for the 4th consecutive time–by winning a total of 204 races in JRA including 8 G1. He also established a new record of consecutive wins at the Emperor's cup (Tenno Sho Autumn) by winning this bi-annual race (spring and autumn) for the fifth consecutive time. This meant that Almond Eye became the Japanese horse with the most G1 wins (8 in Japan and 1 international). At the end of the 2020 season, Lemaire was ranked number 1 in the world, according to the TRC Global Jockey Ranking, taking the lead from Frankie Dettori before retaining his title, for the 5th consecutive year in 2021.[13] In 2022, despite major wins at the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Arima Kinen, he lost his title. 2023 saw his come-back to the highest rank of horse racing in Japan: not only did he win the JRA championship but also broke the record in terms of prize money. This year was also marked by the remarkable achievement of Equinox, named worldwide horse of the year by Longines, and with whom Christophe Lemaire won 4 major G1 races.

Early 2022, in parallel to his racing career, he also co-founded the fashion label CL by C.ルメール.[14]

Lemaire was injured in a fall during the stretch run of the Dubai Turf on March 30, 2024 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, breaking his clavicle and fracturing a rib.[15] Stars on Earth and Derma Sotogake [ja], who Lemaire was supposed to ride that night at the Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai World Cup, respectively, were instead each ridden by Frankie Dettori and Oisin Murphy.[16]

Major wins

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  Australia

  France

  Great Britain

  Hong Kong

  Japan (the JRA)

  Japan (the NAR)

  United Arab Emirates

  United States

Year-end charts in the United States

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Chart (2006–present) Peak
position
National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006 92

Bibliography

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  • Demuro, Mirco; Lemaire, Christophe (2016). ミルコ・デムーロ×クリストフ・ルメール勝利の条件 (in Japanese). KADOKAWA. ISBN 9784046013941. OCLC 952391726.

References

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  1. ^ a b "2021年度JRAリーディングジョッキー、リーディングトレーナーが決定！" [2021 JRA Leading Jockey, Leading Trainer have been decided] (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ^ "L'Aga Khan a choisi Christophe Lemaire". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  3. ^ Garvey, Andrew (1 November 2011). "The closest of calls". The Age. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  4. ^ "２０１５年度 調教師・騎手免許試験合格者". Japan Racing Association (in Japanese). 2015-02-05. Archived from the original on 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  5. ^ "Ｍ・デムーロ、ルメールが合格 外国人初、ＪＲＡ騎手免許試験". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  6. ^ "開催競馬場・今日の出来事". Japan Racing Association (in Japanese). 2015-03-01. Archived from the original on 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2024-05-04. ３月１日（日）第１回阪神競馬第２日に騎乗予定であったＣ．ルメール騎手は、騎乗予定日の前日２月２８日（土）の阪神競馬場調整ルーム内において、携帯電話を使用し外部との通信を行ったことが判明したため、３月１日（日）から３月３０日（月）まで３０日間の騎乗停止となりました。
  7. ^ "ルメール、ツイートで騎乗停止 デビュー前日調整ルームで携帯使用". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  8. ^ "Christophe Lemaire suspended for a month for Twitter use". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  9. ^ Matsuda, Naoki (2015-04-06). "ＪＲＡのルメール初重賞「ごっつあんです」／大阪杯". GOKUUMA Premium (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  10. ^ Kieckhefer, Bob (May 20, 2018), Almond Eye Takes Second Leg of Japan's Triple Tiara, Blood Horse, retrieved October 14, 2018
  11. ^ Sherer, Darryl (Dec 28, 2018). "Christophe Lemaire sets record for wins in a year in Japan". racenet.
  12. ^ Hersh, Marcus (October 14, 2018), Almond Eye sweeps Japan's Fillies Triple Crown, DRF, retrieved October 14, 2018
  13. ^ "TRC Global Jockeys Rankings". www.thoroughbredracing.com. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  14. ^ "騎手クリストフ・ルメールによる新ブランドがデビュー、Jra年間重賞レース数の128枚限定発売". 15 March 2022.
  15. ^ Wilson Jr., Leslie (31 March 2024). "Dubai World Cup: From Rebel Romance's shock win to Lemaire's horrific fall". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  16. ^ "ルメール騎手が肋骨と鎖骨骨折 ドバイターフで落馬、病院搬送 戦線離脱なら春G1に大きな影響". 日刊スポーツ (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 2024-03-31. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
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