They say fortune favours the brave, and current world #1 jockey Christophe Lemaire is testament to that with his career going from strength to strength since making a bold move to the Far East six years ago.
The French expat has dominated Japan’s jockey championship for the past four years after leaving the familiarity of European racing as consistent, quality rides became harder to come by, and his partnership with the extraordinary Almond Eye has been a defining one.
A fruitful career in Europe saw Lemaire win Classics in both England and his homeland, and he was rewarded by being appointed as the Aga Khan’s retained jockey, but this contract was not renewed at the end of 2013 after four years.
Lemaire had spent every winter since 2002 riding in Japan on a 3-month short-term licence, winning his first Japan Racing Association G1 in 2005, when Heart's Cry became the first horse to lower the colours of the Triple Crown winner Deep Impact in the Arima Kinen.
The 41-year-old has won most of Japan’s blue-riband races and broken many records on the way: The first foreigner to win the jockeys’ championship, the most wins in a year in Japan (215), consecutive Tenno Sho victories (five), and partnering Almond Eye to the most G1 wins by any Japanese horse.
Lemaire talks exclusively to TRC’S George Dudley about how it feels to be on the top spot, the joys of racing in Japan, his and his new homeland’s desire to win an elusive Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which global rivals he respects the most, the mystery of why the best Japanese horses don’t go to America, the strengths of the JRA and, of course, what it is like to ride the great Almond Eye, now the world’s #1 racehorse in the TRC rankings.
GD: Congratulations on being number one in the TRC Global Jockey Rankings. How does it feel to be recognised as the world’s top rider?
CL: You always feel proud when you reach the top ranking in any sport. I think that this points system is good because it is continuous - not just for one season – and shows a jockey’s regularity of winning international Group races year after year. This is what I am proud of. After four years of riding full-time in Japan, I am on top of the rankings there, and I keep winning Group races, which is, for me, very important.
I am very proud to have overtaken a man like Frankie Dettori to go to number one, but it could have been Ryan Moore, Hugh Bowman or Mike Smith. I am delighted to be considered at the same level as these guys, but I don’t consider myself better than them.
They are gifted jockeys and have been superstars from a young age. I had a different career, but now with my experience I believe that I can reach the level of these guys, who I have so much respect for.
They were my idols when I was younger, and it has made me extremely proud to reach their level.
Who do you enjoy riding against the most? Who do you respect the most?
I like to ride with the best, to put it simply. It is a real pleasure to be around them because they have so much experience and are so clever when they ride, and they have such a good connection with their horses. Even at my age, you can learn from watching them ride.
When I was in Europe, I used to compete against Frankie a lot, as well as Ryan Moore, Olivier Peslier, Johnny Murtagh and Pat Smullen. They were all examples for me.
In a race, you always need to know where Frankie is and look at which position he is in so that you can mark him, because it will always be the right place at the right time. I could beat him a couple of times, but he has also beaten me a lot of times.
I could have won my first Japanese Group 1 in the 2005 Japan Cup, but Frankie was on board Alkaased, who narrowly beat me on Heart's Cry in a photo finish. I learned a lot from that.
Of the future generation of jockeys, who do you think will be the next global superstars?
That is hard to say, but in Japan I recently met the South African jockey Lyle Hewitson, who had a short-term licence here last winter and has previously picked up some experience in Hong Kong.
I could see that he is very, very talented and a clever man. If he has the chance to ride internationally – getting more experience in the different global jurisdictions, like Dubai, Australia and coming back to Asia again – I think that he can reach the top.
You enjoyed a very successful career in Europe before basing yourself in Japan. Do you think that you could have achieved this position if you had stayed in Europe?
It has been very difficult to reach this top level because you need to be dominant in your own country to reach the top of the rankings. When I left France, it wasn’t okay, and, even when I was successful there, I was not dominant.
I never had the Cravache d'Or [the Golden Whip, which is given to France’s leading domestic rider] and even when I made 80-100 winners in a season, it was never enough. My only choice was to ride very good horses abroad, like winning two Breeders’ Cup races [Juvenile Fillies Turf with Flotilla and Secretariat Stakes on Bayrir, both in 2012] and the Hong Kong Cup [in 2006 on board Pride].
I think that, because I am number one in Japan, it has given me the opportunity to reach the top of the TRC rankings.
How easy was it for you and your family to adapt to life in Japan? And, have you ever regretted leaving France?
Regret? Not at all!
First of all, I chose to come here with my wife and to have an experience of living in Japan. We didn’t have any problem adapting ourselves to the country, and we knew the country because we were used to coming every winter. This was a big advantage when the move became permanent.
Of course, it was a big decision to take and there were some difficulties, but we handled it well. My kids are used to living in Japan and they speak Japanese.
Even if I had not been so successful in Japan, it would have been a great experience for my family to live here. It is a bonus to have had this experience.
How has your riding style changed since you took up a full-time JRA licence in 2014? Did you have to adapt the tactics?
Yes. The way that we race here is a little bit different from Europe. The races are based more on speed and the fields are always very big, always 16 or 18 runners in every race, even in the Group races. It is very important to find your way during the race.
For me, the start is so important, as you can easily lose the race if you have a bad one. You also need to know your horse – and the others in the field – to be able to judge the finish right.
The ground is quite quick: If you lose one or two lengths and get stuck in the traffic, you cannot win the race. So, you really need to know which horse to wait behind, otherwise you can lose a race that you should have won.
What do you think about the way Japanese racing is run? Do you agree with those who say it is the best in the world in terms of regulations, security and prize money?
For quite a while Japan has been a great horseracing nation. The JRA is a big organisation, which is very well structured and made to ensure that the sport is great in Japan.
Talking about organisation, the prize money and betting, the JRA is really good when it comes to that. In addition, there are a lot of breeders and farms, who have invested a lot on the best stallions and mares from across the world to bring to Japan, and to build a great level of horse here.
The JRA - plus the owners and breeders – make horseracing in Japan great. It is a real pleasure to be part of the game in this country because we can have a group earning rights. We can ride very good horses every weekend. We also have a fanatical public that really enjoys watching racing. They support all the horses and the jockeys, as well as cheering for their favourites on the track.
I can say that Japan is the best place in the world for a jockey.
The TRC standings have Almond Eye as the top-ranked horse in the world. What is she like to ride? What race gave you the most excitement to ride her in? Where does she rank in your personal list of great horses that you have ridden?
I will start with the last part of the question: Almond Eye is definitely special for me. It is, of course, hard to compare horses over time, but Almond Eye was almost the perfect horse. She had a long career, which was not the case for most of the good horses that I have ridden in the past. From two to five she raced at the top level. In addition, her physical and mental ability were just outstanding, the way that she accelerated was incredible, her power and stride were outstanding.
She completed everything and her achievements were amazing: She could win a Group 1 from a mile to a mile and a half, when she was 3-years old she won against the older horses and, when she was five, she beat the best 3-year olds. She was nearly perfect and the feeling that I had on her back was amazing, which she gave me in every race that I rode her.
[Watch Almond Eye’s smooth victory under Lemaire in the 2019 Dubai Turf at Meydan below.]
Japan is home to some of the world’s best racehorses. Why do you think the Japanese don’t send their good horses to the Breeders’ Cup, which is known commercially as Thoroughbred racing’s world championships?
This is a good question … and I don’t really know why!
They [connections of a horse] used to talk about going to America and then, at the last moment, they preferred to stay at home. You know, prize money is so good in Japan and to go to America is quite a long trip, but then they are used to going to France and Dubai, so I am not sure of the exact reasons.
It is not like they say: “We have the best racing, so we stay home.” No, no, they don’t think like that. The Japanese owners and trainers love the challenge and are always very proud to go abroad with their horse and win.
But, honestly, I don’t know why they don’t go very often to America. Especially when there are a lot of American mares in the pedigree, so I would think that Japanese horses would be competitive in American racing.
Do you think Triple Crown winner Contrail, who was also ranked top in the TRC rankings at one point in 2020, can be Japan’s next superstar? If not him, then who might fill Almond Eye’s shoes?
Contrail can be the next superstar, but honestly I prefer Daring Tact, who won the fillies’ Triple Crown. This is maybe because I have had more success with fillies than colts.
For me she has more punch than Contrail, and I think that she has a better acceleration. This is just my opinion, and either of them can become very good. We are always asking who is going to be the next Almond Eye or Frankel or Enable. But those horses are so rare and that’s why they become legends, you are not going to get one every year.
I am not sure that I have seen the new Almond Eye just yet.
Japanese racing has always had a long-distance love affair with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which you have ridden in. You are uniquely positioned with your first-hand knowledge of Japanese and French racing to explain why a Japanese horse is yet to win an Arc and do you think one will?
I think that the main reason is the different type of ground in Europe compared to Japan. The Arc takes place in autumn and it is often very rainy in France during that season, so most of the time Japanese horses will have to run on soft or very soft ground. This is a big handicap for them because they are so used to quicker ground that they feel really uncomfortable, especially at Longchamp, which is a very old course. As soon as it rains three drops, it becomes heavy and deep. I think that this is the main reason for them never winning.
There has also been a little lack of luck in the past. When Deep Impact – who was maybe the best Japanese horse to race in the Arc – came to Paris [in 2006] he was sick one week before the race and could only finish third. El Condor Pasa had his chance [coming second in the 1999 renewal], but he was beaten by Montjeu, who was a tremendous horse and only beat El Condor Pasa at the end in a fantastic race.
For me, they will win it one day, it is just a question of time. Japanese horses have won the Melbourne Cup, Dubai World Cup, Hong Kong Cup and many other great global races.
To win the Arc, you need to be at your top and everything to go your way: The ground, the pace of the race, the draw and momentum. This is why it is such a hard race to win.
For you personally, it would be a great romantic story to return to France and win its blue-riband race on a Japanese horse?
Oh definitely. This is my dream. I used to joke: ‘Once I win the Arc on a Japanese horse, I can end my career!’
It is definitely my goal. If I could give back to Japan what it has given to me it would be fantastic – the best I could dream.
You have been champion jockey in Japan for the past four seasons. What motivates you to keep at the top?
When you are on top, you feel good. You feel happy, you have a lot of confidence, people trust you and you can win the big races. And, when you are on top, your only wish is to stay there.
It is more difficult to stay on top constantly, but it gives you a great motivation to know that the young wolves are chasing you and trying to beat you. If you are 40 years old, you want to say, ‘Hey guys, I am the boss. I’m the top rider and it’s not easy to beat me, and I will prove it to you.’
This was a feeling that I never had in France because I used to go to Japan every winter for three months, which meant winning the Cravache d'Or was difficult. The motivation here is: You don’t ever want to be passed and I want to keep my title.
You have won many big races across the globe. What are your biggest ambitions now? What big races around the world would you most like to win?
Definitely the Arc!
And, even if I don’t win it, I would like to ride once in the Kentucky Derby, as I have ridden the English Derby once or twice already. If you consider that there are five or six big races in the world, the Kentucky Derby is the only one that I have not ridden in and obviously never won. So, I would like to have an experience in the Kentucky Derby.