Mirco Demuro
Mirco Demuro
Mirco Demuro at the Tokyo Yushun (2023)
Personal information
NationalityItaly
Born (1979-01-11) January 11, 1979[1]
Rome, Italy
OccupationJockey
Height156 cm (5 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight52 kg (115 lb)[1]
Horse racing career
SportHorse racing
Career wins1300 (JRA)
Significant horses
Neo Universe, Daiwa Major, Victoire Pisa, Eishin Flash, Duramente, Uberleben, Omega Perfume

Mirco Demuro (Japanese: ミルコ・デムーロ, January 11, 1979) is an Italian jockey based in Japan. His younger brother, Cristian, as well as their sister, Pamela, is also a jockey. Their late father Giovanni was also a jockey.[2]

Career

Mirco Demuro first earned his jockey license in 1994 and became the leading learning jockey of Italy in 1995. He was the leading jockey of Italy from 1997 to 2000. Among the horses he rode in Italy was Falbrav, who he rode on the horse's maiden race.[3]

Demuro first came to Japan in 1999, and won his first graded race in the country in 2001 when he won the Kokura Daishoten with Misuzu Chardon.[4]

Demuro's first Japanese Grade 1 race victory came at the Satsuki Sho with Neo Universe on April 20, 2003. The two went on to also win the Japanese Derby held on June 1, making him the first non-Japanese jockey to win the Tokyo Yushun.[5] The crowd celebrated the jockey with a "Mirco" chant,[5] to which Mirco showed tears of joy.[6] Mirco later recalled that "the joy he felt that day was comparable to that of when he won the Derby Italiano. Being watched on and cheered by so many fans at horse racing is a rare occurrence, especially when that is the Derby. It was as though I became Nakata from soccer".[6]

With Neo Universe clinching two Triple Crown races, many anticipated the horse to win the third leg of the Triple Crown. However, the policy of short-term licence (短期免許, tanki menkyo) system employed by the Japan Racing Association at the time did not allow for foreign jockeys to ride in Japan for more than three months a year; something which Mirco had already used up by that point. The JRA had to change the rule to allow for foreign jockeys (such as Demuro) to ride the same horse at a GI race if said horse had already won two other GI races in the same year; allowing for him to continue riding Neo Universe. However, he was unable to win the third leg of the Triple Crown, as the horse finished third at the Kikka Sho.

The following year, Demuro became the first foreign jockey to win the Satsuki Sho for two years in a row after winning the race once again with Daiwa Major.

In March 26, 2011, Mirco Demuro became the winning jockey of the Dubai World Cup with Victoire Pisa, who was sired by Neo Universe. This was the first time a Japanese horse had won the race, and for Demuro became the first GI win outside of Italy and Japan; with Demuro commenting that this was his best race ever.[7]

Demuro and Eishin Flash at the 2012 Autumn Tenno Sho

On October 28, 2012, Demuro won the Autumn Tenno Sho with Eishin Flash. The race was spectated by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and after performing the winning run, Demuro, in defiance of JRA policy specifically forbidding jockeys to get off their horse until the post-race weigh-in barring incapacitation,[8] dismounted from the horse and kneeled to the Emperor and Empress. This action was briefly put into question by JRA judges, but was ultimately deemed that "the winning jockey only did as he was instructed, which was to show appropriate respect to The Emperor and Empress" and was not punished for his actions.[9][10][11]

Demuro became the first foreign jockey to take the JRA full-time jockey license exam in 2013, but could not pass the exam.[12][13] Demuro, together with Christophe Lemaire, passed the exam in January 2015, making them the first jockeys from abroad to become a full-time JRA jockeys.[14][15]

Major wins

FranceFrance

GermanyGermany

Hong KongHong Kong

ItalyItaly

JapanJapan

United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates

References

  1. ^ abc"Ｍ．デムーロのプロフィール｜競馬データベース - netkeiba.com". netkeiba.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  2. ^Naoki, Ota (2021-05-24). "オークスを制したミルコ・デムーロに父が遺した"人生は難しい"の教え 「もっともっと、たくさん話をしたかった」". Number Web - ナンバー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  3. ^"Full Result 12.07 San Siro (ITY) | 3 September 2000 | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  4. ^"「競馬ニホン」の中央競馬情報サービス". 競馬ニホン (in Japanese). 2001-02-28. Archived from the original on 2002-07-05. Retrieved 2023-10-28. 阪急杯はＧＩホースのダイタクヤマト（デムーロ）が貫録勝ちを収めた。ミルコ・デムーロ騎手(イタリア)は短期免許騎乗最終日を重賞Ｖで飾った。今回の成績は、重賞２勝を含む33勝。... 小倉大賞典はミスズシャルダン（デムーロ）が優勝、重賞初制覇した。デ ムーロ騎手も日本で重賞初勝利。
  5. ^ abPages 138-139 of Yushun (July 2003 issue)
  6. ^ abPages 25-27 of Yushun (July 2003 issue)
  7. ^Shibata, Akitoshi (2011-03-28). "【ドバイＷＣ】ヴィクト世界一！日本に勇気 (2/2ページ)". サンスポ！ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  8. ^"日本中央競馬会競馬施行規程"(PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Racing Association. 2007-08-31. pp. 30, 32. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  9. ^"閃光復活エイシンフラッシュ！ 殊勲ミルコ、両陛下に最敬礼=天皇賞・秋 最強世代のダービー馬、２年５カ月ぶりの豪脚Ｖ" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. 2012-10-28. Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  10. ^"[フォト]天皇皇后両陛下へ最敬礼するM.デムーロ騎手". www.keibalab.jp (in Japanese). 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  11. ^"レース後跪いて両陛下に最敬礼 ミルコ・デムーロ「日本人より日本人らしい」". J-CAST News (in Japanese). 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  12. ^"デムーロがＪＲＡ騎手免許１次試験を受験". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 2013-10-02. Archived from the original on 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  13. ^"ミルコ・デムーロ、騎手免許一次試験不合格に". サンスポ (in Japanese). 2013-10-17. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  14. ^2015年度 調教師・騎手免許試験合格者 (Japanese) Archived 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^"Ｍ・デムーロ、ルメールが合格 外国人初、ＪＲＡ騎手免許試験". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
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