“It’s never too late,” is pointedly not a phrase one hears often in the world of sports. Because sports depend on physicality, and physicality is such a time-dependent thing that most athletes have to make it or break it early on in their careers to know whether they are going to have viable careers at all. But, like in any situation, it’s always nice to hear about the exceptions to the rule, and there always is that one person who, against all odds, pushes themselves to the max and makes things happen well beyond the window of expectation. Mirco Demuro, a 46-year-old Italian jockey making his debut at Del Mar, appears to be an example of this.
Demuro has been a well-respected jockey for years, having made a name for himself in Italy and Japan. At age 17 he first visited the U.S. in hopes of winning a Grade 1 American race. And now, 29 years later, he finally has the chance to make it a reality! Following in his father’s footsteps, Demuro started racing after high school at the age of 15; from there, things started to move quite fast. “I started to win, win, win, so I moved to Milano,” Demuro said, adding, “Which is a bigger racecourse. I got a contract with a big owner and big trainer, and they taught me about horse racing. He wanted me to learn more, so that’s when I came for the first time to the United States.” So that’s when it all began.
However, Demuro’s American adventure at the time only lasted 3 months. He trained under Hall of Famer Richard Mandella during that time before moving back to Italy, where he was the country’s leading jockey from 1997 to 2000. After this, he started to race in Japan, where he became extremely successful. At first, Demuro was only able to race in the country 3 months at a time, but he made his presence felt during this time, and after fifteen years of racing in Japan, he earned full-time status, such that he was able to win the Japan Cup on the horse, Screen Hero.
Alluring View and Mirco Demuro before the Kobai Stakes at Chukyo Racecourse in Aichi, Japan, January 15, 2023. Noxthirdxpartyxsales PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxJPN 208572339
Now, however, he wants to make his dream of winning a Grade 1 race in America a reality and has moved back to the country in time for Del Mar.
Mirco Demuro’s journey back to America to win a grade 1 race at Del Mar
Demuro’s dream of being a jockey was tied to his dream of being a jockey in America, with him saying. It was the legendary multiple Triple Crown race winner Jerry Bailey who served as his inspiration. “I always longed to be a jockey, and my dream was to be like Jerry Bailey. I love his American style of riding. He was so cool on the horse.” Demuro additionally learned a lot about riding and about pace from the country, crediting his time in America for his success in Italy.
“I learned the pace, up here,” Demuro said, of his time in the US. “After I was here for two or three months, I got back to Italy and people went crazy for me. I was doing so good with the timing. I could feel it and trainers felt ‘this guy knows what to do’. I got so much business and I started to win Group races.” Now, Demuro is working on a full-circle moment.
“I’m 46 years old, so it’s no more about money,” Demuro said of his time in America. “It’s about reaching my goals.” And he’s given himself a short time period in which to do this: 3 months in America and at Del Mar. One can hope that Demuro’s love for the country gives back to him twofold; it already has, with him riding a horse that placed second to one of Bob Baffert’s.
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