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2016 WASJ - Mirco Demuro Tops 2016 World All-Star Jockeys

 

Mirco Demuro, after tying with Yutaka Take at the end of Day One with 40 points each, dominated the series with great riding skills, registering two wins and two fifth-place finishes in the four-race event. His upset victory yesterday with 11th choice Festive Yell played a major part in boosting his chance of winning the overall title and his efforts were followed by another victory today in the third leg aboard fifth favorite Kurino Hatchan which placed him 10 points above Take who finished second in the same race. While Take was left with a chance to reverse the standings before the last leg of the series, he disappointed to 11th with ninth pick Meiner Nebel and fell well behind Mirco Demuro although maintaining a comfortable margin between himself and Taichi Nagamori to become the series runner-up for the second year running. Mirco ultimately won the 2016 WASJ title with 19 points over Take.
Nagamori landed his very first JRA victory in the final race of the WASJ, in which he demonstrated his skill with an eye-catching late charge aboard sixth-favorite Makeup, to finish seven points over Yasunari Iwata and earn his place on the podium in third.
Meanwhile, Team WAS who had almost 70 points to make up against Team JRA after Day One showed great effort in the last leg to close the gap but was still 37 points behind Team JRA who claimed the team title for two consecutive years.
2015 WASJ champion Joao Moreira was unable to defend his title in the 2016 WASJ but did not fail to leave a great impression to the Japanese racing fans, having scored seven wins in a row from race 12 of the previous day to his victory in race 9 which tied the JRA record of consecutive wins set by Yutaka Take in 2005. He almost exceeded the record but was runner-up in his next appearance in race 11.

Mirco Demuro “I am really happy to have won the overall title and contribute to securing Team JRA’s victory. Personally, I especially enjoyed competing with my brother Cristian and it would have been even more perfect if he was able to turn in a victory and reach his 100th JRA win. I didn’t do well in the series last year and I was afraid Yutaka might snatch the title off me, but I am really happy to have had the luck of riding some really nice horses and put in some good performances this year.”

Yutaka Take “I am left with mixed feelings to not have been able to notch a single win during the series and succumbing to second place for the second year running. I still had high hopes today for the title but Mirco just had to spoil the day for me. But sincere congratulations to him and it was a thrill to compete against the best in front of such a big crowd who came to see us race. I hope to continue to make an effort so that I can participate in the series again next year.”

Taichi Nagamori “I didn’t do well at all yesterday, so I was quite surprised to learn that I had won third place. Against the world’s top jockeys, it was really hard even to find a small opening to pass through so it was a tough race every time, but I was really determined to put in a good show as Shuji Akaoka, a fellow NAR jockey from Kochi, had also finished third in his first series challenge.”

[Series Summary]

2016 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS POINT CHART

[2016 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 3RD LEG]

Sunday, August 28, 2016            Sapporo Racecourse        10th Race        Post Time: 15:01
3-year-old & up, Allowance (10Million & Less), 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), turf, right-handed
3-y-o: 56kg (about 124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 14 runners

[2016 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 4TH LEG]

Sunday, August 28, 2016            Sapporo Racecourse        12th Race        Post Time: 16:15
3-year-old & up, Allowance (10Million & Less), 1,800 meters (about 9 furlongs), turf, right-handed
3-y-o: 56kg (about 124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 14 runners

[Other Races Ridden by Foreign Participants]

2nd race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden, Fillies), dirt, 1,700m, 13 runners
  Joao Moreira—1st on Akki (JPN, F3, by Zenno Rob Roy), 2nd favorite
  Cristian Demuro—6th on Jumbo Spirit (JPN, F3, by Ammirare), 9th favorite
3rd race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), dirt, 1,700m, 13 runners
  Joao Moreira—1st on Light Bringer (JPN, C3, by Admire Max), favorite
  Craig Williams—13th on Gift Award (JPN, F3, by Empire Maker), 11th favorite
4th race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), turf, 1,500m, 14 runners
  Joao Moreira—1st on Maka Le’a (JPN, F3, by Daiwa Major), 3rd favorite
  Cristian Demuro—3rd on Red Kardia (JPN, F3, by Deep Impact), 4th favorite
  Craig Williams—8th on L’Eau Exquise (IRE, F3, by Oasis Dream), 7th favorite
5th race: Two-Year-Olds (Newcomer), dirt, 1,700m, 11 runners
  Craig Williams—10th on Bull Bull Bull (JPN, C2, by Meisho Bowler), 7th favorite
  Cristian Demuro—11th on Vendee Globe (JPN, F2, by Harbinger), 4th favorite
6th race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), turf, 2,600m, 14 runners
  Joao Moreira—1st on Grand Barows (JPN, C3, by Workforce), favorite
  Craig Williams—4th on Baby Tink (JPN, F3, by Neo Universe), 5th favorite
8th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (Allowance (5Million & Less)), turf, 2,000m, 16 runners
  Joao Moreira—1st on Satono Messiah (JPN, C4, by Heart’s Cry), favorite
  Craig Williams—2nd on Shine Bright (JPN, C3, by Jungle Pocket), 2nd favorite
  Cristian Demuro—16th on Cosmo Almach (JPN, C4, by Roses in May), 14th favorite
9th race: Niseko Tokubetsu (Allowance (5Million & Less)), dirt, 1,700m, 12 runners
  Joao Moreira—1st on Curren Matador (JPN, G5, by Manhattan Cafe), favorite
  Cristian Demuro—5th on Admire Caro (JPN, H5, by Gold Allure), 4th favorite
11th race: Keeneland Cup (G3), turf, 1,200m, 14 runners
  Joao Moreira—2nd on Shuji (JPN, C3, by Kinshasa no Kiseki), favorite
  Cristian Demuro—14th on Sudden Storm (JPN, H7, by Storming Home), 12th favorite