Christophe Lemaire started his career as a horse racing jockey in 1999 in France, his home country.
He began competing in Japan Racing Association events in 2002, racing under a short-term license before making a complete transfer in 2015.
The 40-year-old Frenchman set a new Japanese record with 215 single-season wins last year, breaking Yutaka Take's 13-year-old mark of 212.