Congratulations on your marriage! Beautiful Jockey Michelle’s “Overflowing Love for Japan & Close Photos

The “too beautiful jockey” Mickaëlle Michel (26, France), who has won a total of 30 races for the JRA since her first visit to Japan in August 2007, has good news. On January 6, Michel announced his marriage to his agent Frederic Spagne (48).

Michelle, who is a big fan of Japan, had hoped to announce her marriage after she came to Japan. However, due to the effects of the new coronavirus, she was unable to make the trip. In December 2009, he fell off his horse during a race and broke his collarbone and neck. She is currently recuperating. With the support of her husband, Mr. Spagne, her progress has been good since then. She is expected to resume full-scale training in February this year,” said a JRA official.

This magazine interviewed Michelle in March 2008. This magazine caught up with Michelle in March 2008, and she talked about her overflowing love for horses and Japan. Let’s start with the reason why she came to Japan.

I visited Japan for the first time in August of 2007, when I was invited to a race in Sapporo. At that race, I was cheered so loudly that it was impossible in France. …… I felt ‘awesome’. In France, horse racing is a male-dominated society and women don’t get much attention. But in Japan, women are not treated lightly because they are women. I wanted to be a jockey in this country.

Michelle’s mornings are early. At 6:00 a.m., she showed up at her stable, Yuya Yamazaki at Kawasaki Racecourse, put on her equipment and ran out to the training area.

During a race, if a horse running in front of me gets in the way, no matter who it is, I will shout in Japanese, “IKASETE! in Japanese. If I say that, everyone will move out of the way (laughs).

Both then and now, Michelle spends her days immersed in horse racing.

In the morning, she takes a cab to the track and eats at the cafeteria. As she eats, she checks the race of the day in the newspaper. It’s written in Japanese, but I’ve gotten to know the runner-up list pretty well. We analyze our own horses and the horses of our opponents based on the results of past races, and then it’s time to race. I run seven to eight races a day. After the races, I am interviewed and go home around 7:00 pm. I watch videos of the horses I’m going to ride the next day and study them.

This magazine also took a close look at Michelle’s precious time off. She visited a shopping mall in Kawasaki. Whenever she had a day off, she would visit the mall with her boyfriend from that time, Mr. Spagne.

There are so many places I want to visit in Japan!　I once went to a teahouse in Tokyo and was so moved by the quiet and peaceful space that I cried. When I went to Ikaho Onsen, the water was so hot that it was hard to get in. …… I want to get used to it.

Michelle is married and vows to be even more active with her partner. I can’t wait to see her running in her beloved Japan.