ARCADIA, Calif. – Mirco Demuro, a former leading rider in Italy who has won more than 1,300 races in Japan, will be based at Del Mar this summer, according to his new agent, Tony Matos. Matos said on Sunday that Demuro will arrive at Del Mar a few days before the start of the track’s summer meeting on July 18. Demuro has a background in American racing. He last rode at Del Mar in 2005 and has won five races in the United States in his career, including the Turf Paradise Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Auction House in 2002. Auction House was one of Demuro’s two wins from 38 mounts in the United States in 2022. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Through Sunday, Demuro had 12 wins in Japan this year, according to the Japan Racing Association. He won an allowance race at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday, and currently ranks 45th in the standings at JRA tracks. Demuro, 46, ranked in the top five in Japan by wins for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018. He won a career-best 171 races in Japan in 2017. Last year, Demuro won 42 races in Japan, and ranked 23rd in the standings at JRA tracks. In 2003, Demuro won the Japanese Derby on Neo Universe, becoming the first non-Japanese rider to win the race. In 2011, Demuro won the Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates on Victoire Pisa, who was based in Japan. Demuro was a leading rider in Italy in the late 1990s. – additional reporting by Brad Free :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.