Jockey Yutaka Take Marked 300 Graded Race Wins: Unprecedented in JRA History
In the 1950's a legendary jockey was known in the United States even for no fan of horse racing. Bill Shoemaker was his name and known for his meager size and big fame. He was born so small and was not expected to survive. He did survive but remained small, and his diminutive size brought him fame. He eventually won 8,833 career victories.
This episode has to do with a Japanese jockey Yutaka Take whose fame is somewhat comparable with that of Bill shoemaker in his days. In height, Take is no match to Shoemaker but his weight, 51 kilograms, is close or lighter for his height. 1.7 meters, than Shormaker who weighed 47.5 kilograms for 1.5 meters.
Yutaka Take mounted Award to a victory October 3 at Hanshin Race Course in 19th Sirius Stakes, his 300th in graded races and 3,758th wins in JRA races. He shook hands with the horse owner Koji Maeda and commented, "I did my last race great and was looking forward to this one. I've run on fine horses and very lucky. Tomorrow, I'm racing in the same dress and run for the 301st win".
Take debuted in 1987 and won his first JRA graded race win in Kyoto G11 that year. He took a toss in 2010 and broke his clavicle and suspended race for 4 months. In January 2013, he returned and won his 300th win and in November that year won his 100th G1 victory at the central, regional and overseas races put together.
Take's father, Kunihiko Take, is dubbed as "master" and his younger brother, Koshiro Take, is also a jockey. His website is capped with a phrase "Take a Chance". At age 46, Take is still going strong.
