[Julien Leparoux (USA)]

“It’s been a long time since I was last here. Japanese horseracing is very big and nice, and I’m very happy to be back. It’s my first time in Sapporo so I’m enjoying it very much. I’m very excited and it’s always fun to be here. It’s very competitive but I will try to win my first race in Japan and also the jockeys series. I rode Master Fencer in the U.S. He ran a very good race, he surprised a lot of people in America and I was very happy for the connection.”

[Mickaelle Michel (FR)]

“I’m very excited to be here and to be able to ride with all these great jockeys. It was my dream to be invited to this series since I started riding. I would love to mark a win in front of the Japanese racegoers, but first I am going to enjoy this weekend.”

[Colm O'Donoghue (IRE)]

“I was here in October on a short license and Japanese horseracing is the best in the world. I competed with Yutaka Take and Yuga Kawada in Europe so I’m happy to come back here to compete with them. Sapporo racecourse is a lot smaller compared to Tokyo, but it’s an excellent course so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I think Japanese horses are very strong and very competitive especially at the high level from 2,000 meters to 2,400 meters. It’s a privilege to be invited by JRA and to compete in this series.”

[Karis Teetan (HK)]

“I love coming to Japan, I love riding here and I also enjoy the culture. Horseracing here is massive and there are so many good horses. It’s been proven by how well they’ve done in Hong Kong already. I’ve raced in Sapporo Racecourse two times and it’s a beautiful racecourse. We have a similar course in Hong Kong—Happy Valley—so I’m used to the track and I’m looking forward to ride here and have fun. It’s my first time to take on this challenge. Joao Moreira, Zac Purton and Douglas Whyte have all been here and they’ve all done well, so I’m really looking forward to compete here.”