2025 WASJ - Thore Hammer Hansen Leads World’s Top Jockeys at the End of Day One
[Day One Summary]
Thore Hammer Hansen collected 42 points to stand on top on the first day of this year’s World All-Star Jockeys. After finishing fourth with ninth pick Tera Stellar in the first leg, the German-based jockey claimed his first victory in Japan riding ninth pick Patrick Handsome in the second leg.
“I had a dream run on the inside and just had to take my time a bit coming into the straight because it got a little bit crowded, but once I cut the gap he really knuckled down and he tried all the way to the line. 2,000 meters might be a bit too short for him to be honest, but he’s a horse that will be in my mind for a long time as my first Japanese winner,” commented Thore Hammer Hansen after the second leg.
Following behind with 31 points is Ryusei Sakai, who won the first leg with third favorite Heart Whip. Francisco Goncalves is in third with 28 points by finishing second and sixth. The Argentine representative marked his first win in Japan in the fourth race.
Team WAS currently leads with a total of 122 points, excelling Team JRA by 20 points.
The last two legs of the series will be held tomorrow, Day Two—the third leg will be the 10th race and the fourth leg, the 12th race.
2025 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS POINT CHART
| Standing |
Jockey |
Team |
August 23, 2025 |
August 24, 2025 |
Total
Points |
| 1st Leg |
2nd Leg |
3rd Leg |
4th Leg |
| 1 |
Thore Hammer Hansen (GER) |
WAS |
4th |
(12) |
1st |
(30) |
|
|
|
|
42 |
| 2 |
Ryusei Sakai |
JRA |
1st |
(30) |
14th |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
31 |
| 3 |
Francisco Goncalves (ARG) |
WAS |
2nd |
(20) |
6th |
(8) |
|
|
|
|
28 |
| 4 |
Craig Williams (AUS) |
WAS |
13th |
(1) |
2nd |
(20) |
|
|
|
|
21 |
| 5 |
Takeshi Yokoyama |
JRA |
5th |
(10) |
7th |
(6) |
|
|
|
|
16 |
| 5 |
Norihiro Yokoyama |
JRA |
3rd |
(15) |
13th |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
16 |
| 5 |
Christophe Lemaire |
JRA |
11th |
(1) |
3rd |
(15) |
|
|
|
|
16 |
| 8 |
Masashige Honda (NAR) |
WAS |
14th |
(1) |
4th |
(12) |
|
|
|
|
13 |
| 9 |
Yuichi Kitamura |
JRA |
12th |
(1) |
5th |
(10) |
|
|
|
|
11 |
| 10 |
Karis Teetan (HK) |
WAS |
7th |
(6) |
8th |
(4) |
|
|
|
|
10 |
| 11 |
Keita Tosaki |
JRA |
6th |
(8) |
10th |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
9 |
| 12 |
Alexis Badel (HK) |
WAS |
8th |
(4) |
11th |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
5 |
| 13 |
Yutaka Take |
JRA |
10th |
(1) |
9th |
(2) |
|
|
|
|
3 |
| 13 |
Cristian Torres (USA) |
WAS |
9th |
(2) |
12th |
(1) |
|
|
|
|
3 |
| Team WAS (World All-Star) : 122 points |
Team JRA : 102 points |
*1st: 30 points / 2nd: 20 points / 3rd: 15 points / 4th: 12 points / 5th: 10 points / 6th: 8 points / 7th: 6 points / 8th: 4 points
9th: 2 points / 10th: 1 point / 11th: 1 point / 12th: 1 point / 13th: 1 point / 14th: 1 point
Turnover for the Day: ¥ 6,160,566,000 Attendance: 11,048
[2025 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 1ST LEG]
Saturday, August 23, 2025 Sapporo Racecourse 10th Race Post Time: 15:01
3-year-olds & up, 2 Wins Class, 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs), turf, right-handed
3-y-o: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 14 runners
Going: Good to Firm Weather: Fine
| FP |
BK |
PP |
Horse |
Sex
Age |
Jockey |
Weight
(kg) |
Odds |
(Fav) |
Margin |
| 1 |
8 |
14 |
Heart Whip (JPN) |
M6 |
Ryusei Sakai |
56.0 |
7.8 |
(3) |
1:09.0 |
| 2 |
2 |
2 |
Maru Puri (JPN) |
M5 |
Francisco Goncalves |
56.0 |
18.2 |
(6) |
Neck |
| 3 |
3 |
4 |
Lucido (JPN) |
C3 |
Norihiro Yokoyama |
56.0 |
1.8 |
(1) |
1/2 |
| 4 |
1 |
1 |
Tera Stellar (JPN) |
H5 |
Thore Hammer Hansen |
58.0 |
28.0 |
(9) |
Neck |
| 5 |
4 |
5 |
Gold Star (JPN) |
C4 |
Takeshi Yokoyama |
58.0 |
8.5 |
(4) |
1/2 |
| 6 |
5 |
8 |
Up Stroke (JPN) |
G6 |
Keita Tosaki |
58.0 |
24.5 |
(8) |
2 |
| 7 |
7 |
12 |
Sculptoris (JPN) |
M5 |
Karis Teetan |
56.0 |
55.6 |
(12) |
Nose |
| 8 |
5 |
7 |
On the Blue Sky (JPN) |
C3 |
Alexis Badel |
56.0 |
17.3 |
(5) |
3/4 |
| 9 |
8 |
13 |
Tosen Tram (JPN) |
H5 |
Cristian Torres |
58.0 |
87.4 |
(13) |
3/4 |
| 10 |
4 |
6 |
Jacquard (JPN) |
H7 |
Yutaka Take |
58.0 |
42.3 |
(11) |
Neck |
| 11 |
6 |
10 |
Caravaggisti (USA) |
C3 |
Christophe Lemaire |
56.0 |
7.4 |
(2) |
1/2 |
| 12 |
6 |
9 |
Sumire First (JPN) |
F4 |
Yuichi Kitamura |
56.0 |
39.3 |
(10) |
1 |
| 13 |
7 |
11 |
La Jolla Storm (JPN) |
M5 |
Craig Williams |
56.0 |
20.8 |
(7) |
3/4 |
| 14 |
3 |
3B |
Diamond Fuji (JPN) |
H6 |
Masashige Honda |
58.0 |
107.1 |
(14) |
3-1/2 |
FP: Final Position / BK: Bracket Number / PP: Post Position / B: Blinker
| NOTE: | Figures quoted under Odds are shown in form of decimal odds (single unit is ¥100), and Fav indicates the order of favorites. |
| Fractional time (sec./furlong): |
12.2 - 10.9 - 10.8 - 11.4 - 11.7 - 12.0 |
|
Last 4 furlongs: 45.9 |
Last 3 furlongs: 35.1 |
| Positions at each corner: |
3rd corner |
4,14,7(2,5,9,12)(1,6,11)(8,10,13)=3 |
|
4th corner |
(*4,14)(2,7)(5,9,12)(1,6,11)(8,10,13)=3 |
| Note1: |
Underlined bold numberindicates the winning horse. |
| Note2: |
Horse numbers are indicated in the order of their positions at each corner, with the first position listed first. Two or more horses inside the same parentheses indicate that they were positioned side by side. Hyphens between the horse numbers indicate that there is distance between the former and the latter. The asterisk indicates a slight lead. |
| 1st: (14) |
Ryusei Sakai—quick out of gate, set early pace, turned corners in 2nd, outdueled Norihiro Yokoyama and held off strong challenge by Francisco Goncalves before wire |
| 2nd: (2) |
Francisco Goncalves—hugged rails in 5th, advanced to 3rd entering lane, displayed powerful stretch run behind Ryusei Sakai, overtook Norihiro Yokoyama just before wire
“It was an ideal ride. She broke beautifully and showed a sound performance. I thought we notched it at the finish line, but unfortunately we were a bit short.” |
| 3rd: (4) |
Norihiro Yokoyama—missed break, threaded through horses to take command before corner, dueled with Ryusei Sakai at stretch but succumbed to 3rd before wire |
| 4th: (1) |
Thore Hammer Hansen—broke well, hugged rails in mid-field, responded well while shifting out for running room in stretch, dug in eagerly but too late to threaten
“It was quite tight at the last corner but once we found room, he showed a good turn of foot. He might be suited to a longer distance—1,300 to 1,500m could work better for him.” |
| 5th: (5) |
Takeshi Yokoyama—settled around 4-5th, showed good effort in stretch but unable to catch up with front runners |
| 6th: (8) |
Keita Tosaki—traveled around 11th, met traffic at top stretch, showed good finishing kick after finding space 150m out |
| 7th: (12) |
Karis Teetan—ran wide to advance to 4-5th, lacked needed kick
“She broke smoothly and was able to sit in a good position. The outcome could have been better if we had drawn an inner stall.” |
| 8th: (7) |
Alexis Badel—tracked leaders in 3rd, sustained bid up to 200m pole
“” |
| 9th: (13) |
Cristian Torres—raced wide around 11th, unable to reach contention
“The horse made a good start, and he settled in his usual spot. He responded well and ran eagerly to the wire.” |
| 10th: (6) |
Yutaka Take—traveled wide in 8th, even paced |
| 11th: (10) |
Christophe Lemaire—off slow, sat near rear, shifted out for running room at top of stretch, even paced |
| 12th: (9) |
Yuichi Kitamura—broke sharply, gunned for lead, settled in 5th to 6th, showed brief effort in early stretch, never fired thereafter |
| 13th: (11) |
Craig Williams—reserved in latter half of the field, made wide bid turning into lane, nothing left in straight
“It’s too bad she got too excited in the gate which led to a slow start.” |
| 14th: (3) |
Masashige Honda—missed break, trailed in far rear, never a factor |
[2025 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 2ND LEG]
Saturday, August 23, 2025 Sapporo Racecourse 11th Race Post Time: 15:35
3-year-olds & up, 3 Wins Class, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs), turf, right-handed
3-y-o: 56kg (about 123-124 lbs), 4-y-o & up: 58kg (about 128 lbs), 2kg allowance for Fillies & Mares, 14 runners
Going: Good to Firm Weather: Fine
| FP |
BK |
PP |
Horse |
Sex
Age |
Jockey |
Weight
(kg) |
Odds |
(Fav) |
Margin |
| 1 |
3 |
4 |
Patrick Handsome (JPN) |
H6 |
Thore Hammer Hansen |
58.0 |
20.8 |
(9) |
2:02.1 |
| 2 |
3 |
3 |
Speed Rich (JPN) |
C4 |
Craig Williams |
58.0 |
3.7 |
(1) |
1/2 |
| 3 |
4 |
5 |
Clever Taste (JPN) |
G6 |
Christophe Lemaire |
58.0 |
20.5 |
(8) |
Neck |
| 4 |
6 |
10 |
Ice Green (JPN) |
H5 |
Masashige Honda |
58.0 |
10.2 |
(7) |
Neck |
| 5 |
7 |
12 |
Lucullan Feast (JPN) |
C4 |
Yuichi Kitamura |
58.0 |
5.1 |
(2) |
Nose |
| 6 |
5 |
8 |
Sumi (JPN) |
M6 |
Francisco Goncalves |
56.0 |
9.2 |
(6) |
1/2 |
| 7 |
8 |
13 |
Meiner Nicholas (JPN) |
H6 |
Takeshi Yokoyama |
58.0 |
86.6 |
(13) |
3/4 |
| 8 |
4 |
6 |
Namura Hooker (JPN) |
C4 |
Karis Teetan |
58.0 |
8.5 |
(5) |
3-1/2 |
| 9 |
7 |
11B |
Ezo Daimon (JPN) |
H5 |
Yutaka Take |
58.0 |
7.9 |
(4) |
1-1/2 |
| 10 |
6 |
9 |
Agraciado (JPN) |
M5 |
Keita Tosaki |
56.0 |
26.7 |
(10) |
1/2 |
| 11 |
2 |
2 |
Sam Hunter (JPN) |
H7 |
Alexis Badel |
58.0 |
35.3 |
(11) |
Neck |
| 12 |
8 |
14 |
Fukuno Blue Lake (JPN) |
C3 |
Cristian Torres |
56.0 |
7.0 |
(3) |
Neck |
| 13 |
1 |
1 |
Reflect the Moon (JPN) |
F4 |
Norihiro Yokoyama |
56.0 |
111.0 |
(14) |
7 |
| 14 |
5 |
7 |
Ask on Deep (JPN) |
G6 |
Ryusei Sakai |
58.0 |
48.0 |
(12) |
8 |
| Fractional Time (sec./furlong): |
12.6 - 11.4 - 12.6 - 12.4 - 12.3 - 12.0 - 11.9 - 12.0 - 12.3 - 12.6 |
|
Last 4 furlongs: 48.8 |
Last 3 furlongs: 36.9 |
| Positions at each corner: |
1st corner |
5(2,7)(3,8)(4,11,14)(13,10,12)-(1,6)-9 |
|
2nd corner |
5,7(2,8)3(4,11,14)13,10,12(1,6)-9 |
|
3rd corner |
(*5,7,8)(2,3,11,14)4(13,10,6)-12,9,1 |
|
4th corner |
5,8(2,7,11)3(4,13,10,6)14,12,9,1 |
| 1st: (4) |
Thore Hammer Hansen—hugged rails around 6th, closed in on leaders with every stride after finding clear path at top of stretch, took command 50m out for 1/2-length victory |
| 2nd: (3) |
Craig Williams—reserved around 5-6th, steered to outside at top stretch to make bid, overtook front runners with strong late charge but was 1/2 length short of Thore Hammer Hansen
“I was able to race him in good pace and the horse ran really well but the winner was too strong.” |
| 3rd: (5) |
Christophe Lemaire—broke sharply to set pace, overtaken by Thore Hammer Hansen 50m out and Craig Williams before wire but held on well to secure 3rd place |
| 4th: (10) |
Masashige Honda—traveled wide in 10th, steered slightly to inside for clear path at top stretch, unleashed strong stretch drive to come in 4th |
| 5th: (12) |
Yuichi Kitamura—slow break, traveled towards rear, passed rivals one by one in stretch with fastest closing speed to finish 5th, only a nose short of Masashige Honda |
| 6th: (8) |
Francisco Goncalves—sat in 4th after good break, advanced to 2nd turning last corners wide, even paced in stretch
“I think it was a good race. We might have been able to race better if I could have positioned him further back. I wanted to finish within the top five but was overtaken just before the wire.” |
| 7th: (13) |
Takeshi Yokoyama—positioned in 9th, checked at early stretch, showed brief effort |
| 8th: (6) |
Karis Teetan—settled around 12th, made headway to 4th at one point, showed little at stretch
“The colt gave his best. It was a smooth trip but he lacked the necessary finishing speed. A larger track might be more suitable for him.” |
| 9th: (11) |
Yutaka Take—sat wide in mid-division, checked rounding final corner, never fired |
| 10th: (9) |
Keita Tosaki—broke poorly, trailed in rear, unable to reach contention |
| 11th: (2) |
Alexis Badel—chased pace in 2nd to 3rd on rails, 3rd to 4th entering lane, gradually retreated, little left from early efforts |
| 12th: (14) |
Cristian Torres—broke from widest stall, took wide trip in mid-division, shifted out farther at last corner to avoid traffic, used up
“He broke well, was positioned as planned and seemed happy during the trip but just couldn’t respond when urged in the last 600 meters.” |
| 13th: (1) |
Norihiro Yokoyama—unhurried after break, trailed 2nd to 3rd from rear in backstretch, dropped to far rear at 3rd corner, never a factor |
| 14th: (7) |
Ryusei Sakai—quick start, pressed pace in 2nd, weakened before last turn, faded thereafter |
World All-Star Jockeys
The World All-Star Jockeys commenced in 2015 as a renewed version of the World Super Jockeys Series staged at Sapporo Racecourse in the summer. The annual event, though called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, is popular in Japan and throughout the world and boasts a total of more than 260 top-caliber participants from abroad during its 36-year history.
In this series, points are awarded to each jockey according to their placing in each race, and the total points accumulated from the four races run over the two-day period are calculated at the end of the second day to determine the champion. At the same time, a team competition is carried out where “Team WAS (World All-Star)” comprising overseas jockeys and NAR (National Association of Racing; local public racing) jockeys compete against “Team JRA” jockeys in their bid to attain the most points as a team.
This year’s “Team WAS” included Alexis Badel (HK), Francisco Goncalves (ARG), Thore Hammer Hansen (GER), Karis Teetan (HK), Cristian Torres (USA), Craig Williams (AUS) and Masashige Honda (NAR Funabashi).
“Team JRA” taking on the challenge included Yuichi Kitamura (Western) who was selected for his victory in this year’s Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and Keita Tosaki (Eastern), the JRA Award Most Valuable Jockey (MVJ) winner in 2024. Takeshi Yokoyama from the Eastern division, Ryusei Sakai and Christophe Lemaire from the Western division were also among the lineup as the leaders in their respective jockey rankings (in wins) as of June 22. Norihiro Yokoyama (Eastern) and Yutaka Take (Western) were also selected to join the series based on their outstanding performances.
Last year, Joao Moreira (BRZ) collected 64 points by marking a second, an eighth, a fifth and a win to capture his second champion title following 2015. Yutaka Take and Ryusei Sakai followed in second and third with 55 and 51 points. Team JRA won the team competition, remaining undefeated for eight years since the team competition began in 2015.
[Other Races Ridden by Foreign Participants]
1st race: Two-Year-Olds (Maiden), turf, 1,800m, 8 runners
Alexis Badel—1st on Strawberry Tree (JPN, F2), race favorite
Craig Williams—6th on Mozu Plus Fort (JPN, C2), 5th favorite
2nd race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden, Fillies), dirt, 1,000m, 12 runners
Francisco Goncalves—10th on Dixie Vogue (JPN, F3), 9th favorite
3rd race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), turf, 2,000m, 16 runners
Craig Williams—5th on Win Heliodor (JPN, C3), 9th favorite
4th race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), dirt, 1,700m, 14 runners
Francisco Goncalves—1st on High Quality (JPN, C3), 4th favorite
Karis Teetan—8th on Danon Russell (USA, C3), 6th favorite
Craig Williams—9th on Dubai Mission (JPN, C3), race favorite
5th race: Two-Year-Olds (Newcomer), turf, 1,500m, 9 runners
Alexis Badel—6th on Bellagio Lynn (JPN, F2), 5th favorite
7th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (1 Win Class), turf, 1,500m, 14 runners
Craig Williams—7th on Forte Fiore (JPN, C4), 4th favorite
Alexis Badel—14th on Buster Call (JPN, G4), 7th favorite
8th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (1 Win Class), dirt, 2,400m, 9 runners
Craig Williams—1st on Big Beluga (JPN, H5), 6th favorite
Alexis Badel—4th on Lusitania (JPN, C3), 5th favorite
9th race: Clover Sho (Two-Year-Old, Open Class), turf, 1,500m, 9 runners
Alexis Badel—1st on Storm Thunder (JPN, C2), 4th favorite
Craig Williams—5th on Escalate (JPN, F2), 3rd favorite
12th race: Niseko Tokubetsu (Three-Year-Olds & Up, 1 Win Class), dirt, 1,700m, 6 runners
Alexis Badel—6th on Reiwa Sansan (JPN, G4), 3rd favorite
|
- News
- Result and Video
- 2025 World All-Star Jockeys 1st Leg
Result
Video 
- 2025 World All-Star Jockeys 2nd Leg
Result
Video
- 2025 World All-Star Jockeys 3rd Leg
Result
Video
- 2025 World All-Star Jockeys 4th Leg
Result
Video
- Photo Gallery
|
