2026 News

August 23, 2026
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2026 WASJ - Norihiro Yokoyama Becomes the First Jockey to Win JRA’s International Jockeys’ Series Three Times
2026 World All-Star Jockeys Closing ceremony

[Series Summary]

Norihiro Yokoyama won two of the four-leg series held over two days to win this year’s World All-Star Jockeys, becoming the first jockey to win JRA’s international jockeys’ series three times, following his titles in 1995 and 2009 (then called the World Super Jockeys Series). Norihiro Yokoyama stood second at the end of Day One with 32 points, finishing ninth with 13th pick Xebec in the first leg and winning the second leg with fourth favorite Can’t Wait. On Day Two, the veteran jockey finished 14th with 11th choice Win Harmonia in the third leg but scored another win in the fourth leg with second pick Million Crown to claim the overall title with a total of 63 points.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be a part of this series, and to be able to win at my age is something I’m truly grateful for. This is why we can’t stop doing this, right, Yutaka? I’m very happy to have won this wonderful series in such great weather and in front of so many fans. I was also fortunate enough to win Race 8 today, in addition to the World All-Star Jockeys races. You don’t get many weekends as good as this one. This marks my third individual victory in the history of the competition, which is apparently now a record for the most individual wins. I suppose it’s a privilege that comes with riding for so many years.”

Five points behind in second was Zac Lloyd who accumulated a total of 58 points. The up-and-coming Australian jockey stood at the top at the end of Day One with 40 points, marking runner-up efforts in both the first and second leg with third pick B B Effort and 12th choice Spark Richard, respectively. He added 18 points on Day Two by finishing fifth with seventh favorite Himino Etoile in the third leg and sixth with ninth pick Storm Thunder in the final leg.

“Absolutely fantastic. I didn’t ride a winner, so I don’t deserve to win, and the jockey next to me rode fantastically. He rode two winners out of four races, so he’s a deserved winner. Hopefully, next time I can ride winners and be a worthy winner. But finishing second on my first try makes me very happy. I’m extremely pleased to be here. It was a great race, and we fought hard against each other, so I’m extremely pleased with the result. I’ve watched as many races in Japan as I could over the past ten years, so it feels almost like second nature to be riding in Japan. It’s a massive honor and privilege, especially having only just turned 23. Hopefully, it’ll be the first of many times. I really enjoyed myself and seeing all the fans, so it was a very, very great experience. Hopefully, I can see you all again very soon.”

Coming in third with 56 points was Damian Lane, also from Australia, who was fourth at the end of Day One with 24 points, finishing fourth in both legs. He added 32 points on Day Two with a fourth-place finish in the third leg and a close second in the final leg.

“It was a great series and a very good result. Obviously, I would have loved to have won, but I’m happy with the result. It was very competitive, and it was great to ride against so many good jockeys. The points were very close, which was a sign that everyone rode very well. I’m glad to be a part of this race. I’d also like to thank all the fans here at the course today. It was great to see so many people supporting the series. Thank you for your great support and encouragement.”

Despite the impressive performances of Zac Lloyd and Damian Lane, Team JRA collected 261 points, with Norihiro Yokoyama claiming the individual title and JRA jockeys taking 4th through 7th place to beat Team WAS by 74 points.

In Race 3, Rafael Hernandez scored his first JRA victory with second choice Fiery Beat, his seventh mount in Japan. “I appreciate everything the JRA has been doing for us, the fans here are unbelievable, the racecourse is the best and I feel great riding my first Japanese winner,” commented Rafael Hernandez.

However, Hernandez cancelled his assigned rides from Race 8 due to an injury sustained just after Race 7. Replacing him, Yuji Tannai rode for Team WAS in the third leg and the fourth leg in the series.

2026 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS POINT CHART

Standing Jockey Team August 22, 2026 August 23, 2026 Total
Points
1st Leg 2nd Leg 3rd Leg 4th Leg
1 Norihiro Yokoyama JRA 9th (2) 1st (30) 14th (1) 1st (30) 63
2 Zac Lloyd (AUS) WAS 2nd (20) 2nd (20) 5th (10) 6th (8) 58
3 Damian Lane (AUS) WAS 4th (12) 4th (12) 4th (12) 2nd (20) 56
4 Yutaka Take JRA 1st (30) 10th (1) 2nd (20) 11th (1) 52
5 Mirai Iwata JRA 10th (1) 13th (1) 1st (30) 3rd (15) 47
6 Yuga Kawada JRA 6th (8) 3rd (15) 7th (6) 5th (10) 39
7 Christophe Lemaire JRA 8th (4) 5th (10) 6th (8) 4th (12) 34
8 Marie Velon (FR) WAS 5th (10) 6th (8) 9th (2) 14th (1) 21
9 Tomohiro Yoshimura (NAR) WAS 13th (1) 9th (2) 3rd (15) 13th (1) 19
10 Takeshi Yokoyama JRA 3rd (15) 11th (1) 12th (1) 10th (1) 18
11 Suraj Narredu (IND) WAS 7th (6) 8th (4) 10th (1) 12th (1) 12
11 Richard Fourie (SAF) WAS 11th (1) 7th (6) 13th (1) 8th (4) 12
13 Kohei Matsuyama JRA 12th (1) FF (1) 8th (4) 9th (2) 8
14 Yuji Tannai WAS         11th (1) 7th (6) 7
15 Rafael Hernandez (CAN) WAS 14th (1) 12th (1)         2
Team WAS (World All-Star) : 187 points Team JRA : 261 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
below 10th: 1 point / ER= Excluded from running (by stewards): 6 points / FF=Fail to Finish: 1 point

Turnover for the Day: ¥ 15,718,287,500       Attendance: 19,190

[2026 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 3RD LEG]

Sunday, August 23, 2026 Sapporo Racecourse 10th Race Post Time: 15:10
3-year-olds & up, 2 Wins Class, 1,700 meters (about 8.5 furlongs), dirt, 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: Standard Weather: Fine

FP BK PP Horse Sex
Age		 Jockey Weight
(kg)		 Odds (Fav) Margin
1 8 13 B Mashi Vigorous (JPN) H6 Mirai Iwata 58.0 86.5 (12) 1:45.1
2 1 1 B Rose Meister (JPN) C4 Yutaka Take 58.0 7.9 (3) 1-3/4
3 7 11 Aoharu Blues (JPN) C3 Tomohiro Yoshimura 56.0 6.0 (2) 3/4
4 5 7 Red Lightning (JPN) H5 Damian Lane 58.0 9.4 (6) 1/2
5 6 9 Himino Etoile (JPN) F4 Zac Lloyd 56.0 9.8 (7) 1-1/2
6 4 6 Juventas (JPN) F4 Christophe Lemaire 56.0 9.4 (5) Neck
7 7 12 Hiruno Pyrenees (JPN) H6 Yuga Kawada 58.0 10.2 (9) Nose
8 5 8 B Hayabusa Ohimesama (JPN) F4 Kohei Matsuyama 56.0 9.9 (8) 1
9 2 2 Kurino Rapidus (JPN) C4 Marie Velon 58.0 180.0 (13) 3-1/2
10 6 10 Cuthbert Tesoro (JPN) F4 Suraj Narredu 56.0 12.1 (10) 1-1/4
11 4 5 Aurora Ark (JPN) M7 Yuji Tannai 56.0 247.8 (14) 1-1/2
12 3 4 Saint Horse (JPN) C3 Takeshi Yokoyama 56.0 8.5 (4) 3/4
13 3 3 B High Quality (JPN) C4 Richard Fourie 58.0 5.8 (1) 7
14 8 14 Win Harmonia (JPN) F4 Norihiro Yokoyama 56.0 18.0 (11) 4
FP: Final Position / BK: Bracket Number / PP: Post Position / B: Blinker / DS: Distance
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): 6.9 - 11.0 - 11.8 - 12.5 - 12.5 - 12.3 - 12.6 - 12.8 - 12.7
Last 4 furlongs: 50.4 Last 3 furlongs: 38.1
Positions at each corner: 1st corner 3,11,13(4,8)(5,12)(9,14)(6,7,10)2-1
2nd corner 3,11,13,4,8,12,5(9,14,10)(6,7)2,1
3rd corner (*3,11)-13-(4,8)-(9,12,10,7)(14,2)6,1,5
4th corner (3,*11)13-(4,8,7)(9,12)(2,1)(6,10)-14-5

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: (13) Mirai Iwata—good speed out of wide gate to advance to 3rd, tracking leaders along backstretch, accelerated again into final stretch to assume command 200m out and pulled away with ease to a 1-3/4- length victory
2nd: (1) Yutaka Take—allowed to settle in rear, headway along outside from 3rd corner turning wide into straight in about 9th position and showed good finishing speed to overtake all but the winner
3rd: (11) Tomohiro Yoshimura—broke sharply and rushed to front to press pacesetter in 2nd most of the way, inherited lead just briefly into straight while soon taken over by eventual winner but continued effort to stay in 2nd before overtaken by Yutaka Take
4th: (7) Damian Lane—settled back from smooth break further back than mid-pack, a little keen along backstretch before advancing quickly approaching final turn to position 3rd inside furlong pole, soon caught by Yutaka Take from outside and crossed wire in 4th
“He wasn’t particularly quick out of the gate but he responded well mid-race although we were well behind the frontrunners and was responsive all the way to the wire”
5th: (9) Zac Lloyd—sat around 8th, made bid after 800m to go, improved position while never threatened top finishers
“The filly gave his best. We were unable to shift outside early but she endured the dirt kicked in her face”
6th: (6) Christophe Lemaire—raced in mid-field from smooth break, further back along backstretch, boxed in briefly in early stretch, then came with quick finishing speed while unable to threaten frontrunners
7th: (12) Yuga Kawada—settled in mid-division, around 6th, dropped back to 8th entering lane, showed good effort in stretch
8th: (8) Kohei Matsuyama—traveled 2-wide in 5th, lacked needed response in stretch
9th: (2) Marie Velon—eased back to 2nd from last, improved position in backstretch, turned last corners wide to make bid but even paced in stretch
“He ran a terrific race. I attempted to make our bid from the outside as he did when he won before”
10th: (10) Suraj Narredu—broke poorly, steadily accelerated to mid-pack in backstretch, retreated to 3rd from rear at last corner, nothing left thereafter
“She fell behind at the start and used up her energy in keeping up with the pace”
11th: (5) Yuji Tannai—positioned around 7th on rails, dropped position to last until 3rd corner, improved position at stretch
12th: (4) Takeshi Yokoyama—hugged rails in 4th, ran out of stream before entering lane
13th: (3) Richard Fourie—broke sharply, took front early, overtaken rounding final turn, used up from early efforts
“He broke sharply so we were positioned up front but his rhythm was good. He got tired from being pressed in the last 600 meters and was used up in the end”
14th: (14) Norihiro Yokoyama—good start from widest draw, settled around 9th, fell back turning last corners, nothing left in stretch

[2026 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS 4TH LEG]

Sunday, August 23, 2026 Sapporo Racecourse 12th Race Post Time: 16:20
3-year-olds & up, 2 Wins Class, 1,800 meters (about 9 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 7 12 Million Crown (JPN) C3 Norihiro Yokoyama 56.0 4.3 (2) 1:47.7
2 2 2 B Meiner Forza (JPN) H6 Damian Lane 58.0 47.1 (11) Neck
3 8 14 Wazamono (JPN) H8 Mirai Iwata 58.0 8.4 (5) 3/4
4 6 9 Lux Zinnia (JPN) F4 Christophe Lemaire 56.0 3.6 (1) Nose
5 1 1 Meant to Be (JPN) F4 Yuga Kawada 56.0 7.4 (4) 1/2
6 3 4 Storm Thunder (JPN) C3 Zac Lloyd 56.0 28.0 (9) Head
7 5 8 Win Verano (JPN) C4 Yuji Tannai 58.0 7.2 (3) 1/2
8 8 13 Cosmo Spumoni (JPN) H6 Richard Fourie 58.0 230.9 (14) Neck
9 4 6 Maruka Opera (JPN) M5 Kohei Matsuyama 56.0 16.8 (8) 3/4
10 4 5 Laissez Passer (JPN) M5 Takeshi Yokoyama 56.0 72.6 (12) 2-1/2
11 3 3 Vaselina (JPN) C4 Yutaka Take 58.0 30.2 (10) Neck
12 5 7 Bene Spira (JPN) C4 Suraj Narredu 58.0 13.5 (7) 3-1/2
13 7 11 Shonan Yo Ho (JPN) C4 Tomohiro Yoshimura 58.0 84.8 (13) Neck
14 6 10 Teruhiko (JPN) C3 Marie Velon 56.0 9.4 (6) 1

Fractional Time (sec./furlong): 12.7 - 11.5 - 11.6 - 11.9 - 12.0 - 11.8 - 12.0 - 12.1 - 12.1
Last 4 furlongs: 48.0 Last 3 furlongs: 36.2
Positions at each corner: 1st corner 8,10(7,9,12)(2,13)4,6,11,14,3-(1,5)
2nd corner 8,10-(7,9)(2,12)13-(4,6)(14,11)3,1,5
3rd corner 8,10(7,9)(2,12)(4,6)(14,13)11,3,1-5
4th corner 8(7,10,9,12)(2,6)(4,14)(1,13)(5,3,11)

1st: (12) Norihiro Yokoyama—traveled wide in 5th, entered lane in 2nd, stretched well, pinning leader 150m out and holding off strong challenges from behind
2nd: (2) Damian Lane—waited in 5-6th from front, closed in on the leader with strong late charge but was a neck short of Norihiro Yokoyama
“He broke well from an inside stall and raced in good rhythm. He responded well too after we found an opening and moved to the outside. It was a close race”
3rd: (14) Mirai Iwata—settled toward rear, met traffic entering lane, found clear path 150m out, chased leaders with 3rd fastest closing speed
4th: (9) Christophe Lemaire—chased leaders in 3rd or 4th, closed in on the leader soon after the final turn alongside Norihiro Yokoyama but unable to keep up with the eventual winner while also outrun by Damian Lane and Mirai Iwata from behind
5th: (1) Yuga Kawada—good start from innermost draw, eased back to trail 2nd from last, met traffic entering lane, found space for clear running too late
6th: (4) Zac Lloyd—saved ground around 8th, split horses to close in on frontrunners 200m out, needed more
“The colt itself ran a good race but the pace was really fast from the start to the end and we had a hard time keeping up. I tried to save his energy by keeping in the inside and the stretch run wasn’t that smooth but he gave his best to the end. If the race development was a little steadier I think he could perform better”
7th: (8) Yuji Tannai—shot out of the gate to lead through most of the trip but came up empty in the last furlong
8th: (13) Richard Fourie—traveled wide around 6th, dropped back to 10th at final corner, showed brief effort
“He was able to relax and responded well at the stretch. He may stand a better chance at a mile distance”
9th: (6) Kohei Matsuyama—in hand in mid-field, made smooth headway along outside to last corner, failed to find another gear in the last furlong and gradually dropped position
10th: (5) Takeshi Yokoyama—missed a beat out of the gate, trailed in rear and met traffic when choosing to make bid in the inside, showed good turn of foot in the end but belatedly
11th: (3) Yutaka Take—eased back after start and sat third from last along backstretch, unable to find opening between horses and shifted to the outside but unable to quicken thereafter
12th: (7) Suraj Narredu—forwardly positioned in around 4th but failed to respond after turning for home and outrun before furlong pole
“We were positioned in a good spot but he was unable to respond when asked”
13th: (11) Tomohiro Yoshimura—broke in air at start, raced off the pace near rear, showed little after turning wide into straight
14th: (10) Marie Velon—broke in air but quick to move forward to 2nd, about a length behind pacesetter along backstretch, failed to respond as field began to close in towards last corner and faded
“He broke well but the pace was so fast that we were unable to come up with a better result”

[Other Races Ridden by Foreign Participants]

3rd race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), dirt, 1,700m, 14 runners
  Rafael Hernandez—1st on Fiery Beat (JPN, C3), 2nd favorite
  Zac Lloyd—9th on American Dance (USA, F3), 8th favorite
  Damian Lane—11th on Region Polaire (JPN, C3), 5th favorite
4th race: Three-Year-Olds (Maiden), turf, 1,200m, 16 runners
  Zac Lloyd—6th on Bulletty Lady (JPN, F3), 9th favorite
  Richard Fourie—10th on Gefion (JPN, F3), 13th favorite
  Rafael Hernandez—12th on Nitto Ace (JPN, C3), 15th favorite
6th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (1 Win Class), turf, 1,500m, 14 runners
  Suraj Narredu—10th on Queens Wharf (JPN, M5), 6th favorite
  Zac Lloyd—14th on Go Go Richard (JPN, C3), 9th favorite
7th race: Three-Year-Olds & Up (1 Win Class), dirt, 2,400m, 11 runners
  Suraj Narredu—3rd on Trigonic (JPN, C4), 7th favorite
  Zac Lloyd—6th on Stay Ambitious (JPN, C4), 5th favorite
  Rafael Hernandez—7th on Taiki Vier Liebe (JPN, C4), 8th favorite
9th race: Rusutsu Tokubetsu (Three-Year-Olds & Up, 1 Win Class), turf, 2,000m, 13 runners
  Zac Lloyd—3rd on Meiner Master (JPN, C3), 11th favorite
  Damian Lane—9th on Admiral Ship (JPN, H5), 6th favorite
11th race: Keeneland Cup (Three-Year-Olds & Up, G3), turf, 1,200m, 16 runners
  Suraj Narredu—7th on Itsumo Nikoniko (JPN, M5), 13th favorite
  Zac Lloyd—10th on Sonnig (JPN, H8), 11th favorite
  Damian Lane—11th on Lucido (JPN, C4), 7th favorite
  Marie Velon —14th on Meiner Gerodi (JPN, H8), 16th favorite

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