HAKODATE, Hokkaido—Ageless jockey Yutaka Take cemented his legacy on July 12, guiding the favorite Himino Etoile to victory at Hakodate Racecourse in Hokkaido to claim his 5,000th career win.

The 57-year-old icon of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) reached the historic milestone in the day’s seventh race, a tally combining wins from Japan’s central and regional circuits with those from his pioneering career overseas.

The landmark win had been anticipated for weeks, with Take himself commenting on his website in June about the difficulty of tracking his international victories.

“Tallying the overseas wins is quite a hassle, and I don’t have a clear grasp of the exact number myself. It would be a little sad for it to be reported in the past tense as, ‘He had 5,000 wins,’ so I’d like to rely on the media’s investigative power for this,” he wrote.

The final count was later confirmed to include 4,669 JRA victories, 212 regional wins and 119 wins abroad.

Take’s record underscores his long-standing dominance on the track.

His JRA win count, which began with his first victory on March 7, 1987, is the all-time record, placing him nearly 2,000 wins ahead of his closest peer, 58-year-old Norihiro Yokoyama (3,015).

In prestigious G1 races, he holds the JRA record with 86 victories, a total complemented by nine G1 overseas titles won.

A significant portion of that record—and his legacy—was forged abroad, where Take became a trailblazer for Japanese horse racing.

In an era before Japan’s global ascent in the sport, he ventured to the United States, France and Australia, honing his skills and proving his mettle with little more than his riding crop.

This path led to historic firsts: the first overseas graded stakes win for a Japanese jockey in 1991, the first overseas G1 title in 1994, and, aboard Stay Gold, the first overseas G1 win for a Japanese-bred and trained horse at the 2001 Hong Kong Vase.

MORE FINESSE, LESS FORCE

Take is renowned for a masterful and effective riding form that is instantly recognizable to racegoers.

Harmonizing with his horse galloping at speeds of 60 kph, he uses his long limbs as a suspension, drawing out a thoroughbred’s power rather than simply controlling it.

This soft contact allows him to calm temperamental horses and unlock an explosive final kick, a skill famously demonstrated with superstar Deep Impact, who won the Japanese horse racing triple crown in 2005. 

Take’s flawless technique, such as quickly switching his crop to keep a horse running straight, consistently maximizes his chances of victory.

In recent years, the veteran has added a new weapon to his arsenal: brilliant front-running victories.

Surprisingly, his first G1 win from the front didn’t come until his 70th, aboard Kitasan Black in the 2016 Tenno Sho (Spring).

Since then, he has masterfully controlled the pace from the lead to win major titles, including the 2025 Takarazuka Kinen with Meisho Tabaru.

NEXT CHALLENGE BECKONS

But for Take, the 5,000-win milestone is just a passing point.

In his 40th season, he remains a top competitor, ranking 11th in wins this year racing against jockeys decades his junior.

His recent form has been scintillating: on June 7, he guided Sixpence to a G1 Yasuda Kinen victory, breaking the record for the oldest jockey to win a JRA G1 race. A week later, he won the Takarazuka Kinen with Meisho Tabaru, completing a rare two-week G1 double and extending his record to 86.

Chanches to build on his record will continue.

In August, he will partner with Sixpence in France’s prestigious Prix Jacques le Marois (G1). Then, in October, he and Meisho Tabaru will chase Take’s long-held dream: a victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.