In what has become a sensational debut season for the 18-year-old phenom, jockey Kosei Miura inscribed his name in the Japan Racing Association’s record books again – this time, surpassing what was said to be an “unbreakable record.”
On Oct. 25 at Fukushima Racecourse, Miura notched his 70th victory of the season, breaking the JRA all-time rookie jockey record for most wins (69) set by Japan’s leading jockey Yutaka Take. In 1987, Take set the bars high for his successors, breaking the previous record of 58 wins set by Takemi Kaga in 1960.
Miura, who rides primarily for Miho-based trainer Michifumi Kono, celebrated the record-setting 70th victory on Advance Halo, trained by Kono.
“With one more win for the record, I struggled to pick up that last one,” Miura said in an official statement. “I’m happy I set the record on (Kono’s) horse. People started talking about the record when I reached around 50 wins and began to think about the number from then on. I did break Yutaka Take’s record, but my jockey career is just beginning. As long as I became a jockey, I want to reach the top.”
As of Oct. 26, Miura sits 10th on the annual jockey rankings, with 75 wins and 60 second-place finishes in 608 races, easily surpassing Take’s single-season record for most rides as a rookie (554).
Earlier in the year, Miura became the first rookie rider to finish in the top two places in eight consecutive races in which he mounted, and also became the first jockey out of the JRAHorseracingSchool to ride in all 24 races over a weekend.
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