Japan’s top female jockey Nanako Fujita has stunned her army of fans by handing in her licence after being charged with breaking mobile phone rules.
A hugely popular figure, the pioneering 27-year-old is the most successful woman rider in Japan, where she became the first woman for 16 years to join the prestigious Japan Racing Association circuit.
However, her sensational decision to quit the saddle was announced on Friday [Oct 11] – one day after she was charged with breaking Japanese racing’s strict mobile phone rules, which is considered a serious offence.
Having started out as a teenager, Fujita has a total of 166 JRA winners to her name – more than any other female rider. She was also the first woman to ride a Graded-stakes winner on the JRA circuit when she landed the G3 Capella Stakes on Copano Kicking at Nakayama in December 2019; she was also the first woman to ride in a G1 contest.
Such is Fujita’s celebrity at home that she was among those to carry the Olympic torch ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
She is also well known on the international stage, having ridden in two Shergar Cups at Ascot – including as part of this year’s Rest of the World team – plus jockeys’ competitions in Saudi Arabia and Sweden.
According to the Mirror, Fujita was suspended pending arbitration after being found to have brought communication devices, including a smartphone, into the jockeys' quarters on multiple occasions up until around April 2023.
The JRA later issued a notice saying she had asked to relinquish her licence. The notice said: “We would like to inform you that jockey Nanako Fujita (Miho, Nemoto Yasuhiro Stable) applied to have her jockey licence revoked, and her licence has been revoked as of Friday, October 11th.”
In a press conference ar Miho Training Centre on Friday morning, Fujita’s employer Yasuhiro Nemoto said the jockey had been in tears as she completed her application to retire.
“I will never forget the sight of her crying as she wrote with my fountain pen,” he said.
Fujita had ridden only six winners in an injury-hit season. She announced her marriage to a JRA official in July.
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