Legendary rider famed for his unique style has called time on a record-breaking career featuring more than 7,400 winners on Japan’s local government circuit
Japan: Fumio Matoba, the record-breaking 68-year-old jockey known as the ‘Emperor of Ohi’, announced his retirement from the saddle on Friday [Feb 14].
The remarkable Matoba, who has ridden for more than 51 years, stands down as the winningmost rider in Japanese history with a career total of 7,424 victories on Japan’s NAR (National Association of Racing) circuit – plus a handful more elsewhere. He has ridden in an extraordinary 43,497 NAR races.
He was the first active jockey in Japan to receive the Yellow Ribbon Medal, an honour from the Emperor of Japan.
Matoba overtook the previous mark of ‘Iron Man’ Takemi Sasaki – who retired in 2001 – when he partnered his 7,152nd winner at Ohi racecourse [Tokyo City Keiba]. He has been leading rider at Ohi 21 times, including when riding a seasonal best 363 winners in 2002.
However, he has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons, including last year when he was sidelined for five months with a knee injury.
Explaining the decision, Matoba told local media, “To be honest, I still want to ride, but I injured my knee in February last year and although I did resume riding once, I was not able to ride as well as I wanted, probably due to the effects of my knee, and I began to feel physically limited, so I have decided to put an end to my career as a jockey.
"I am very sorry that I will not be able to show you my last ride. However, I have been able to race with many wonderful horses and make many memories.
"Your warm support has given me strength and support. I will now walk a new path, but I will keep your support in my heart and do my best in the next stage. Thank you very much."
Matoba, who had his first ride on October 16, 1973, is a legendary figure in Japanese racing, where he is famed for the ‘Matoba dance’, his idiosyncratic way of riding a finish which looks ungainly to western eyes as the jockey bounces high out of the saddle during his drive.
He operated for his entire career on the second-tier NAR circuit in Japan, which is run by local governments as opposed to the premier racing under the auspices of the JRA.
As such, he deals primarily in dirt racing, and has ridden exclusively at Ohi – the popular city-centre venue known officially as Tokyo City Keiba – in recent years. With 4,408 wins, Yutaka Take is all-time leader on JRA tracks with 4,561 wins.
Matoba has also ridden a handful on the better-known JRA (Japan Racing Association) circuit plus one in South Korea. Matoba stands eighth on the world all-time list in career victories, where Brazilian legend Jorge Ricardo leads the way with an incredible 13,338 successes, according to Pagina de Turf.
WORLD CAREER VICTORIES: ALL-TIME TOP TEN
1 Jorge Ricardo 13,338
2 Russell Baze 12,844
3 Pablo Falero 9,580
4 Laffit Pincay 9,530
5 Bill Shoemaker 8,833
6 Pat Day 8,803
7 Perry Ouzts* 7,488
8 Fumio Matoba 7,429
9 Edgar Prado 7,421
10 David Gall 7,396
*still active
• Visit the Pagina de Turf website and the Tokyo City Keiba website
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