AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE: I’ve just returned back from my whistle-stop trip to Japan at the weekend and there isn’t much else to say but what a great experience it was. Everything was so well organised and everywhere we went, everyone was so polite and we really did feel like ‘’A List’’ celebrities.
It was a long flight getting over there, about 21 hours in total as we had to fly to Tokyo first and then get another flight to the North Island where Sapporo is. Jet lag was a bit of a problem as a result but I was in bed early on Friday night so that would have been a big help.
THE JAPANESE VERSION OF CHESTER!
When I got there all the local jockeys were a huge help, not only to me but to all the visiting jockey’s. Australian Jockey, Craig Williams was also a big help to me when I got there. He rides in Japan every Winter for a few months and he gave me loads of advice about the track and introduced me to the jockeys I didn’t know already.
The track was actually not as easy to ride as I thought it would be. It’s a bit like Chester in that it’s very sharp and there’s a very short straight of only about a furlong and a half. There’s actually an All Weather track on the inside which is even sharper but we were on the grass only.
The opening ceremony on Friday night was a really nice event. It was mainly for the local journalists and
it ended early, at about 8.00pm but I think most of us were glad to be finishing early as we had been travelling a long way to get there and jet lag was hitting in at that stage.
I had to make a speech at the ceremony and it was a strange experience because of the language barrier. At one point, I made a joke, all the English speaking people in the room got it straight away but then we had to wait for it to be translated to Japanese before the locals got the joke!
The JRA (Japanese Racing Authority) are quite strict on many of their rules there and one of those is the use of Mobile Phones. We were all required to turn off our phones on Friday after the ceremony and weren’t allowed to turn them back on until Sunday evening after racing. I have to say, I actually enjoyed not having it on for a while. I’m not sure I’d go without it completely but not feeling the need to go on Twitter and Facebook for a day or two was good.
GREAT TO GET A WINNER
Saturday didn’t really go according to plan at all. My first ride jumped out very well from the stalls and I gave him every chance but unfortunately he didn’t seem to stay and we faded down the field.
It was good to get a ride my belt because it’s very different when you’re riding against jockeys from so many different countries. They all race very differently and each one was trying to ride as they would normally but it was good to get this one done and learn from it.
The horse I rode for Sheikh Mohammed, Bernini, wasn’t suited by the track at all. I found it very hard to hold my position and the horse was probably just not quite brave enough to run into a gap when I needed him to.
My third ride was a little bit similar however, we were drawn wide which wasn’t ideal and that made it very hard to hold a position being out so wide.
My final ride on Win Phoenix couldn’t have gone any better. The trainer was a little worried about the trip because he’s a true miler and the extra furlong was a bit of a worry but he ended up being a relatively easy ride.
I was always able to hold a good position on him as he travelled really well throughout. After that it was just a case of holding on for as long as I could. The short straight really helped because I was able to kick on the bend and he actually only just held on but it was great to win it.
I actually didn’t realise initially that I had won. They don’t have a winning line like what we would have in the UK, it was a flower bed so it was hard to judge where the actual line was but I just got home. I thought I had won but because I wasn’t sure, I didn’t want to be celebrating, just in case! I didn’t want to have egg on my face. I celebrated loads when I got to the winners enclosure though and got a good reception from the crowd as well!
I probably could have got in trouble after I got off the horse because I went over to sign autographs and the stewards aren’t too keen on jockey’s getting into much contact with the public during racedays. It’s not like over here where jockeys would walk through the crowds to the paddock. Over there, everything is kept very separate.
I went back out after though and signed as any as I could before the presentation was on and there was still a big crowd there waiting to congratulate all the winners. It was great that so many people stayed around afterwards for the presentation. One big difference was that we sprayed each other with beer instead of champagne but it was good fun!
WELL DONE JOAO MOREIRA!
Joao Moreira was the overall winner. He’s based in Hong Kong and he’s an incredible rider. He’s so good
but he just looks like he’s built for the job. If he was a horse, you’d say that he has the perfect confirmation!
Another jockey that I love to ride with is Yutake Take. I’ve gotten to know him really well over the years as he comes over to ride in the Shergar Cup every year. He’s a really nice guy and is always very helpful. His English isn’t great but we always get by and have a good laugh.
Once racing was finished on Sunday we all went for dinner night, it was a good way to wind down after a busy few days.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see much else as I was back onto a plane to the UK but it was a fantastic trip and a great experience to have.
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