Ryusei Sakai
{{Short description|Japanese jockey}}
{{Infobox horseracing personality
|image=300px
|caption=Sakai after winning the 40th February Stakes in 2023
|name=Ryusei Sakai
|native_name=坂井瑠星
|native_name_lang=ja
|nationality=Japan
|occupation=Jockey
|birth_place=Tokyo, Japan{{Cite web|url=https://db.netkeiba.com/jockey/profile/01163/ |title=坂井瑠星プロフィール |publisher=netkeiba.com |date= |language=ja|accessdate=2024-06-30}}
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1997|5|31}}
|height=170 cm
|weight=48 kg
|horses=Danon Pharaoh, Forever Young, Lemon Pop, Mad Cool, Stunning Rose
}}
Ryusei Sakai ({{langx|ja|坂井瑠星|Sakai Ryūsei}}, born May 31, 1997) is a Japanese jockey.
Background
Ryusei Sakai was born in 1997 to {{Interlanguage link|Hidemitsu Sakai|ja|坂井英光}}, a jockey and later trainer of Oi Racecourse.{{Cite web |last=Tatsuya |first=Inoue |date=2016-03-02 |title=【栗東通信】新人・坂井騎手に注目 |url=https://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/horse/2016/03/02/0008853650.shtml |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=デイリースポーツ online |language=ja}} He enrolled in {{Interlanguage link|The Horse Racing School|ja|競馬学校}} in 2013 to earn his jockey license, before graduating in 2016.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-30 |title=坂井瑠星、現役騎手の父の助言に感謝 |url=https://www.daily.co.jp/horse/2016/02/12/0008797559.shtml |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=デイリースポーツ online |language=ja}}
Even before graduation, he apprenticed under Yoshito Yahagi, who, like Sakai, has ties to Oi Racecourse.{{Cite web |last=Kataoka |first=Yoshinori |date=2015-08-05 |title=【札幌だより】坂井りゅうせいくん |url=https://race.sanspo.com/keiba/news/20150805/etc15080515140003-n1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810021142/https://race.sanspo.com/keiba/news/20150805/etc15080515140003-n1.html |archive-date=2015-08-10 |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=SANSPO.COM |publisher=Sankei Shimbun |language=ja}} After being issued his jockey license, he became the Yahagi stable's official jockey.
Career
After debuting in March 2016, Sakai won his first race with Grand Prix Accel at a maiden race held at Hanshin Racecourse on April 2, 2016.{{Cite web |title=坂井瑠星騎手がＪＲＡ初勝利｜競馬実況web｜競馬｜ラジオNIKKEI |url=https://www.radionikkei.jp/keiba_article/news/post_8478.html |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=ラジオNIKKEI |language=ja}} Two weeks later, he was taken out of the races for a month following a racing accident involving 4 horses including his own which resulted in him breaking one of his ribs.{{cite news |date=2016-04-17 |title=阪神3R4人落馬 藤岡康騎手が呼吸困難、肋骨骨折 |url=http://p.nikkansports.com/goku-uma/news/article.zpl?topic_id=1&id=1633208&year=2016&month=04&day=17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428030331/https://p.nikkansports.com/goku-uma/news/article.zpl?topic_id=1&id=1633208&year=2016&month=04&day=17 |archive-date=2023-04-28 |accessdate=2024-06-30 |newspaper=Nikkan Sports |publisher=}}{{cite web |date=2016-04-17 |title=3騎手が骨折 |url=http://www.keibabook.co.jp/homepage/topics/topicsinfo_new.aspx?subsystem=0&kind=0&category=04&filename=KON28851 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816192420/http://www.keibabook.co.jp/homepage/topics/topicsinfo_new.aspx?subsystem=0&kind=0&category=04&filename=KON28851 |archive-date=2017-08-16 |accessdate=2017-07-14 |website=Keiba Book}} In spite of this, he was able to win the most races of any rookie jockies in the Ritto Training Center.{{cite news |date=2016-12-25 |title=2016年度「中央競馬関西放送記者クラブ賞」は坂井 瑠星騎手が受賞 |url=http://www.jra.go.jp/news/201612/122503.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225215044/http://www.jra.go.jp/news/201612/122503.html |archive-date=2016-12-25 |accessdate=2017-07-14 |newspaper=Japan Racing Association}}
Sakai raced in Australia from late 2017 to 2018 to improve his riding skills.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-25 |title=坂井瑠星騎手、来月からオーストラリアへ |url=https://www.radionikkei.jp/keiba_article/news/post_13047.html |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=ラジオNIKKEI |language=ja}}{{Cite web |date=2018-12-16 |title=武者修行帰りの坂井 帰国後初勝利「今週も、来週も、来年も頑張ります」 |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/gamble/news/2018/12/16/kiji/20181216s00004000135000c.html |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=スポニチ Sponichi Annex |language=ja}}
The 2020 Japan Dirt Derby, with {{Interlanguage link|Danon Pharaoh|ja|ダノンファラオ}}, was the first Grade I race Sakai won.{{Cite web |title=【大井・ジャパンダートダービー結果】ダノンファラオが競り合いから抜け出す！上位人気総崩れ |url=https://news.netkeiba.com/?pid=news_view&no=173630 |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=netkeiba |language=ja}}
Sakai won his first JRA Grade I race with Stunning Rose in the 2022 Shuka Sho, where they defeated Stars on Earth, who was the favourite for race.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-16 |title=【秋華賞】スタニングローズがG1初制覇！鞍上・坂井もG1初V「最高」スターズオンアースは3冠ならず |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/gamble/news/2022/10/16/kiji/20221014s00004048291000c.html |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=スポニチ Sponichi Annex |language=ja}} Sakai then went on to win his second JRA Grade I race in a year with {{Interlanguage link|Dolce More|ja|ドルチェモア}} when they won the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.
In February 2023, Sakai won the February Stakes with Lemon Pop. He and the horse would go on to win the Mile Championship Nambu Hai as well as the Champions Cup later that year. He would also win the JBC Nisai Yushun and the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun with Forever Young.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-13 |title=【全日本２歳優駿】フォーエバーヤングが無傷３連勝 ７馬身差で圧倒 坂井瑠星騎手「ここまで離すとは」 |url=https://umatoku.hochi.co.jp/articles/20231213-OHT1T51163.html |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=UMATOKU |publisher=Hochi Shimbun |language=ja-JP}}
Following their consecutive wins at that year's Saudi and UAE Derbies,{{Cite web |last=Kieckhefer |first=Bob |date=2024-03-30 |title=UAE Derby Score Propels Forever Young Into KY Derby |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/275930/uae-derby-score-propels-forever-young-into-ky-derby |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=Bloodhorse}} Sakai and Forever Young headed to the 2024 Kentucky Derby, where they were beaten by Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone in a photo finish and finished third.{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Beth |date=2024-05-04 |title=Mystik Dan wins 150th Kentucky Derby by a nose in the closest 3-horse photo finish since 1947 |url=https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-derby-2024-fierceness-sierra-leone-7a75a2184aa4433bafd1397340b61d99 |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-05-04 |title=Kentucky Derby 2024 highlights: Mystik Dan edges Sierra Leone to win Triple Crown's first leg |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/horses/triple/derby/2024/05/04/kentucky-derby-2024-live-updates/73528367007/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}
Major wins
{{Flagicon|JPN}} Japan
- Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes - (1) - Dolce More (2022)
- Champions Cup - (1) - Lemon Pop (2023, 2024)
- February Stakes - (1) - Lemon Pop (2024)
- Japan Breeding Farms' Cup Nisai Yushun - (1) - Forever Young (2023)
- Japan Dirt Classic - (1) - Forever Young (2024)
- Japan Dirt Derby - (1) - Danon Pharaoh (2020)
- Mile Championship Nambu Hai - (2) - Lemon Pop (2023, 2024)
- Sakitama Hai - (1) - Lemon Pop (2024)
- Shuka Sho - (1) - Stunning Rose (2022)
- Takamatsunomiya Kinen - (1) - Mad Cool (2024)
- Tokyo Daishōten - (1) - Forever Young (2024)
- Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun - (1) - Forever Young (2023)
{{Flagicon|KSA}} KSA
- Saudi Cup - (1) - Forever Young (2025)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Instagram|ryusei_sakai.official}}
- {{Twitter|_RYUSEI_0531}}
Category:Sportspeople from Tokyo
{{Horseracing-bio-stub}}