Yasunari Iwata

{{short description|Japanese jockey}}{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio}}{{Infobox horseracing personality|name=Yasunari Iwata|occupation=Jockey|birth_date={{birth date and age|1974|3|12}}|birth_place=Himeji, Hyogo|nationality=Japanese|height=159 cm|weight=52kg|career wins=1,932 (As of Dec. 22, 2022)|career winnings=JRA Award for Best Jockey (money earned) (2008, 2011, 2012, 2014)
JRA Award for Best Jockey (races won) (2011, 2012)|native_name=岩田康誠|native_name_lang=ja|children=2 (including Mirai Iwata)|image=Yasunari_Iwata_2022.jpg|image_size=200px|caption=Iwata in 2022 (Mainichi Hai)}}

{{nihongo|Yasunari Iwata|岩田 康誠|Iwata Yasunari}} (born March 12, 1974; from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture) is a Japanese jockey who rode the winner of the 2006 Melbourne Cup,[http://www.racingvictoria.net.au/Racing/race.aspx?meet_code=731439&race_code=795017 2006 Melbourne Cup result] Delta Blues. It was Iwata's first race outside Japan.

He debuted in the Hyōgo Keiba, one of the racing organizations in National Association of Racing (NAR). He has started riding in selected events in Japan Racing Association (JRA) since 2002. In 2005, Iwata won the 19th World Super Jockey Series [http://www.asianracing.nu/vb/showthread.php?t=2292][http://www.diviplus.com/racing-news/iwata-wins-world-super-jockey-series/]. Despite not having passed the written test in the past, he was allowed to transfer to JRA in the following year due to "Ankatsu's Rule".A NAR jockey will be exempted from written test if they got at least 20 JRA wins in for at least 3 years in recent 5 years (The regulation was changed again in 2011, which riding test was exempted instead, and 20 JRA wins in 2 out of 3 years is required).It was named "Ankatsu's Rule" mainly referring the case of Katsumi Ando, which he failed to enter JRA in 2001 due to failure in written test, despite recorded 100 wins and 8 JRA Graded race in the past (he made through the examination in the following year by the exemption).

He was awarded JRA most winning-jockey in 2011 and 2012, in races won and money earned.

His son, {{Interlanguage link|Mirai Iwata|lt=Mirai|ja|岩田望来}}, is also a jockey.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-27 |title=Mirai Iwata Follows His Father’s Footsteps to Claim This Year’s World All-Star Jockeys |url=https://japanracing.jp/_news2023/230827.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=japanracing.jp}}{{Cite web |date=2019-02-13 |title=岩田康誠の次男・望来が競馬学校を卒業で決意「海外でも騎乗依頼を受ける騎手に」 |url=https://www.daily.co.jp/horse/2019/02/13/0012060196.shtml |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=デイリースポーツ online |language=ja}}