Yutaka Take

{{short description|Japanese jockey (born 1969)}}

{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox horseracing personality|name=Yutaka Take
武豊|website=http://www.yutaka-take.com/|horses=Air Groove, Deep Impact, Do Deuce, Kane Hikili, Kitasan Black, Kizuna, Mejiro McQueen, Oguri Cap, Silence Suzuka, Smart Falcon, Special Week, Super Creek|nationality=Japanese|spouse=Ryoko Sano|occupation=Jockey|birth_date={{birth date and age|1969|3|15}}|birth_place=Kyoto Racecourse, Kyoto, Kyoto|career wins=4,549 (JRA)
201 (NAR)
As of November 24, 2024|honors=JRA Grand Prize Jockey (1997-2000, 2002-2006)
JRA Award for Best Jockey (newcomer) (1987)
JRA Award for Best Jockey (races won) (1989, 1990, 1992-2000, 2002-2008)
JRA Award for Best Jockey (winning average) (1994, 1997-2006, 2008)
JRA Award for Best Jockey (money earned) (1989, 1990, 1993, 1995-1999, 2000, 2002-2007, 2009)
JRA Special Award (2007, 2013, 2018)|height=171 cm|weight=50 kg}}

{{nihongo|Yutaka Take|武 豊|Take Yutaka}} (born March 15, 1969, in Kyoto, Kyoto){{cite web|url= http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=1856 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071011082936/http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=1856 |url-status= dead |archive-date= October 11, 2007 |title=Yutaka Take|website=NTRA|access-date=Dec 28, 2018}} is a Japanese jockey. Take made his riding debut in 1987 and currently holds seven all-time records in Japan. He has won at least one Grade 1 race for 23 straight years until 2010, and a graded stakes race for 36 consecutive years.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-16 |title=【愛知杯】武豊騎手、ルビーカサブランカで36年連続重賞V 歴代1位独走に「年がバレちゃいますね」 |url=https://hochi.news/articles/20220115-OHT1T51157.html |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=スポーツ報知 |language=ja}} Take has 114 wins to his credit in eight countries,{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States. His international victories include Group 1 wins in the Prix d'Ispahan (France) and Hong Kong Cup (Hong Kong), the July Cup (England) and Dubai Duty Free Stakes (UAE).

Take has won one of Japan's premier horse races, the Japan Cup, a record five times.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/281286/do-deuce-shows-top-form-in-rallying-to-japan-cup-win|title=Do Deuce Shows Top Form in Rallying to Japan Cup Win|last=Angst|first=Frank|date=24 November 2024|publisher=The Blood-Horse|access-date=26 November 2024}}

Early life

Image:Deep Impact(horse) 20051023 3.jpg

Yutaka was born in Kyoto on March 15, 1969, to Kunihiko and Yoko Take. Kunihiko was also a notable jockey, nicknamed "The wizard of the turf" during his prime. Take followed in his father's footsteps, and made his debut as a jockey in 1987.

Career

In 1987, he became the first rookie to ride 69 winners in one season. In the following year he became the youngest jockey to achieve 100 wins and won the GI race. Two years later, he was named the overall champion jockey by the Japan Racing Association (JRA), a title he held continuously until 1999 (apart from in 1991).

In 2005 he won the Japanese Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun, Kikuka Sho) with Deep Impact, the second undefeated horse that has won the classic. That year, Take achieved 212 victories, the most victories for any jockey in a single year.

On March 25, 2007, Take won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo Racecourse aboard Suzuka Phoenix. The win gave Take a Group One victory for the 20th consecutive racing season.{{cite news | title=Takamatsunomiya Kinen - Suzuka Phoenix wins his first Group 1! | date=2007-03-25 | url =http://www.japanracing.jp/_news2007/070325.html | work =JAIR | access-date = 2007-03-26 }} Also in 2007, Take won his fourth Japan Cup Dirt in seven years. Take was the recipient of the 2017 Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, which recognizes distinguished horsemen and horsewomen for lifelong contributions to Thoroughbred racing. He was the first jockey to win that award.

Take has also made appearances in equine-related television shows and commercials, including a collaboration ad between the JRA and Neon Genesis Evangelion;{{Cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=2012-10-09 |title=Evangelion Horse Hybrid Unveiled in New Horse-Racing TV Ads |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-09/evangelion-horse-hybrid-unveiled-in-new-horse-racing-tv-ads |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010060329/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-09/evangelion-horse-hybrid-unveiled-in-new-horse-racing-tv-ads |archive-date=2012-10-10 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}} as well as several commercials for Uma Musume Pretty Derby,{{Cite web |date=2018-07-02 |title=スマートフォン用ゲーム『ウマ娘 プリティーダービー』は2018年冬配信開始予定。TVCM第2弾・トレーラー第3弾を公開 |url=https://moca-news.net/article/20180702/2018070213310a_/01/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711072211/http://moca-news.net/article/20180702/2018070213310a_/01/ |archive-date=2018-07-11 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=moca-news.net |language=ja}}{{Cite web |date=2022-04-09 |title=中村倫也&吉田鋼太郎、レジェンド2人と共演「光栄」「お会いしたかった」 |url=https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20220409-2317265/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409071246/https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20220409-2317265/ |archive-date=2022-04-09 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=マイナビニュース |language=ja}} of which Take has also made a cameo appearance in the anime adaptation.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-23 |title=「ウマ娘 プリティーダービー」第5話に武豊騎手が本人役で登場 |url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/279211 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621221228/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/279211 |archive-date=2018-06-21 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=コミックナタリー |language=ja}}

Personal life

The Take family is known for horseracing. As well as his father Kunihiko, Take's brother, Koshiro, was also a jockey before transitioning to trainer.

In 1995, Yutaka married {{Ill|Ryoko Sano|ja|佐野量子}}, a former tarento.

Major wins

{{Main|:ja:武豊の重賞勝利一覧}}

{{flagicon|UK}} Great Britain

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{{flagicon|France}} France

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{{flagicon|Hong Kong}} Hong Kong

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{{flagicon|Japan}} Japan

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{{flagicon|United Arab Emirates}} United Arab Emirates

=Year-end charts in the United States=

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (2007–present)

!Peak
position

National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007

| style="text-align:center;"|93

References

{{Portal|Japan|Horses|Sports}}

{{Reflist}}