The legendary Japanese jockey Yutaka Take rode Sixpence to victory in the Yasuda Kinen on Sunday, securing a record fourth win in the Group 1 mile and reclaiming his mark as the oldest jockey to win a top-level race in Japan at 57.
Take had held the record for oldest Group 1 winner before Norihiro Yokoyama took it with his win in the 2024 Japanese Derby aboard Danon Decile. Take had fallen a few days short of reclaiming it when he won the Takarazuka Kinen last year.
Take landed the ride on Sixpence only days earlier. On Tuesday, Admire Zoom, whom Take had originally been scheduled to ride, was withdrawn. And on Wednesday, it was decided that he would ride Sixpence instead.
Take sent the Kizuna colt forward from an inside draw and fought off three rivals in a four-horse rally to the line at Tokyo Racecourse. World's End and race favourite Gaia Force dead-heated for second.
"I was called up at short notice to ride the horse for the first time, but I'm relieved to have been able to get my job done," Take said. "Sixpence was very responsive. He has shown his true strength with a lot to look forward to in his coming races."
Take first won the race in 1990 aboard Oguri Cap and again in 1995 and 2009. It was the jockey’s decision to put Sixpence up on the speed from a low draw and utilize the horse’s toughness.
"Rather than having an explosive turn of foot, my image of him was that of a relatively tenacious horse," Take said. "Today, it struck me once again what a strong horse he is."
Sixpence, claiming his first G1 victory, suited the conditions as the Tokyo turf deteriorated.
"As the track condition roughened up a bit, I felt he could handle it, so I thought it became a favorable condition for him," Take said. "I'm also happy that we won with a son of Kizuna, and I think the mile suits him perfectly."
The contest lacked the usual depth the Yasuda Kinen can offer. Defending champion and 2025 Best Miler Jantar Mantar skipped the race and will compete in England during the summer, while the withdrawal this week of G1 winner Admire Zoom further robbed the race of quality.
It was a first G1 win for trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka, who took over the colt after the retirement of Sakae Kunieda. Kunieda, the horse's former trainer, retired at age 70 following racing in February after reaching the mandatory retirement age for Japan Racing Association trainers.
"I think we were able to see his true bottom, or rather, he showed us his underlying strength," Tanaka said. "I feel this victory has truly broadened our dreams."
Sixpence is entered for the Prix Jacques le Marois in France on Aug. 16.
