Who hasn’t heard of Frankie Dettori? Probably one of the most popular race riders ever to have ridden a horse in the UK.
To be fair, I have no idea what a top-ranked jockey earns.
But how much can a jockey earn over their lifetime?
Obviously it is in the millions.
But which country has the high earners? I was surprised to find that most of the top jockeys come from the United States and particularly Japan. In fact, their financial status dwarfs all other countries with 41 of the 50 top earners from those two power houses.
Here’s a question: ‘Is there a jockey so talented, with big, bigger, biggest earnings which comes pretty close to being a billionaire?’
Have you heard of Japanese jockey extraordinaire Yutake Take?
I remember him riding in the UK but never realised he was so successful or rich. With career wins totalling 4,408 he’s amassed a whopping bank balance of $925 million.
Pretty close to the billion, hey.
They say like father like son, and his Dad was also a jockey called ‘The Wizard of the Turf’.
Yutake Take was born in 1969. He made his riding debut in 1987. Within the year, he had ridden 69 winners which had never been seen before by a rookie. The following year he achieved 100 winners. Two years later he was crowned champion jockey, an accolade he held continuously until 1999 (bar 1991).
Race horse Deep Impact saw the jockey achieve the pinnacle of racing in 2005 winning the Japanese Triple Crown.
Other significant horses he rode include: Air Groove, Oguri Cap, Kane Hikili, Kitasan Black, Kizuna, Mejiro McQueen, Silence Suzuka, Smart Falcon, Special Week and Super Creek.
In addition, he has raced at all major countries including: United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates.
He has many honours including JRA Grand Prize Jockey, JRA Award for Best Jockey (newcomer), JRA Award for Best Jockey (races won), JRA Award for Best Jockey (winning average), JRA Award for Best Jockey (money earned) & JRA Special Award.
His personal life he is married.
His brother, Koshiro, who was a successful jockey and now trainer.
Today Yutake Take is a legend in Japan.