2017 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS The World All-Star Jockeys (WASJ) is an international event launched by the Japan Racing Association. Formerly called the World Super Jockeys Series since its establishment in 1987, it has welcomed more than 200 top-caliber jockeys from Europe, North America, Oceania and Asia and held over two days in late November or early December at either Tokyo or Hanshin Racecourse. The event was given a new title, and was moved to the last weekend of August and to Sapporo Racecourse in northern Japan in 2015. This year’s event welcomes six outstanding jockeys from France, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and United Kingdom in joining one NAR (National Association of Racing; local public racing) jockey and seven JRA jockeys in their bid for the title. A team competition was added to the regular individual contest since 2015, in which the overseas and NAR jockeys form “Team WAS (World All-Star)” and compete against “Team JRA” to attain the most points as a team. The first two of the four-race series will be conducted on August 26th (Sat), while the third and fourth will be held the following day. 2016 World All-Star Jockeys (closing ceremony) August 2017 The Japan Racing Association 1 The 2017 World All-Star Jockeys 1. Date Saturday, August 26, 2017 Sunday, August 27, 2017 2. Venue Sapporo Racecourse 3. Races Saturday, August 26 10th race : 2017 World All-Star Jockeys First Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (10Million & Less) turf, 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs) 11th race : 2017 World All-Star Jockeys Second Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (16Million & Less) turf, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs) Sunday, August 27 10th race : 2017 World All-Star Jockeys Third Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (10Million & Less) dirt, 1,700 meters (about 8.5 furlongs) 12th race : 2017 World All-Star Jockeys Fourth Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (10Million & Less) turf, 1,800 meters (about 9 furlongs) 4. Jockeys a. The JRA will invite a total of six overseas jockeys. b. The JRA will choose the NAR jockey and one substitute based on recommendations from the NAR by July 25. c. Seven JRA affiliated jockeys obtaining the following status will be chosen in that order. Excluding the Derby winner, the remaining jockeys will be selected equally from the Eastern (Miho Training Center-based) and Western (Ritto Training Center-based) district. 1) Winning jockey of the 2017 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) 2) 2016 JRA Award Most Valuable Jockey winner 3) Leading jockeys (from January 1 to July 23), one each from the Eastern and the Western district 4) The rest will be chosen according to the most outstanding achievements this season (in the 2 absence of such candidates, participants will be chosen by rankings) d. In the following cases, replacements will be chosen from JRA jockeys by rankings Overseas or NAR jockey cancelling participation after August 19 JRA jockey cancelling participation after the mounts are drawn 5. Drawing for Mounts Wednesday, August 23, at Miho Training Center, Ibaraki Prefecture 6. Points to Determine Winner (Individual) The jockey who earns the most points in the four races will be declared the World All-Star Jockeys winner. If a jockey is unable to ride due to scratching or other reasons beyond their control, they will be awarded six points. Any jockey who fails to finish will attain the same points as the last-place finisher in that race. No point is awarded for disqualifications, in which the jockey is at fault. 1st : 30 points 2nd : 20 points 3rd : 15 points 4th : 12 points 5th : 10 points 6th : 08 points 7th : 06 points 8th : 04 points 9th : 02 points 10th : 01 point 11th : 01 point 12th : 01 point 13th : 01 point 14th : 01 point Note: In the case of a dead-heat, each dead-heat finisher will receive full points. 7. Awards a. The top three jockeys will receive the following awards: 1st : ¥ 3 million (about US$ 26,087) & trophy valued at ¥ 300,000 (about US$ 2,609) 2nd : ¥ 2 million (about US$ 17,391) 3rd : ¥ 1 million (about US$ 08,696) Note: US$1 = ¥115 b. The participants will also form two teams—the overseas and NAR jockeys will compete the JRA jockeys—and the team with the most points attained in total will be awarded prizes (each team member will earn ¥200,000 (about US$1,739)). In the occasion of a tie, the team that has more jockeys with higher placings in the races will be determined as the winner. *1 The season records of the overseas jockeys are as of July 31 and that of the NAR jockey is as of June 22. *2 The season records of the JRA jockeys are as of July 23 and include NAR and overseas mounts designated by the JRA. However, career records in data and in context cover JRA races only unless otherwise specified. *3 NAR=National Association of Racing (local public racing) *4 “Participation in the WASJ” includes participations in the World Super Jockeys Series. 3 FRANCE Anthony Crastus Date of Birth : April 7, 1985 ’16 Season Record : 507 mounts, 31 wins / € 826,350 ’17 Season Record : 122 mounts, 19 wins / € 284,685 Recent Career Highlights : ’16 T Von Zastrow Stutenpreis (G2, Parvaneh) Participation in the WASJ : 1st Anthony Crastus, already a familiar figure in Japan, having ridden under JRA’s short-term license a number of times and becoming a grade-race winner during that time, is making his first visit in six years for his World All-Star Jockeys debut. Born in Paris, France, Crastus aspired to become a harness racing driver like his father Antoine but became a flat racing jockey under his father’s advice and made his debut in 2001. He was winless in his first three seasons but landed six wins in 2004 — his first winner was owned by his father — and improved his score to 22 in the following year and placed 44th in the jockeys ranking, then extended his wins further to 45 and ranked 17th in 2006. He was 30th with 31 wins in 2007 during which he claimed his first group-race victory with Pearl Sky in the G3 Prix Exbury. Given opportunities to ride horses trained by renowned trainer Ellie Lellouche and owned by Wildenstein Stable, Crastus made steady progress to reach within the top ten jockeys in 2008 with 70 wins (ninth) and marked his personal best in the following year with 84 wins (eighth) including seven group-race titles out of 794 rides while showing presence in G1 events—he was runner up in the Prix de l’Opera and third in the Prix Vermeille with Board Meeting. He continued to fare well in 2010 with 76 wins (tenth) and just missed his first G1 title when second in both the Prix du Jockey Club and the Grand Prix de Paris with Planteur. Although unable to make the top ten jockeys since, Crastus claimed a German classic title in the 2014 German 1000 Guineas (G2) with Ajaxana. He has also ridden enthusiastically overseas during the winter months, riding under a short-term license in Japan in 2009, 2010 and 2011 during which he registered 22 wins out of 310 rides including two grade-race victories in the Fairy Stakes and the Diamond Stakes with Dance Fantasia and Cosmo Meadow, respectively, in 2011. He also rode Aventino for Japan in the 2012 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. His most recent overseas stint was in the U.S.A. between December 2016 and May this year. 4 CANADA Eurico Da Silva Date of Birth : June 29, 1975 ’16 Season Record : 795 mounts, 202 wins / $ 7,721,879 ’17 Season Record : 375 mounts, 85 wins / $ 3,603,100 Recent Career Highlights : ’16 Woodbine Oaks (Neshama) ’17 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2, Starship Jubilee) ’17 Connaught Cup Stakes (G2, Tower of Texas) Participation in the WASJ : 1st Eurico Da Silva is a three-time champion jockey at Woodbine who is bidding for another jockey title this season, currently at the top with 85 wins including three G2 and four G3 titles from 375 rides. He boasts a winning strike rate of 23% while finishing within the money in 60% of his total rides. A talented and well experienced jockey riding in various countries, Da Silva takes part in the World All-Star Jockeys for the first time as Canada’s representative to test his skills in Japan. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Da Silva began racing quarter horses in his native country at twelve years of age and enrolled in the Jockey School of Sao Paulo at sixteen. His riding talent was quickly recognized early in his career as he became champion apprentice in his debut season and claimed the Grande Premio Derby Paulista with Franz Post in 1994. He left his home country after 450 wins over five seasons in search of more challenge overseas, rode in Macau for four seasons during which he scored just under 300 wins, and moved onto to Canada in 2004. Listed among the top ten jockeys with 83 wins in 2007, Da Silva progressed to mark over 100 wins to rank fourth in the following year then claimed his first champion title in 2010 with 190 wins. He repeated the feat in 2015 with 201 wins and reached his personal best last year with 202 wins for his third champion title. He was also the winner of the Sovereign Award Outstanding Jockey in the three years as leading jockey as well as when he was the national leader in earnings in 2013.