2015 WORLD ALL-STAR JOCKEYS The World All-Star Jockeys 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 on the last weekend of November or else first of December at either Tokyo or Hanshin Racecourse. The series has been altered in schedule and venue this year, and will be held on August 29th and 30th at Sapporo Racecourse on the northern island of Hokkaido. The new edition of this event will welcome five outstanding jockeys from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia and Hong Kong to join seven JRA jockeys and two NAR (National Association of Racing; local public racing) jockeys in their bid for the title. A team competition will be added to the regular individual contest this year, in which the overseas and NAR jockeys will 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 29th (Sat), while the third and fourth will be held the following day (Sun). 2014 World Super Jockeys Series (closing ceremony) August 2015 The Japan Racing Association 1 The 2015 World All-Star Jockeys 1. Date Saturday, August 29, 2015 Sunday, August 30, 2015 2. Venue Sapporo Racecourse 3. Races Saturday, August 29 9th race : 2015 World All-Star Jockeys First Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (5Million & Less) turf, 2,600 meters (about 13 furlongs) 11th race : 2015 World All-Star Jockeys Second Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (16Million & Less) turf, 2,000 meters (about 10 furlongs) Sunday, August 30 10th race : 2015 World All-Star Jockeys Third Leg Three-Year-Olds & Up, Allowance (10Million & Less) turf, 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs) 12th race : 2015 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 five overseas jockeys from the following regions: North America Europe Oceania Asia b. The JRA will choose two NAR jockeys (at least one representing Hokkaido) and two substitutes based on recommendations from the NAR by July 28. 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 2015 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) 2 2) 2014 JRA Award Most Valuable Jockey winner 3) Leading jockeys (from January 1 to July 26), 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 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 22 JRA jockey cancelling participation after the mounts are drawn 5. Drawing for Mounts Wednesday, August 26, 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 five 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 : 20 points 2nd : 15 points 3rd : 13 points 4th : 11 points 5th : 10 points 6th : 06 points 7th : 05 points 8th : 04 points 9th : 03 points 10th : 02 points 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$ 25,000) & trophy 2nd : ¥ 2 million (about US$ 16,700) 3rd : ¥ 1 million (about US$ 08,300) Note: US$1 = ¥120 b. The participants will also form two teams—the overseas and NAR jockeys will compete against the JRA jockeys—and the team with the most points attained in total will be awarded prizes. In the occasion of a tie, the team that has more jockeys with higher placings in the races will be determined as the winner and will be awarded prizes. * JRA jockeys’ records include JRA races only, unless otherwise specified ** NAR=National Association of Racing (local public racing) *** “Participation in the WASJ” includes participations in the World Super Jockeys Series 3 NORTH AMERICA (United States) Russell Baze Date of Birth : August 7, 1958 ’14 Season Record : 1,047 mounts, 324 wins (races won) US$ 5,397,236 (money earned) ’15 Season Record : 658 mounts, 170 wins (races won) (as of July 31) US$ 2,919,711 (money earned) Career Highlights : ’10 Ancient Title Stakes (G1, Smiling Tiger) ’05 King’s Bishop Stakes (G1, Lost in the Fog) ’91 Santa Monica Handicap (G1, Devil’s Orchid) Participation in the WASJ : 1st Russell Baze is a living legend of thoroughbred racing and an active jockey of over 40 years, continuing to reach unprecedented milestones. At 57 years of age, he is far from slowing down, notching annual wins exceeding 300 and maintaining his position among the top jockeys in wins with purses around 5 million dollars. Coming from a family of horsemen, Russell Baze won his first winner in Washington aboard Oregon Warrior, trained by his father, a former jockey, in October 1974. He moved to California a few years later and has been based there for most of his career, landing numerous titles at Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows which closed in 2008. His rise to prominence began in the 1990s. He was honored with a special Eclipse Award in 1995 for being the first jockey ever to win 400 or more races for four straight years since 1992, then, extended the amazing streak to seven in the following years. He was also the leading jockey in wins 13 times (1992-1996, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007-2009, 2012, 2014). While he has had his share of injuries during his career, he has surpassed legends such as Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay, Jr., both in lifetime mounts and career wins—he has ridden over 52,000 mounts among which he has scored more than 12,600 wins and still counting. Born in Vancouver when his father happened to be competing as a jockey, he was inducted into both the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Horse of Racing Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2012, respectively. The state of Washington where Russell Baze began his career also honored him the Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (2002) is one of many awards that he has received during his stellar career that is the result of his diligent approach to his profession. While he is less frequently seen on big races often held in the eastern side of the US continent, choosing to ride exclusively in Northern California for the past three decades, his many major stakes wins include the Ancient Title Handicap (G1, 2010), the King’s Bishop Stakes (G1, 2005), Santa Monica Handicap (G1, 1991) and the Oak Tree Invitational (G1, 1984 and 1989), and his name is familiar in Japan as the rider of multiple G1 winner Hawkster in the 1989 Japan Cup (5th). 4 EUROPE (U.K.) Hayley Turner Date of Birth : January 3, 1983 ’14 Season Record : 558 mounts, 40 wins (races won) : £ 372,317 (money earned) ’15 Season Record : 322 mounts, 34 wins (races won) (as of July 31) : £ 250,236 (money earned) Career Highlights : ’12 Beverly D. Stakes (G1, I’m a Dreamer) ’11 Nunthorpe Stakes (G1, Margot Did) ’11 July Cup (G1, Dream Ahead) racingpost.com/photo Participation in the WASJ : 1st Hayley Turner is a successful rider in Europe who has participated in nine Shergar Cups in her native country of England among which she was an individual second in 2007, and boasts numerous records and achievements that her fellow jockeys look up to. She will be under the spotlight this year in Japan as the second female participant in the history of the Series after USA’s Julie Krone in 1990. Born in Nottinghamshire, Turner began taking lessons from her riding instructor mother from an early age, and not long after her jockey debut on March 27, 2000 at Southwell did she claim her first win on June 4th at Pontefract. Steadily gaining experience under Derby-winning trainer Michael Bell based in Newmarket, Turner capped off the 2005 flat season sharing the champion apprentice title with Saleem Golam with 44 wins. It was the first time a female jockey claimed the title, and it was during that memorable season that she was given her first ride at Royal Ascot. In 2008, Turner notched her first group-race win in the G3 Hessen-Pokal aboard Lady Deauville, and not only was she placed within the top five jockeys with the most rides (989) in England, she became the first female jockey to register 100 annual wins (including the winter season). Despite an injury in March 2009 due to a fall which kept her out of the saddle up to mid-summer, she still finished the season with 61 wins.