JOCKEYS in Japan are being sacked and forbidden from holding a licence for being too fat and addicted to their mobile phones.
A recent report claimed racing was in a state of ‘crisis’ there over strict rules for trainee riders coming through.
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For the first time in 40 years, there will be no new jockeys in Japan in 2026 after four of the seven wannabe stars were ordered to leave their training course.
The three who remained have been held back and made to repeat a year because they didn’t reach the required standard set by the Japanese Racing Association.
According to a report in The Times, ‘some of the trainees failed consistently to control their weight’.
While others ‘broke rules limiting the use of mobile phones’.
Japan racing bosses are notoriously strict on the use of mobiles.
They are banned from the weighing room and effectively placed in quarantine by 9pm every Friday ahead of the weekend’s racing.
The country’s top female jockey Nanako Fujita stunned her army of fans when quitting altogether after breaking rules on the use of phones.
Her agent Yasuhiro Nemoto said as she revoked her own licence last October: “I will never forget the sight of her crying as she wrote with my fountain pen.”
Another jockey, Motoki Mizunuma, was banned for nine months after he duped officials by placing his phone case in the locker and not his actual handset.
The ban on the use of mobiles is designed to prevent the threat of race-fixing and illegal betting.
Bosses have raised the weight allowance in recent years but still, a male must not weight more than 54kg (around 8st7lbs).
A JRA statement read: “The racing school has traditionally educated its students on not only technical aspects but also on the importance of observing and thoroughly adhering to laws, regulations and compliance, and has made every effort to ensure that this is the case whenever any incidents arise.
“But the truth is that the number of students who passed the 42nd jockey class has now dropped to zero due to dropouts and extensions to the training period.
“We take this responsibility very seriously.
“Going forward, we will strive to further improve the educational environment and enrich the curriculum so that students can properly understand and practice autonomy and independence while complying with the law.
“We will also foster the ethical standards necessary to become a jockey and develop the high level of awareness required for the profession of jockey, which is responsible for ensuring fairness.”
The timing could not be stranger given Japanese racing arguably looks stronger than ever.
The racing-mad country has always longed to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris next month.
They have suffered heartbreak in the past but look to have their best chance ever with Byzantine Dream, Croix Du Nord and Alohi Ali all bringing top form to the table.
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