Fumio Matoba, also known as the ‘Emperor of Ohi, is one of the world’s most prolific-winning jockeys with 7,424 career victories on Japan’s National Association of Racing circuit
One of the world’s oldest and prolific-winning jockeys is calling time on his career after more than 51 years in the saddle.
Fumio Matoba rode his first winner in 1973, going on to become the winning-most rider in Japanese racing history.
He has ridden 7,424 winners, putting him eighth on the world all-time list, many of them coming at his home track where he is known as the ‘Emperor of Ohi’.
He has become a cult hero among Japanese racing fans and is famed for the ‘Matoba dance’, coined to describe the unique bouncing style, which has been likened to dancing on horseback, which he adopts when riding a finish.
On Friday his racing association announced that Matoba’s record-breaking career will come to an end when he retires on March 31.
Among his many accomplishments, he was top jockey at Ohi 21 times, 20 of those consecutively, and in 2002 rode a season’s best 363 winners.
He was the first active jockey in Japan to receive the Yellow Ribbon Medal, an honour from the Emperor of Japan.
In recent years he has been hindered by knee injuries, and was out of action for five months in 2024.
Explaining the decision, Matoba told local media, “To be honest, I still want to ride, but I injured my knee in February last year and although I did resume riding once, I was not able to ride as well as I wanted, probably due to the effects of my knee, and I began to feel physically limited, so I have decided to put an end to my career as a jockey.”
“I am very sorry that I will not be able to show you my last ride. However, I have been able to race with many wonderful horses and make many memories.
“Your warm support has given me strength and support. I will now walk a new path, but I will keep your support in my heart and do my best in the next stage. Thank you very much.”