Zero graduates from Japan’s jockey academy as youngsters can’t stick to strict rules.
Japan is running short of jockeys and the Japan Racing Association (JRA) says the temptations of cell phones are partly to blame.
No new apprentice jockeys will graduate from the JRA’s highly regarded jockey academy in 2026 and a finger has been pointed at the inability of the young learners to comply with strict rules about use of mobile phones and maintaining their weight.
The academy has produced riders every year for decades, but four of this year’s seven trainees have already dropped out, while the remaining three have been told to repeat the course after failing to meet the association’s standards.
In a statement, the JRA said: “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.
“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.”
‘Jockey jail’
All jockeys in Japan must go into lockdown isolation on Friday evenings before a weekend fixture and cannot use their phones until after racing – even to talk to their families. This regime is commonly referred to as “jockey jail”.
These airwave silence rules are stricter than those in many other racing countries – though all have some form of phone restrictions for jockeys on race days.
In South Africa, the sanction is for the duration of a meeting and phone signal jammers have been used in weighing rooms.
The JRA insists its measures are necessary to guard against betting corruption, but some see it as a deterrent for young riders hooked on their screens.
One of Japan’s most prominent female jockeys, Nanako Fujita, shocked her many fans when she ended her career in 2024 in the midst of a phone rules controversy.
Another high profile case was jockey Motoki Mizunuma who got a nine-month suspension for using his smartphone on a race day in 2024. He duped officials by giving them his phone case, then used the device to call colleagues at a training centre, make restaurant reservations and watch TikToks.
When Mizunuma rode a winner on his return from the ban, his retained trainer Kazuhiro Kato posted on X: “Even during the suspension, he still gave up his days off to ride at the ranch every week and trained without missing a thing. It was 100% Motoki who did something wrong and got suspended, but the sun is watching him work hard and not give up.”
Decline in numbers
A further five jockeys have since been found to have breached rules over smartphone use.
Applications for the academy course have declined sharply, from a peak of 761 in 1997 to just 111 in 2020, reports The Times of London.
The JRA has since raised the minimum rider weight limit from 49kg to 51.5kg and now permits the use of contact lenses – changes that helped academy applications climb back to 192 last year.
Meanwhile, education authorities around the world have been introducing phone bans in schools over the past year.
People educated before the advent of cell phones are often amazed to hear that children have been allowed to carry electronic devices around during the school day for decades.
Arguments for phones in the classroom include that children feel safer with parents or friends a button-press away, that removing this “lifeline” makes kids anxious, and that access to Google means learners can look up boring old facts and rather focus on developing their critical thinking capabilities.
Back on the racing theme, many say these arguments are horse manure.
