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Japanese Apprentice Akatsuki Tomita

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Gay3 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 12 Aug 2019 at 9:57pm
JOCKEYS

Japanese apprentice gets his chance in Melbourne

Japanese apprentice gets his chance in Melbourne
Mathew Ellerton, Akatsuki Tomita & Simon Zahra at Flemington trackwork on Monday morning. Photo: Sharnee Rose/Ellerton Zahra Racing.
Brad Waters Article Author
Brad Waters

Striking up a friendship with star Australian jockey Damian Lane has landed a Japanese apprentice the chance to ride for a Flemington stable on a four-month stint.

Akatsuki Tomita started work riding for the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra stable on a cold Monday morning, four days after arriving from Japan.

Lane was also apprenticed to Ellerton and Zahra when he arrived in Melbourne from Perth. Lane, who recently returned from a brilliant stint in Japan, suggested Tomita head to Melbourne to further learn his craft.

Ellerton said Lane, who has provided accommodation for Tomita during his stay, recommended the 23-year-old as an apprentice after Stephanie Thornton completed her three-month loan with the stable.

Tomita said he looked at heading to the United States but found it too difficult to secure a visa before deciding to leave the warmth of the Japanese summer for the late winter cold in Melbourne.

“I’m here to polish my riding skills and I want to learn from all of the good Australian jockeys,” Tomita said via an interpreter.

“I would love to be a very good jockey here but we’ll see how it goes.”

Tomita, who has ridden 57 winners to date, said Australian racing offered young jockeys like him more chances to show their talent than in Japan.

“I think apprentices get a lot more chances in Australia because there’s so many young jockeys always coming through,” Tomita said.

“In Japan, it’s always the experienced jockeys getting the best rides.”

Learning is the aim of Tomita’s trip and the young rider knows he must quickly master enough English to succeed in Victoria while learning about the local tracks and racing style.

Tomita said he sought advice from other jockeys that have experience Australian conditions before heading to Melbourne.

“I have to learn to improve my English very quickly and I am working to do that,” Tomita said.

“I’ve been watching a lot of Australian races since I have known that I will be coming out here and trying to learn about the pace and the tracks.

“There are some jockeys in Japan that have been to Australia so I have been talking to them about the different tracks and everything like that.”

Tomita can ride as light as 50kg and will get his first chances to ride in Victorian when Ellerton and Zahra put him on their runners at Saturday’s Wangaratta meeting.

Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
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djebel View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote djebel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2019 at 11:11pm
So what is the highest level he is allowed to ride at at the moment, My guess he would not be allowed ( idiotically ) to ride at Sandown on a Wednesday or Causfield on a Saturday ?
reductio ad absurdum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SkyDancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2019 at 11:29pm
I think that is up to the stewards discretion.
If he can rack up a few winners early on, then I have no issues with him riding mid week.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote djebel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2019 at 11:33pm
If trainers are willing to use him I have no problem with him riding anywhere.
reductio ad absurdum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TIGER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2019 at 1:07am
Good luck to the young fella
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Red Hare Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2019 at 4:07pm
Originally posted by djebel djebel wrote:

If trainers are willing to use him I have no problem with him riding anywhere.
Really? These same Australian trainers who have NFI?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SkyDancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 2019 at 4:58pm
First ride a winner, and it was a peach
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