TAKASHI HARITA
In addition to having a reputation as a talented cook and being extremely good at pouring wine, as I found out at the Funabashi open day a bit back, Takashi Harita can ride a racehorse just as well, and probably even better.

Born in March 1964 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, this wily old character has shown that he can still mix it with the youngsters, clocking up 2405 NAR victories - equivalent to a 12% win rate, which is truly remarkable given such a long career.

Attached to the Okabayashi Stable at Funabashi, Takashi-san got his jockey's licence back in 1981, winning his first NAR race in the April of that year, only eight days after starting his professional career. In 1994, he took fourth place on his JRA debut, and although he had to wait until April 2002 before collecting the winner's laurels at this level, it was nonetheless an impressive achievement as the horse he rode to victory was a rank outsider. He now has no less than seven JRA wins under his belt, and will doubtless pick up a few more.