GENKI MARUYAMA 
Having ridden Mistoffelees to second place the other day, Genki Maruyama jumps on him again on Sunday. As such, while he's already well-known in Japan as one of the top JRA jockeys, now seems like as good a time as any to introduce Genki to English speakers.

Courtesy JRA

Born in Gunma prefecture in October 1990, Genki comes from a horseman's family, with his father an ex-NAR jockey and grandfather a trainer. Attached to the Nemoto Stable at Miho, he can be seen most weekends wearing all manner of silks, as is the norm with JRA riders (NAR jockeys tend to be identified by their personal colours).

Genki qualified for his jockey licence in 2009, with his first ride coming in March that year. Four months later, he clocked up his first win - a slow start compared to some of his contemporaries, but he soon made up for it, even securing G1 rides from the spring of 2011 onwards. This month he won his 200th JRA race. Let's hope he can add another one to his total with Mistoffelees at the weekend.