MAI BEPPU
Today, it's time to bring some glamour to the blog with another look at the lady jockeys of Japan. We'll return to Akane Yamamoto soon, but seeing as we wrote more about her in the original article, let's take this opportunity to profile another heroine, Mai Beppu.

Born in Kochi in December 1987, Mai (the initials used in the name taken to stand for 'Mad, Alluring and Invincible' - I like that!) was born into the racing world, with her father, Shinji, being a trainer. Indeed, the pair are featured in a current NAR advert emphasizing continuity.

Courtesy Wikipedia/Cake6

Mai obtained her jockey licence in September 2005, and won on her maiden outing in the following month - a remarkable achievement. She'd already clocked up 50 wins by 2006, setting a record pace for lady jockey victories as the fastest and youngest to reach this landmark.

In 2008, Mai won the Japanese 'LJS' series for lady jockeys, and was invited to ride in the international version in Korea in the following year. As it happens, she went back to Korea in 2011 to ride there for a while, but has since returned to NAR racing in her native country.

Looking at her blog, which is always full of food, one wonders how she manages to keep her weight down! But her 10.2% win rate proves there's no problem, with another LJS title and 384 NAR victories to her credit so far, including 33 this year. Ganbatte, Mai!