Celebrity File Japan by Lint


英文		重要語句
■ Bloodlines are important in breeding racehorses, so it should come as no surprise that bloodlines are often thought important in "breeding" top jockeys. Yutaka Take, Japan's most successful jockey has those good bloodlines as his father, Kunihiko Take, was a legendary jockey himself and is now a top racehorse trainer.		bloodline　血統 breed　…を繁殖させる jockey　騎手 legendary　伝説の
■■ Following in his father's footsteps is something the 34-year-old shining star of the sport of kings has always wanted to do from his early days as a boy in Shiga Prefecture. It certainly must be in the genes, though, as after graduating from jockey school on March 1, 1987, he burst out of the starting gate that same day and rode Agnes Dictor to a second-place finish in his first race as a licensed jockey.		follow in someone's footsteps　…の跡を継ぐ gene　遺伝子 burst out of ...　…に収まらないほど大きくなる second-place　準優勝の
■■■ That amazing debut was followed six days later by Take entering the winner's circle aboard Dyna Bishop. He won 68 more races that first season. That combined with his flashy and quick start helped him gain the championship apprentice award from the Japan Racing Association (JRA).		winner's circle　勝ち馬表彰式場 aboard　…に乗って flashy　派手な apprentice　見習い；実習生
■■■■ The winning form he exhibited in 1987 has continued on home turf as he has also taken home the Grand Prize Jockey award (for best jockey in Japan) a whopping five times. In 1995, at age 26 and three months, he became the youngest ever to 1,000 wins. He also was the fastest―taking only eight seasons to achieve that benchmark win total. He holds the record for most wins in a season with 178 in 1999. All tolled he has currently well over 2,100 career wins both here and abroad. In fact he was the first Japanese jockey to win a Group 1 (highest class race) in the U.S. This he did just four years after his debut in Japan. He also took the first Japanese trained horse to victory in a Group 1 race outside these shores by riding Seeking the Pearl in 1998 to victory in France's Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.		home turf　本拠地 whopping　ひじょうに多数の benchmark　基準 toll　鐘を鳴らす well over ...　…をはるかに上回る shores　国
■■■■■ He has had longer stints based overseas. In 2000, he rode mainly in the U.S. and in 2001, he rode, basically freelance, in France. He found France to be rewarding but difficult given the language barrier and the more arduous long flights back to Japan to appease sponsors. He adds though he has been worth it as the level of horseracing in France is much more challenging. He also admits he much prefers French bread and pastries to the plain white rice of Japan. During that period he also rode in England, Ireland and Scotland. With 43 Group 1 races won and his high profile overseas, he is certainly considered to be one of the top ten jockeys in the world.		stint　任務 arduous　骨の折れる;難儀な appease　…を落ち着かせる high profile　人目を引く状態
■■■■■■ Away from the track, many feel he is the reason horseracing took off in Japan in the '90s and still remains incredibly popular, especially among young women. In 1995, though, he broke many of his female fans' hearts by marrying the beautiful film actress Ryoko Sano. Even so, he still remains as popular as ever as the "face" of Japanese horseracing with his winning style and personality.		take off　急にはやり出す

－written by Brian Maitland

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