Yutaka Take has topped the jockey's rankings for racing in Hokkaido for the first time in his career. He secured both the Sapporo and overall Hokkaido titles. Starting with a win in Race 1 on the opening day at Hakodate, Take continued to rack up victories throughout the 13-week Hokkaido series, never going winless on any weekend. He finished with 17 wins at Sapporo and a total of 29 wins across Sapporo and Hakodate.

For many years, Take's main summer battleground had been Kokura, making this his first time claiming the leading jockey title in Hokkaido after 38 years in the saddle. "I feel a bit embarrassed. Summer is usually a time for younger jockeys to shine, and it's not my first time winning a meet's leading title. Some of the jockeys were joking, 'It's surprising that there are still firsts for Yutaka-san,'" he said with a shy smile. "This is my third full summer riding at Sapporo, so it no longer feels like an away game. I'm not entirely satisfied, but I'm genuinely happy that the results are showing. The passion for racing in this horse breeding region is inspiring, and it means a lot to me."

Looking ahead to the fall, Take is gearing up for his 11th attempt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (October 6th at Longchamp, France) aboard Irish G1 winner Al Riffa, as well as the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff (November 2nd at Del Mar, USA) with the undefeated Awesome Result, who is currently on a seven-race winning streak. "I'm excited about the upcoming autumn racing schedule, both domestically and internationally. There are some promising horses and races ahead," he said. Even with the summer racing season behind him, the legendary jockey's remarkable journey and hunger shows no signs of slowing down.