The NAR Champion Jockey title race culminated in races 9 and 11 at Sonoda Racecourse on July 6th. Jockey Minoru Miyagawa from Kochi racecourse finished in 9th position in race 9, but 1st in race 11, earning a total of 54 points. That was enough to secure him the title in a come-from-behind victory, having started the competition in 3rd place in the first stage held in Morioka racecourse on May 23rd. Miyagawa will represent local horse racing and participate in the "2023 World All-Star Jockeys" competition (an international jockey invitational race) which will be held at the JRA Sapporo Racecourse on August 26th and 27th.

Miyagawa sealed his remarkable victory with the final opportunity with the day's 11th race. Riding Avnier Lev, they made a good start and took the lead, leaving the others behind by a margin of four lengths and maintaining their advantage to the end. Miyagawa reflected on the race, saying, "I heard from trainer Sakamoto that the horse has good speed at the start and, if we can, we should take the lead comfortably. In reality, as soon as we started, I couldn't see any other horses on either side, so it worked out as he said."

With this victory, Miyagawa also achieved his 2,200th win in NAR. He expressed his joy, adding, "It's a great feeling to be able to compete alongside such amazing jockeys, and to win is beyond words."

His focus is now on the World All-Star Jockeys. "I'm already feeling nervous. As a representative of local horse racing, I want to demonstrate riding skills that can compete on the world stage," he said. During the award ceremony, he pledged victory to the gathered fans, saying, "Next time, I'll come back with a win in Sapporo."