JRA's oldest jockey at 60, Shibata Yoshitomi (柴田善臣) retired from active competition on 18 September. He spoke about his 42-year career as a jockey and his feelings for the champion horse Hokuto Helios.
Shibata Yoshitomi (柴田善臣), who debuted in 1985 as a member of the first class of students in the jockey program at the Racing School, had a long active career, recording 20,211 starts and 2,341 wins in JRA races, including 96 graded-stakes wins (9 GI wins). In recent years, he suffered a series of injuries and there were years when he was unable to ride satisfactorily, but he continued competing with the support of his fans.
The main trigger for his retirement was the pain in his right shoulder following two horses stumbling at the start at Fukushima Racecourse on 12 April. A doctor diagnosed a torn right supraspinatus and an injured subscapularis muscle. Although he sought a comeback through rehabilitation while avoiding surgery, the pain and poor condition persisted for about 5 months, and he did not return to full fitness.
Shibata Yoshitomi (柴田善臣) decided against surgery, saying, “I'm getting on in years, and perhaps this is a sign that it's time to get off,” and continued rehabilitation in an attempt to recover, but he did not return to active competition. He ultimately decided to retire from active competition on 18 September.
His specific career path and activities after retirement have not been disclosed, but the article focuses on his riding career, which attracted fan support for many years, and his feelings for champion horses including Hokuto Helios.