A jockeys’ night out at a restaurant which ended in a fight has led to the suspension of two riders.
Kenichi Ikezoe, one of Japan’s top riders, and Akira Tomita were among a group of several jockeys who went out to dinner at a restaurant.
But in the early hours of the following morning the pair became engaged in “violent conduct toward each other” in a racecourse changing room, according to the Japan Racing Association.
As a result 44-year-old Ikezoe was suspended for four days and Tomita, 27, stood down for two days. Both have been replaced on their rides on Saturday and Sunday.
The JRA was alerted to the incident, which happened on Monday, by stable officials,, according to Netkeiba.com, which led to both jockeys and other witnesses being interviewed.
Netkeiba reported that Ikezoe and Tomita went to dinner in a restaurant in Hakodate City. “Both were drunk, and Ikezoe engaged in behaviour such as engaging in an overbearing attitude toward Tomita,” the report said.
“Unable to bear the behaviour, Tomita slammed a nearby smartphone on the table, shattering the screen, but the phone belonged to Ikezoe.
“Afterwards, Ikezoe and Tomita got into an argument, but another jockey who was present separated the two, and Ikezoe went back to the training room first.
“Ikezoe was still angry after his smartphone screen was broken, so he called Tomita and told him to return to the training room. He waited in the lobby on the first floor, and the two got into an argument, which led to a violent scuffle.”
The JRA notice said: "It has been confirmed that jockeys Kenichi Ikezoe and Akira Tomita engaged in violent conduct toward each other in the adjustment room at Hakodate Racecourse at approximately 2:40 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
"As this is in violation of Article 147, Paragraph 20 of the Japan Racing Association's Horseracing Enforcement Regulations, jockey Kenichi Ikezoe has been suspended from riding from Saturday, June 29, 2024 to Sunday, July 7, 2024, and jockey Akira Tomita has been suspended from riding from Saturday, June 29, 2024 to Sunday, June 30, 2024."
Ikezoe, who made his debut in 1998, has won 27 Group 1 races from a career total of 1,381 wins. He won the JRA’s Fair Play Award in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2010. He is best known as the regular rider in Japan of champion racehorse Orfevre, who twice finished second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Tomita has ridden 190 winners and last year recorded a season’s best 42 winners. The only other jockey to be suspended for assaulting another jockey was the late Hiroki Goto in 1999, who was suspended for four months.