Smith to represent U.S. in jockey contest in Tokyo

Mike Smith will represent the United States in the 24th World Super Jockeys Series at Tokyo Racecourse on Saturday, Nov. 27, the day before the 30th running of the $6.1 million Japan Cup at the same track.

The man who has ridden Zenyatta in all but three of her 20 races, the 44-year-old Smith will be making his third appearance in the event. He will be competing against seven other foreign riders as well as eight Japanese jockeys. The foreigners are Johnny Murtagh, who was named on Tuesday as the Aga Khan’s contract rider in Ireland; the Aga Khans’s French rider Christophe Lemaire; Ryan Moore, who is fresh from a victory aboard Snow Fairy in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto on Sunday; Andre Fabre’s number one rider Maxime Guyon; Christophe Soumillon, the man mentioned most frequently as Murtagh’s replacement at Coolmore; Australian Craig Williams, who will be making his fifth appearance in the Series; and champion Hong Kong apprentice Matthew Chadwick.

The Japanese contingent will be led by Masayoshi Ebina, the rider of Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up Nakayama Festa as well as Japanese Fillies Triple Crown winner Apapane. Also representing Japan will be Hiroyuki Uchida, Masami Matsuoka, Yuichi Fukunaga, Shinji Fujita, Yusuke Fujiota and Kazuki Sugimura.

Also attending the big weekend at Tokyo will be Cash Asmussen. The winning rider of the first Japan Cup in 1981 aboard the John Fulton-trained Mairzy Doates, Asmussen will be making the award presentation for both the Japan Cup and the World Super Jockeys Series.