Keita Tosaki and Yuga Kawada were the second to last pair of jockeys into the Sapporo parade ring for the closing ceremony at the 2024 World All-Star Jockeys (WASJ), but in the order of things, they had actually finished 13th and 14th of the 14 competitors.
To be entirely accurate, Kawada was rank last. He had finished with 10 points – six of which were awarded when stewards withdrew his mount pre-race – less than all of his peers, and was facing the long walk across the yard to take his position at the end of the line, knowing that everyone knew just as well as he did that last-place was all his. Still decked in his riding pants and boots, wearing the event’s uniform dark jacket, he instead set off at a gallop, an exaggerated sprint that raised cheers and laughter from the crowd.
“The other older Japanese jockeys were making fun of me for finishing last, so I just did that all-out run to the presentation and had fun with it,” Kawada told Idol Horse, amused at the memory.
Alongside him was another past Japan Racing Association (JRA) champion jockey, Tosaki, a man whose “Very very horse” comment a few months later would go viral, not only sparking memes and emphasising his sense of humour and ability to poke fun at himself, but also leading to a star role in his own YouTube show titled Tosaki’s Very Very Channel where casual ease, fun and that essential element of humour are the general tone.
“I want to show everyone the charm of horse racing,” Tosaki told Idol Horse when reminded of those WASJ moments during the Select Sale in Hokkaido almost two years later. “There aren’t too many opportunities for a jockey to go in front of the public and have a connection with fans.
“I’m very glad to hear people think I have a good sense of humour,” he added. “I hoped I could show this with some aspects of my private life through the YouTube channel.”
Back on that late afternoon in Sapporo, approving sounds of amusement came from the public portion of the parade ring perimeter, packed with fans hanging back to see their heroes and cheer the Brazilian ‘Magic Man’ Joao Moreira after his last race, last-gasp triumph sealed the title.
As Tosaki and Kawada stood far from victory, at the far end of the line-up of jockeys, it was clear their day’s dismal return had not downed their moods.
Low-key but comical facial expressions, subtle comedic movements, smiles and laughter, all caught the eyes of those paying attention. Tosaki and Kawada were poking fun at their own failures, playing the Sapporo parade ring like a more discreet version of an old-time comedy act, an echo of Laurel and Hardy, a hint of the Marx Brothers.
“It was a rare opportunity for the fans to see the interaction between jockeys doing what we are doing all the time during our daily life in the jockeys room,” Kawada explained.
That aspect of connecting with the fans, the everyday people who pay their admission fees and put their wagers into the JRA’s massive pari-mutuel pools, who watch and support these jockeys like they are their adored heroes, was at the heart of Kawada and Tosaki playing to the Sapporo crowd.
“I do think racing needs to connect more with the fans,” Tosaki said. “Racing will not survive if there’s no fans. I really hope more and more people can get into racing and enjoy it altogether through what we are doing.”
Tosaki’s YouTube sideline is part of his portion of giving back and drawing the fans into his world.
The very title and premise of Tosaki’s Very Very Channel show is a self-aware, humorous self-deprecation, a play on his own misspeak after Danon Decile won the 2025 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. With a microphone thrust his way and the adrenaline still pumping, he said in English, “Very very horse.” It was a moment which fans hooked into and sent viral.
He embraced the humour. His show is casual, fun, informative, inviting and popular. The channel has 139,000 subscribers, his peak episode drew 483,000 viewers and his guest on that show was another senior rider, Yasunari Iwata. Both jockeys wore t-shirts with the immortal phrase from Dubai printed on the front.
“Very Very Horse. Good Horse. Very Very Happy.”
In other episodes he has a ‘Very Very BBQ,’ chats with other stars of the sport, goes shopping with friends, buying food and wine, before chatting over dinner. One installment starts with Tosaki wearing a ‘Very Very Horse’ cap at Haneda airport and documents his journey to England and back to ride Danon Decile in the 2025 Juddmonte International Stakes at York: it takes fans into his flight experience, connecting in Doha, touring York and the aftermath of the race. Humour and familiarity are key elements in this look behind the curtain of a champion jockey’s world.
“I will come up with the ideas,” Tosaki said. “I would pitch my ideas to the staff members helping me with the channel, and we would discuss them together.”
Kawada does not have a YouTube show but he has long shared his experiences via his Instagram profile, where his sponsor, the drinks brand Suntory, is featured: camping, fishing, food, horses, races, off-track events, and his Harley Davidson motorcycle. That post-race fun after the World All-Star Jockeys was at once the sharing of his natural humour as well as a conscious attempt to show the fans that jockeys have personalities away from the saddle.
“Usually, on the track, we would feel the responsibility and obligation to do our job with correctness, but at that moment, it was no different from how we would hang out with each other between jockeys,” he said.
“I wanted to show some sense of our private life there and hoped the fans would enjoy that. That’s why I was joking and having fun with Tosaki. In Japan, the only occasions we the jockeys will face the public are the press conferences and winning jockey interviews, and they are all serious occasions. Those are some very serious moments, which are part of our job, so of course we also want to deliver our natural and relaxed side to the fans through those special events and YouTube channels.”
Kawada explained that from his experience, most of his career has been serious and focussed, that he has a “duty” to everyone involved in the process of preparing a horse right up to the point he gets in the saddle to ride the race.
“I feel I’m just taking part in this whole big process of racing, so I haven’t always been able to feel pleasure in my job,” he said. “But I’m already in my 40s, the remainder of my career is short, and I can see retirement is getting closer. However, I do love this job, so I hope at least the fans watching it can be entertained. That’s what’s driving me right now.”
Entertainment is, after all, what sport is really about and horse racing’s status and its survival within the competitive sporting spectrum is dependent upon how well it connects with everyday people, the fans and potential fans. Humour is a powerful form of connection and Tosaki in particular is proof of this.
“My mother had a good sense of humour, so I think that’s where I got that from,” Tosaki added. ∎
