Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 21 (ANI): India’s main jockey Suraj Narredu is about to tackle a brand new worldwide problem as he makes his much-anticipated debut in Japan on the 2026 World All-Star Jockeys (WASJ), to be held at Sapporo Racecourse on August 22 and 23, in keeping with a press launch.
Organised by the Japan Racing Association (JRA), the World All-Star Jockeys is one in every of Japan’s most prestigious worldwide jockey competitions, bringing collectively main riders from internationally.
Narredu has been chosen as one in every of six abroad jockeys invited to compete on this 12 months’s version, alongside Richard Fourie of South Africa, Rafael Hernandez of Canada, Damian Lane and Zac Lloyd of Australia, and Marie Velon of France.
For Narredu, the invitation marks a major milestone in his worldwide profession and fulfils a long-standing ambition to journey in Japan. The JRA describes his participation as his ‘much-desired debut in Japan’, including one other essential chapter to a profession that has more and more taken him onto worldwide racing platforms.
The 2026 WASJ will characteristic 4 races throughout two days, with the primary two legs happening on Saturday, August 22, and the remaining two on Sunday, August 23. The abroad and NAR jockeys may also compete collectively as Team WAS (World All-Star) towards Team JRA in a separate staff competitors.
Narredu’s choice comes after a landmark interval in his profession. In January this 12 months, he grew to become the primary Indian jockey ever to surpass 2,500 profession wins, whereas additionally recording greater than 250 home graded-race victories and over 100 traditional titles. He has been topped Champion Jockey of the Year 4 instances, between 2020 and 2023.
His worldwide expertise spans racing jurisdictions together with Macau, Mauritius, Malaysia, Dubai, France, Ireland, the United States and Australia. In 2025, Narredu made his Shergar Cup debut at Ascot as captain of Team Asia, recording a win, a fourth and a fifth throughout 5 rides and serving to his staff declare the general title.
His worldwide journey continued this 12 months with one other look on the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on August 8, the place he represented the Rest of the World Team. He now turns his consideration to Japan, the place he’ll compete towards a number of the world’s most achieved jockeys in a completely new racing atmosphere.
Speaking forward of his Japan debut, Suraj Narredu described it as a dream come true, saying he’s excited to compete alongside a number of the world’s greatest riders.
‘Riding in Japan has been a dream of mine for a few years, so receiving this invitation to the World All-Star Jockeys is a really particular second in my profession. To make my debut in Japan alongside a number of the world’s greatest jockeys is an unimaginable alternative. I’m wanting ahead to experiencing Japanese racing, studying from the riders round me and, most significantly, representing India on this stage,’ he mentioned as quoted by the press launch.
The World All-Star Jockeys was initially established by the JRA in 1987 because the World Super Jockeys Series and was renamed the World All-Star Jockeys when it moved to its present summer season format at Sapporo Racecourse in 2015. The competitors has welcomed greater than 270 top-calibre jockeys from Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and Asia.
For Narredu, the Sapporo project represents greater than one other worldwide competitors. It is a chance to expertise Japan’s extremely regarded racing atmosphere, compete towards an elite worldwide subject and additional strengthen India’s presence in international horse racing.
With his worldwide marketing campaign now transferring from Ascot to Sapporo, Narredu appears to be like forward to a brand new problem and one other alternative to hold the Indian flag onto one in every of horse racing’s most revered worldwide phases. (ANI)