Kyle Tucker

@KyleTucker_CJ

Yutaka Take needed a Japanese translator for all but three words of Wednesday’s interview at Churchill Downs, where he’ll ride Lani, the gray son of Tapit, in the Kentucky Derby next week.

But Take had no trouble speaking for himself when asked what it would mean if, 21 years after becoming the first jockey from his country to compete in the Derby, he could win the 142nd Run for the Roses.

“It’s my dream,” he said.

While Lani is a Kentucky-bred colt, he will be just the second Japanese-trained horse in Derby history. Take rode the other, Ski Captain, to a 14th-place finish in 1995. The most famous jockey in Japan did not think it would take more than two decades to get back here.

“For a very long time, I have been wishing to ride in the Derby again,” Take said through the translator. “I still remember how excited I was 21 years ago. I have been hopeful and hopeful for 21 years.”

Kentucky Derby Briefing Book

Take’s return at long last and his ride – Lani won the UAE Derby and then took a 7,200-mile flight from Dubai to be here – have sparked the interest of Japanese media, who are headed to the Kentucky Derby in droves. Churchill Downs spokesman Darren Rogers said about 15 outlets from Japan have requested roughly 50 credentials.

Most years, about three total Japanese media members make the trip.

“I was not here in 1995, but in recent years, this is absolutely the most,” Rogers said. “It is very clear that this is a big deal in Japan. I understand that there is tremendous interest there. I can’t confirm 100 percent yet whether there will be a live television broadcast – I believe they’re still working on it – but there definitely will be a live radio broadcast. It’s a 12-hour difference, so they’ll be having breakfast with the Derby over there.”

Take is a household name in Japan, after all. The 47-year-old son of legendary Japanese jockey Kunihko Take, he has won nearly 4,000 career races and almost every major event in his home country. In 1987, he became the first rookie to win 69 races. The next year, he became the fastest to 100 victories.

He won a Japanese-record 178 races in 1999 and claimed the Japanese Triple Crown aboard Deep Impact in 2005.

“Yutaka Take is a rock star,” Rogers said. “I’ve been told by people that he is almost regarded in Japan as we would regard Michael Jordan here in America.”

Just ask Shinpei Sasaki, who was following Take with a camera crew on Wednesday filming a documentary for Japan’s Kansai Telecasting Corporation. Sasaki fell in love with horse racing as a 15-year-old watching Take ride in the 1995 Kentucky Derby.

“Very, very beautiful scene. You cannot see in Japan,” said Sasaki, who is now thrilled to have been “introduced to Kentucky things. I like bourbon. I love (Louisville) Slugger. I love this place, Churchill Downs.”

And Take? “He’s a living legend.”

Still, for all his success abroad, Take knows the challenge he’s facing on Saturday. Only two horses, Shagaf and Tom’s Ready, have higher odds in Las Vegas than Lani’s at 30-1. Only eight previous horses have run exclusively outside of North America before running in the Kentucky Derby.

Derby contender bio: Lani

“For the jockeys riding outside the U.S., it’s extremely difficult to even get a ride in the Kentucky Derby, so I understand how difficult and how precious this experience is going to be,” Take said. “This attempt has big attention from the Japanese racing fans and those involved in the racing industry in Japan, so we hope to try our best and give a good (showing) for the people in Japan. But the American horses are tough.”

His last trip to the Derby – when he could’ve seen the original “Friday” movie in theaters during his down time – was “a schooling for me,” Take said. But it also planted a seed that sprouted into what has for so long seemed like a far-fetched dream.

“It was my biggest ambition to win in the Kentucky Derby,” he said, “so having a chance here is very exciting.”

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Email him atktucker@courier-journal.com.