Yutaka Take wins Milers Cup for first time since 1994 aboard Admire Zoom

Yutaka Take turned back the clock at Kyoto Racecourse, steering Admire Zoom to a hard-earned Milers Cup victory and giving himself a milestone that had been missing since 1994. At 57, Japan’s most recognizable jockey added another line to a career that already stretches back to 1987, then completed a rare weekend graded double after winning Saturday’s G2 Aoba Sho.

The 57th Yomiuri Milers Cup, run Sunday over 1,600 meters on turf, carried a winner’s purse of ¥59,000,000 and total race value of ¥128,730,000, with 18 starters lining up at the right-handed Kyoto track. Admire Zoom covered the mile in 1:31.7 and held off Dragon Boost and Bellagio Bond at the finish, giving Take his first Milers Cup win since his previous success in the race 32 years ago. The victory also came a year after Long Run took the 2025 running, giving this renewal a new chapter of its own.

For Admire Zoom, the result looked like a revival. The colt arrived at the race as the 2024 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes winner, but his top-level brilliance had been dormant as he searched for another major breakthrough with a new partner in Take. Japanese pre-race coverage had framed the assignment as a chance to rediscover that old spark, and the pair delivered exactly that in a race that demanded both precision and patience.

Take’s timing mattered as much as the result. Winning the Aoba Sho at Tokyo on Saturday and then returning to land a Group 2 at Kyoto on Sunday gave him a weekend sweep that sharpened the significance of the Milers Cup all over again. Graded doubles are difficult enough for younger riders, let alone for a jockey in his late 50s who is still operating at the highest level against the country’s best.

That longevity is what makes Take’s win resonate beyond one race. He remains a central figure in Japanese racing not only because of his record, but because he still delivers in moments that matter, from classic fixtures to high-profile rides linked to the sport’s wider cultural reach. Admire Zoom gave him a Mile-stakes win, a comeback story and another reminder that one of Japan’s great jockeys is still capable of changing the conversation with a single ride.