Ryuji Wada

Ryūji Wada（和田竜二, June 23, 1977 - ）is a Japanese jockey and YouTuber affiliated with the Ritto Training Center of the Japan Racing Association. He is also the vice-president and president of the Kansai branch of the.

Profile
Ryuji's father Mamoru was groom who first took care of at the stable of Yoshiharu Matsunaga, and later  at 's stable. Ryuji's elder brother, Yuich is also a groom and was in charge of. His nephew,, is also a jockey.

Ryuji debuted in 1996 as a jockey hired by the stable of, and made his first victory in March 16 of that year with S.T. Top. On December of that same year, he became the first of his peers to win a graded race by winning the Stayers Stakes with Sage Wells. He finished that year with a total of 33 wins, and as a result was awarded the, which is the equivalent for the Rookie Jockey Award for jockeys in Kansai (Ritto).

Ryuji won his first Grade 1 race in 1999 with T M Opera O, who won the Satsuki Shō that same year. In the following year, the two went on to win an unprecedented grand slam by winning 8 consecutive grade races (Kyoto Kinen, Hanshin Daishoten, Tenno Sho (Spring), Takarazuka Kinen, Kyoto Daishoten, Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen).

Wada won his 800th victory on November 4, 2012, at Kyoto Racecourse with Radiare. The following day, Wada won his first Grade 1 race since 2001 when he won the JBC Classic held at Kawasaki Racecourse with.

Wada became the 16th JRA jockey to enter a total of 13,000 races on December 21, 2014, with A Shin Heading.

Wada became the 30th JRA jockey to win 1,000 races with Wave Hero on May 8, 2016.

Wada won his first JRA Grade 1 race in 17 years later winning the 59th Takarazuka Kinen in 2018. He also won the Kawasaki Kinen the following year with.

On March 26, 2022, Wada won the 10th Nakayama race of the day with Delicada, making him the 24th JRA jockey ever to win a total of 1,400 races.

Wada became the vice-president of the Japan Jockey Club in May 2023 as well as the president of the Kansai Branch after the preceding president, Yuichi Fukunaga, retired.

Grade 1 Victories
🇯🇵Japan


 * Arima Kinen - (1) - T M Opera O (2000)
 * Japan Cup - (1) - T M Opera O (2000)
 * Japan Breeding farms' Cup Classic - (1) - Wonder Acute (2012)
 * Kashiwa Kinen - (1) - Wonder Acute (2015)
 * Kawasaki Kinen - (1) - Mitsuba (2019)
 * Satsuki Shō - (1) - T M Opera O (1999)
 * Takarazuka Kinen - (21) - T M Opera O (2000), Mikki Rocket (2018)
 * Tenno Sho (Autumn) - (1) - T M Opera O (2000)
 * Tenno Sho (Spring) - (2) - T M Opera O (2000, 2001)