Jockey Seina Imamura becomes the first female jockey in the JRA to win a Grade I race, taking home Juuryoku Pierrot from the Oaks.

On May 24, 2026 (Sunday), Juuryoku Pierrot, the fifth favorite, won the 87th Yushun Himba (Oaks). The jockey was Seina Imamura, and this marks the first G1 victory for a female jockey belonging to the JRA.

2026 Oaks (GⅠ) | 87th Edition | JRA Official - YouTube



[First female JRA jockey to win a G1 race!] 2026 Oaks (G1) Juuryoku Pierrot [Kantele Official] - YouTube


2026 Oaks JRA
https://jra.jp/datafile/seiseki/g1/oaks/result/oaks2026.html

The Oaks is the second race in the fillies' classic series. The favorite was Star Anise (ridden by Kohei Matsuyama), who won the first classic race, the Oka Sho. Following her were Laughter Lines (ridden by Damian Lane), who won the Flora Stakes, a step race for the Oaks; Dream Core (ridden by Christophe Lemaire), who won the Queen Cup, a step race for the Oka Sho, and finished 9th in the Oka Sho; Enne (ridden by Ryusei Sakai), who finished 2nd in the Flora Stakes; and Juuryoku Pierrot, who won the Wasurenagusa Stakes and is now competing in the Oaks.

The race proceeded at a slow pace, with horse number 9, Trinity, taking the lead and the 1000m split time being 1 minute 2.2 seconds. The popular Star Anise stayed within the leading group, while Juuryoku Pierrot raced from the back.

As they rounded the final corner and continued down the long straight, Trinity held on tenaciously, and number 5, Realize Luminous (ridden by Akihide Tsumura), briefly took the lead. However, with 100 meters to go, Juuryoku Pierrot surged from behind, drawing neck to neck with Dream Core and ultimately winning by a neck.

With Juuryoku Pierrot's victory, jockey Imamura achieved the first G1 victory for a female jockey affiliated with the JRA. Furthermore, this was the first time that a female JRA jockey had competed in the five major JRA classic races: the Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Kikuka Sho, Oka Sho, and Oaks.

Jockey Imamura described this remarkable achievement as 'like a dream.' Although he had no prior experience riding in a 2400m race, he said, 'I felt I knew her (Juuryoku Piero) better than anyone, so I think I was able to ride calmly.'

'It feels like a dream.' Interview with jockey Seina Imamura, winner of the 2026 Oaks (GⅠ), featuring Juuryoku Pierrot [Kantele Official] - YouTube


Jockey Imamura made his debut in 2022. In July 2022, he rode in his first graded stakes race, the GIII CBC Prize, and guided TM Spada to victory. He was only the fourth rookie jockey in history to ride in and win a graded stakes race on his first attempt, and that year Imamura recorded 51 wins, the fifth highest number for a rookie jockey in history.

2022 CBC Prize (GIII) | TM Spada | JRA Official - YouTube


Jockey Seina Imamura (TM Spada) [CBC Prize 2022 Winning Jockey Interview] - YouTube