Jockey Nanako Fujita, a 27-year-old woman who is a rising star in the horse racing world, retired from the sport after being suspended for using a smartphone for outside communication on the day before a race, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) said Friday.
Under JRA rules, jockeys are required to stay in a designated room on the day before a race and are banned from communicating with others outside the racecourse as a measure against match fixing and to ensure fairness.
But the JRA said Thursday that Fujita, who belongs to a stable run by Yasuhiro Nemoto, used a smartphone inside the room on multiple occasions through April 2023, which the association described as “severe delinquency” and suspended her until a JRA panel decides her punishment.
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