Yutaka Take has been confirmed to ride Al Riffa in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe later this season, according to reports from Japanese media. The horse's part-owner, Masaaki Matsushima, is eager to secure a victory in Europe’s premier middle-distance race with the esteemed Japanese jockey.
Matsushima has expressed his long-held dream of winning the Arc with Take in the saddle. He joined the Wootton Bassett colt's ownership syndicate earlier this year and was briefly listed as a part-owner.
Although Take, 55, was originally slated to ride Al Riffa in Sunday’s Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten, he was unable to finalise the arrangements on short notice. Regular jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle took the ride and led the four-year-old to a dominant win in his first start over a mile and a half.
Trained by Joseph O'Brien, Al Riffa is currently priced at 12-1 for the Arc at Longchamp on October 6.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, Take told NetKeiba: "I received an offer to ride in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, but it was too short notice. If everything goes as planned, we are targeting the Arc. There is also talk of riding him in a trial race before that, which excites me. It's a significant opportunity, and I'm looking forward to it."
Take, Japan's most successful and celebrated jockey, who has ridden over 100 top-level winners since beginning his career in 1987. He has previously mentioned that winning the Arc has been a career-long ambition, and this will be his 11th attempt at the race. He previously rode Do Deuce, owned by Matsushima’s Kieffers Co Ltd, who finished down the field in the Arc two years ago.
Take has been closely following Al Riffa’s form, noting his impressive second-place finish behind City Of Troy in the Eclipse.
Christophe Soumillon rode Al Riffa last August, securing a three-quarter-length second to eventual Arc winner Ace Impact in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. John Velazquez also rode the colt when he finished sixth in the Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga.