David Egan off to a flying start in Japan despite enduring 'jockey jail'

David Egan said enduring "jockey jail" was worth it after he got off to a flying start to his spell riding in Japan.

The 23-year-old rode a treble at his first fixture at Chukyo on Saturday and followed that up with another success at Hanshin.

Egan had a dry run in Japan in the summer when riding in a jockey’s challenge and has joined Ryan Moore, as well as Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle, for a two-month stint this winter.

Egan said: “Things are going well out here with four winners from 17 rides last weekend, and a fourth in a Group 1 race for juveniles at Hanshin on Sunday. I’m riding again at the weekend and hopefully I can keep it going."

Before riding, jockeys in Japan have to go into so called ‘jockey jail’ by staying in hotels and giving up their phones in the run up to meetings.

Egan said of the experience: “It’s fine in jockey jail, I can live with it. It gives you plenty of time to concentrate on your rides at the weekend.”

Egan posted a career-best 93 wins domestically, in which he broke his Classic duck when landing the St Leger on Eldar Eldarov at Doncaster in September, before heading to Japan on December 5.

The former champion apprentice won races five, seven and ten on a mammoth 12-race card at Chukyo on Saturday, kicking off with Gemology in a two-year-old maiden on turf.

He then landed a three-year-old and up allowance race on turf on Romancing Blue, before bringing up the treble when Cordon Rouge won a similar race on the neighbouring dirt track.

Marquand and Doyle began their two-month spell in late October and are set to fly home over Christmas, Marquand has 13 winners and Doyle two. Moore has ten to his name.

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