Apprentice defeats his boss at Te Rapa
Richard Edmunds • July 5th, 2025 2:23 PM • 3 min read
Japanese apprentice Yuga Okubo upstaged his employer at Te Rapa on Saturday with an upset victory on Ribkraka in the Jack & June Stewart Memorial (1200m).
The 22-year-old is apprenticed to Cambridge trainer Tony Pike, who saddled Honey Badger as a red-hot $1.60 favourite in the $35,000 three-year-old race. But Pike was thwarted by his protégé as Okubo steered Ribkraka to an all-the-way win.
Ribkraka drew the inside gate in a field that was halved to just four runners by scratchings. Okubo made full use of that handy draw and his 4kg claim, pushing Ribkraka forward to take a clear lead after the first 100m.
Torrential rain swept over Te Rapa during the race, but Okubo had Ribkraka enjoying his work and travelling sweetly out in front.
Honey Badger loomed on the outside at the home turn and seemed to have the upper hand coming into the straight, but Ribkraka responded to her challenge and summoned another effort. He pulled ahead of the favourite through the last 200m and won by a length and three-quarters.
“He loves Te Rapa and handles heavy tracks well and it was a very, very good win,” Okubo said. “He drew one and the plan was to go to the front. Then I was just thinking about his rhythm. He still had lots left when Honey Badger came up, so I thought I could win.”
The winner of four races in Japan before his arrival in New Zealand in early 2024, Okubo has now recorded three victories on Kiwi soil – a number that Ribkraka’s trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott expect will continue to increase.
“He’s a young man who’s going to ride a lot of winners,” Scott said. “He did a great job today and gave our horse a good, positive ride. He led at a sensible pace, held him together nicely and then let him down.”
Ribkraka’s front-running victory on Saturday brought up the 80th win of the season for the Wexford Stables team.
It was the third win of an 11-race career for the talented gelding, who is by Ribchester out of the Mastercraftsman mare Tickle Me – a half-sister to the multiple Group winners Melt and Elephant.
“Ribkraka can really handle these testing conditions,” Scott said. “He’s a very fit gelding and loves racing this way around. He’s such a genuine horse and just kept finding today.
“He’s campaigned all season and has been a model of consistency. There’s a race back here in two weeks’ time over 1400m, where he should hopefully relish the conditions again.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
