Yoshito Yahagi
| Yoshito Yahagi | |
|---|---|
Yahagi in 2023 | |
| Native name | 矢作芳人 |
| Occupation | Trainer |
| Born | 20 March 1961 Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Racing awards | |
| JRA Award for Best Trainer (races won) (2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 JRA Award for Best Trainer (money earned) (2019-2023) JRA Award for Best trainer (training technique) (2020, 2021) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Grand Prix Boss, Deep Brillante, Real Steel, Mozu Ascot, Lys Gracieux, Loves Only You, Contrail, Marche Lorraine, Panthalassa | |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
Yoshito Yahagi (Japanese: 矢作 芳人, Hepburn: Yahagi Yoshito; born March 20, 1961, in Tokyo, Japan) is a trainer of Thoroughbred race horses. He has been a licensed trainer in Japan since 2004 and since 2014 has won the training title three times.
After studying English at Athénée Français for six months, he went to Australia to learn horse training. He says he chose Australia because it was similar to Japan in that horse racing is dominated by speed on turf courses, the stable system, and the quarantine system are very strict and the environment internationally isolated.
He has trained Contrail, the 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner. In the 2021 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar in California, Yahagi trained two winners—Filly & Mare Turf winner Loves Only You and Distaff winner Marche Lorraine. He became the first Japanese trainer to win any Breeders' Cup race.