Jockey Hiroki Goto, whose victory total of 1,447 is 16th in Japanese horse racing history, was found dead in an apparent suicide in his home in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture, police said Friday.
The fire department responded to an emergency call from his family around 8 a.m., but the 40-year-old Goto was dead by the time an emergency team arrived, officials said.
According to the Japan Racing Association, Goto made his debut in 1992 and was 10th among active jockeys in career wins. He broke a cervical vertebrae in 2012 and then was injured when he fell from a horse during a comeback attempt.
After returning to racing last November, Goto suffered another fall Feb. 21 at Tokyo Race Course. Even so, he won two races the following day in Kyoto.
He had been scheduled to race this weekend.