Kanichiro Joe” Fujii rode against Sam Subian 38 times at Kranjji.
They never fought out a 1-2 finish, but their scoreline reads a 2-2 draw two for Fujii at his first stint in 2007 with Sam levelling up at the Japanese’s second visit in 2016.
At a time when Noel King” Callow stole the show in 2007 and arch-rivals Vlad Duric and Manoel Nunes hogged the 2016 season, Sam and Fujii did their best to find their place in the sun.
Theirs was actually more a friendly rivalry as they both rode a lot for trainer Hideyuki Takaoka.
Eight years later, a career-ending and life-changing drama would reunite them.
Both were robbed of their livelihoods after they became paralysed from the chest down following horse fall-induced spinal injuries.
When A” would denote the best quality in horseflesh, like a Kranji Stakes A, they now share the same alphabet to grade their paraplegia in this case A being the worst: No motor or sensory function.
After spending most of their lives on their two feet, then on four, speeding around at 65kmh, both men are today wheelchair-bound.
Esta historia es de la edición April 20, 2024 de The Straits Times.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 20, 2024 de The Straits Times.
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