Yukio Okabe predicts the outcome of the dream brothers’ showdown

In 2024, I had the opportunity to talk to Okabe Yukio, who was Biwa Hayahide’s main jockey.

The timing didn’t work out, so we had to do the interview over the phone, but instead of a greeting, I told him that I would be turning 60 in June, and he replied, “Congratulations! You’ve finally made it?” I could picture Okabe-san’s face looking happy that another member of his old man circle had joined his family.

During his time as a jockey, Okabe serialized “Okabe Yukio’s Horseman Weekly Report” in Sankei Sports, and when Weekly Gallop was launched in 1993, he also serialized “Horse Priority.” He stopped riding on February 20, 2005 at the age of 56, and after retiring as a jockey in March of the same year, he began serializing “G1 Observation Notes” in Gallop, and is currently serializing “Horse Racing Studies of Masters.”

As a result, I, who was a field reporter and editor for Sankei Sports and Weekly Gallup, was able to easily get into Okabe’s good graces thanks to the senior reporter who was covering him.

One of the most fortunate moments was when I moved from Sankei Sports to Weekly Gallop and took over the role of hosting the talk show “Okabe Yukio’s Take it Easy.” It was sometimes difficult to find someone who Okabe was interested in talking to, but we were able to build a relationship of trust by recording once a month.

During my interviews, I will never forget the Taiki Blizzard’s tour of America in 1997 and the Taiki Shuttle’s tour of France the following year in 1998.

In the fall of 1997, I was at Santa Anita Racecourse in California, USA, where the Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile Handicap, a preliminary race for the Breeders’ Cup in which Taiki Blizzard would compete, was held. I was the only newspaper reporter there, which meant I had exclusive access to Okabe-san’s coverage.

While talking to me, Okabe-san entered the facility adjacent to the saddle-fitting area. Wanting to do some additional research, I followed Okabe-san’s example and greeted the staff at the entrance before entering. When I called out to Okabe-san, who was sitting in a chair, he looked shocked, and with a wry smile on his face, he said:

“Hey, hey, this isn’t a good place. I’m surprised you got in.”

It was the jockey room. Media was not allowed inside, but the staff at the racecourse must have mistaken me for Okabe’s manager, because they let me in right away. I had been on the same flight to and from the Breeders’ Cup, so I mustered up the courage to go up to greet them in first class, and they welcomed me warmly. I treasure the many stories I was able to hear on the flight.

The year after Taiki Blizzard’s tour of the United States, Okabe teamed up with Taiki Shuttle to win the French G1 race, the Prix Jacques Le Marois, and I also have an unforgettable memory of being able to witness and cover the race in person as he achieved his long-cherished dream of winning an overseas G1 race.

I’ll leave it at that, as this is a reminiscence that has little to do with the main story.

He said he was going out in about 30 minutes. I can’t waste his precious time on pointless chatter. I don’t want to bother him by running late for the interview. I have to get to the point.