Yusuke Fujioka knows what it feels like to hold the reins to a Group 1 winner and he is hoping the classic longshot King Squall has the attributes that will carry him to the biggest win of his career in the G1 Satsuki Sho, Japan’s 2,000 Guineas, at Nakayama.
The rider, 39, has known big race success and disappointment in recent years, as well as the intense personal tragedy of his younger brother Kota Fujioka’s death on April 10 2024, following a race fall at Hanshin.
Barely one year on, a classic victory would be particularly poignant for Fujioka, a rider whose career has been good without being a head-turner. Since he graduated the Japan Racing Association (JRA)’s apprentice school in 2014 he has averaged 49 wins per season, with a best of 75, and has notched 54 Group race wins.
Chief among those are his two Group 1 triumphs, the 2024 February Stakes on Peptide Nile and the 2018 NHK Mile Cup on Keiai Nautique. He also rode Jack D’Or – trained by his father Kenichi Fujioka – 10 times for six wins including a pair of Group 2s, but missed out when it came to the biggest day. It was the great Yutaka Take in the saddle when the chestnut won the G1 Osaka Hai in 2023.
Other top talents he has partnered successfully include Serifos, Bathrat Leon, Danon Fantasy and Stay Foolish.
But a classic win on King Squall for trainer Yoshito Yahagi and the DMM Dream Club ownership group would be next level for Fujioka, who expressed firm faith in the Duramente colt’s latent ability.
“Right now, King Squall can already perform well, but I can’t imagine how good this horse might be. I think this horse has tons of potential,” he told Idol Horse.
King Squall stepped out for the first time in a Sapporo Newcomer race on July 21, winning smartly by three lengths under Fujioka. The colt was not seen at the races again until his Satsuki Sho prep, the G2 Spring Stakes over 1800m at Nakayama on March 16, in which he placed a smart third behind Piko Chan Black and Fukuno Blue Lake.
“I felt he had a lot of talent, but he was mentally young. Currently he is still growing slowly, he hasn’t completely matured yet,” the rider continued.
Fujioka believes the three-year-old might well measure up to Jack D’Or and Peptide Nile, two horses he struggled to split in terms of ability.
“Peptide Nile has been racing at Grade One level for a while, and is one of the best I’ve ever ridden, and Jack d’Or is one as well, of course. I hope King Squall can join the list and surpass both,” he commented.
Fujioka has a long heritage in Japanese racing, beginning when his grandfather took a job at Hanshin. That professional connection has continued into the third generation.
“He became a groom when Hanshin Racecourse was completed,” he said of his grandfather. “I don’t know about the details, but I think at that time Japanese horse racing just got started, and they needed people working at the racecourse.
“I wanted to have a job related to horses, but not necessarily as a jockey. I loved horses very much, and initially I wanted to become a veterinarian, because I wanted to help horses.”
Instead, he joined the apprentice school and found himself in the same cohort as one of Japan’s very best riders, another with a family connection going back to the early days of the modern sport in Japan, subsequent champion jockey, Yuga Kawada.
“Yuga was only aiming for the top and saw any other people as his rivals. He wasn’t too friendly in those days,” Fujioka laughed.
“I speak with Yuga regularly about races and horses. I have heard about the atmosphere in the past in the jockey’s room in Hong Kong, and Japan is a little bit different, after the race, people are quite friendly in the jockey’s room.”
He experienced the strong bond between jockeys after the terrible death of his brother, Kota. Like any rider, he understands the risks but said he is “still happy” to be doing what he described as a “great job” to have.
And he was measured in relaying his thoughts about Kota’s death and the perspective he must take to succeed in a sport that presents danger each time a jockey goes out to ride.
“When he was still alive, between us, we talked about how that could happen, and I know he chose this job without any regret: I cannot carry his feelings and thoughts with me, but maybe I can pass those on,” he said.
“Also, I feel I am obliged to retire safely. I do not want that kind of accident happening again while I am still riding.”
A Satsuki Sho win would not only be a crowning success for Fujioka, but also a fine tribute to his fallen brother ∎
