FUKUSHIMA--Training race horses is in Katsumi Suzuki's blood.
FUKUSHIMA--Training race horses is in Katsumi Suzuki's blood.
It's what his father used to do. Suzuki, 66, stepped into his father's shoes at the age of 38.
And in a nearly 30-year career, Suzuki's horses have competed at the Fukushima Race Course on many occasions.
So it is with glee that Suzuki anticipates the reopening of horse racing here on April 7.
Races have been suspended for more than a year due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear disaster.
"I had high expectations for (last year's) summer race because my horse was getting into good shape," Suzuki said, recalling the preparations he was making before the earthquake tore up the racetrack.
In Fukushima, horse races are held in spring, summer and autumn. Last year, all races were canceled due to the damage and the release of massive amounts of radioactive materials from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Fukushima has a long history of horse racing. The first race at the Fukushima Race Course dates back to 1918.
Records show that a horse race was held even earlier--in 1887--at the foot of Mount Shinobuyama.
After the nuclear disaster, the Japan Racing Association replaced lawn on the turf course and soil on the dirt course as part of decontamination efforts.
But Suzuki retired in December.
"The earthquake made my heart sink," he said. "It was hard to continue working."
Suzuki is pinning his hopes on a third-generation member of the family taking on the role of trainer: his 35-year-old son, Katsuhisa, who is now an apprentice.
On April 7, Suzuki will enter the Fukushima Race Course through its front gate, not a private gate reserved for racing officials.
As a child, Suzuki would play in the racetrack. His family home was located nearby.
He said he wanted to pass the gate "as if I were going to play there when I was in elementary school."