Rider competes in Warwick with one eye on Japanese selection

OLYMPIC dream goes down the drain with horse illness

Japanese rider Daiki Chujo and Harrier Hill Falconess after a second place in one star at the DRB Floats Warwick International on a wet weekend at Morgan Park. Picture: Gerard Walsh

EVENTING: A rider who came second in one star at the DRB Floats Warwick International at the weekend is aiming to compete for the country of his birth at the 2021 Asian Games.

Daiki Chujo first came to Australia from Japan 20 years ago and then learnt a lot about eventing when he worked for Australian Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy in Europe.

Chujo had a horse Remi First Lady he was hoping would give him a chance to make the Japanese Olympic team for 2020.

He was moving up the classes with First Lady but the mare died from colic 18 months ago.

Now he is resigned to missing Tokyo 2020 as there is not enough time to work his current top horse Harrier Hill Falconess up the classes.

"I am aiming for the Asian Games the following year, I have already been a reserve for Japan for the Asian Games,” he said.

Chujo tries to compete at most events in Warwick but sometimes eventing clashes with the races.

He trains both racehorses and eventing horses at his Japanoz Equestrian and Riding Stables at Bogangar in northern New South Wales.

"I sometimes miss a Warwick event if I have a horse racing the same weekend,” he said.

He rides the horse he trains for both eventing and racing but employs a race rider when he starts a horse in thoroughbred racing.

"I train horses of clients,” he said.

Chujo is also eligible to compete for Australia but admits it is marginally easier to push his way into a Japanese team, particularly while based in Australia.

"I can make the Japanese team for the Asian Games based on results in Australia,” he said.

While Australians have made Olympic teams mainly competing in Australia, the majority of the top Olympic riders end up in Europe or America where the competition is tougher than in their home country.

Originally published as Rider competes in Warwick with one eye on Japanese selection