Tabara Seiki

Tabara Seiki was a famous Jockey in JRA. However, he was not only a jockey.

He was a vigorous boy. He liked bicycles, music and fighting. So, he was well-known in not only school but his neighborhood,because he had many quarels, sang songs with a guitar in school and so on.

Though he was not interested in horses or jockeys,a japanese fabled horce-race on TV made him want to be a jockey. The race was the Japanese Derby on 27 May 1973. In the race, Highseikoh, Overpowering popular horse and he had won the Satukishoh(Japanese 2000 Guineas Stakes), was beaten by Takehope, which was a kind of ambush. After that race, he became one of star-horce and won the many big races. The race was the first thing which gave Tabara inspiration to and interest in horse-race. Then, he decided to go to not high-school but the jockey school of the JRA. Until he became a student of the jockey school, he often rode on his bicycle hording bamboo broom instead of jockey's whip.

For four years, he was in the jockey school(ordinary students are for three years), because he couldn't pass the exam to be the regular Jockeys in JRA, the first time. Yet, he was not a poor jockey. In his first year after passing the exam,he proved that he was not mere newcomers. He got a top level winning and prize of No.1 newcomer.In second year,he became leading jockey in the western part of Japan and he called by many people "Phenomenon." However, his name was written on dean's list in JRA. He continued to keep his faith which shows what participants can do for race-horses. Therefore, this faith hindered him in acquisition of many prizes and so on. It gives many troubles with mass media and horse-breakers(trainers) and friendship between people which admit his ability as a jockey. In addition, he had a few experiences where people suspected that he had fixed a horse race.

His experiences as a jockey were put of his other activity. When he was writer, he became missionary to tell the truth what jockeys should do, and so on. His work are "Aryamakoryama","The chances","Jockey",hereinbefore comics, "Wanderer of racecourse", "Blowin' in the wind on horseback", and so on, hereinbefore essays. In other time, he was a musician. CDs which include his songs have been released, such as "The rock."

In 1998, he retired as a jockey. Then, he became a horse-breaker to win the Japanese Derby because he had won the race as a jockey. After he was a horse-breaker, he went on wheels. Yet, he have troubles with owner of the horse which he train. Then, he train fewer horses than before.

On 11 October 2001, he was arrested for a gun and sword transgression and pep pill offense.

Reported by: Kobayashi Tohru
Data verified by: Masahiko Hayashi
Date of Report: November 2001

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