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Speed, Stamina Make for a Smooth 'Drive'
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The horse recovered from the poor start, Yamamoto said, because of the skill of his veteran American jockey, Kent Desormeaux.
Desormeaux, a 38-year-old Cajun who is in the Racing Hall of Fame and holds the U.S. record for the most races won in a single year, is a pivotal figure in the coming face-off between Casino Drive and Big Brown.
Having ridden for years in Japan, Desormeaux is a friend of Yamamoto and of Fujisawa.
"When Kent comes over to Japan, Mr. Fujisawa and I become his guarantor for his working visa as a jockey," Yamamoto said. "We go out to dinner and we have him ride my horses."
But Desormeaux, amazingly enough, also is the jockey for Big Brown.
He rode the horse to victory at the Kentucky Derby and at the Preakness. At Belmont, he will be riding the Triple Crown contender, not the would-be Triple Crown spoiler.
"I am very disappointed about that," Yamamoto said.
Reporters have asked Desormeaux which horse he thinks will win at Belmont. He has declined to answer.
"We've got our hands full with this one," the jockey said of Casino Drive. "He's got that stride. . . . He's a phenomenal talent."
Japanese racing writers are saying that even if Casino Drive does not win, the horse's challenge is a breakthrough for horse racing in Japan, where racing purses are among the largest in the world but racing talent has lagged behind.
"It is an American-bred horse, but the eyes of an owner who chose this horse and the training by Mr. Fujisawa make Japanese feel proud," said Yoko Takizawa, a racing writer and author.
In his penthouse office, where he presides over an entertainment conglomerate that runs Pachinko parlors, creates video games and markets athletes, Yamamoto does not predict victory for Casino Drive.
