Our Voices: Japan’s Uno Reflects on Four Years in America

For the past four years, Takahiro Uno has worked as general manager of the New York Japan Racing Association Representative Office, located in Stamford, Conn. Here, in an open letter to the racing industry, Uno reflects on his experiences in the United States, working to promote Japanese racing and supporting the country’s riders throughout his time including both the excitement of the winner of the nation’s first Eclipse and the Breeders’ Cup victories, and the fear and victimization experienced by Asians in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the US racing industry:

I have been here in the United States as general manager of the Japan Racing Association Representative Office in New York for four years. During that time, I went through a lot of things, both good and bad. The COVID-19 crisis is definitely something to talk about as it has affected the livelihoods of many people around the globe. My family doesn’t go out much until my husband and I are fully vaccinated, while my son can only go back to school in early May 2021. It was a very difficult time for the family. me when I had to leave my hometown in that situation. .

COVID-19 has caused a lot of hardship to the entire society in the United States. Many workers lost their jobs and homes due to the economic impact of the pandemic. And we’ve seen an uptick in cases of racism against minorities, mostly Asians. This fact is even more somber to the difficulties we have been through. I am really scared that as an Asian, not only myself but also my family and colleagues will become the target of stigma and fall victim to it. Every time we go to the supermarket or any other facility close to home in Fairfield County where a lot of people gather, I look around and watch our backs very carefully to make sure we are safe.

I have come to build trust in other members of society as we Asians are a minority and may face additional hardships that most white people will never experience in their lives. . Sometimes I feel it’s irrational and unfair that we have to go through such things, but that unfortunate truth persists in this society no matter what personal feelings I may have.

Fortunately, my family and I have never experienced any kind of discrimination against us, at least not in the Stamford-Greenwich area where we spend most of our time. The only unpleasant experience I had was when some guys threw racial taunts at me and my guests at our lawn area. Belmont Park in July. I just ignore whatever they’re saying because I think they’re poor souls who need to get rid of the frustrations that stem from their daily lives. I started traveling again after I was fully vaccinated in early May and apart from that incident, thankfully I’ve never had a bad experience traveling anywhere.

I’ve traveled across the United States to major races like the Breeders’ Cup and the Belmont Stakes (G1) in my general manager duties. One thing I want to say is that people who are involved in the racing industry are visionary and take people very kindly no matter where they come from.

Last year, we had a pony trained by the Japanese (France Go de Ina ) run in the US Triple Crown races. When I’m in Pimlico racetrack on Preakness Day, I was walking to the lawn with my pony and realized that many of the fans were shouting “good luck” to us along the way. Those people are complete strangers to us but they still accept us as part of the game regardless of our origin or nationality.

We received the same good treatment at Del Mar for the 2021 Breeders Cup. Everyone greeted us before the race and after the previous two historic victories Marche Lorraine in the Longines Breeders ‘Cup Distaff (G1) and Only love you in Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T), they paid tribute to what our horses and men have achieved. At least in the racetracks, there is no trace of discrimination. The most notable sign found was that Loves Only You received the Eclipse Award while the victory of two Japanese mares was chosen by American racing fans as Moment of the Year. That’s the best part of racers in the United States, inclusive and all-inclusive, which I like and appreciate so much.

Our horses and men jumped on board to take on the challenges of major races around the world. Our horses have amassed a great deal of success beating the best horses in such races and establishing their brand and niche as one of the best at their level. international. Prior to taking up my current position, I was a member of the Longines World Best Jockey Ranking Committee which compiles world rankings. In the process, I helped our horses earn the credit they deserved for that race season. What I did in that capacity was give the horse a rating to connect with the world.

In my current position as general manager, I am doing similar things to connect our horses and people with the US racing industry. With my current abilities, it’s almost like I’m building a bridge between Japan and America to increase the exchange of horses and people.

I’m not sure I’ve done enough work to fulfill my obligation to build bridges. It is not me who decides but the people who have seen my work and will judge it. With that said, I’ve gotten to know a lot of good people through my quest here. They welcomed me as a friend and included me as part of the team. They were of great help when I was having trouble performing my duties. Sometimes we have disagreements on certain issues, but we try our best to discuss and find a middle ground.

I really enjoyed working with all the people I knew. I felt a lot of respect for these people. One thing I can say for sure is that at least there is no trace of discrimination from the people I have worked with. A prime example among many is that I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to speak for the NTRA’s Moment of the Year award (which I was nervous about but managed to survive anyway). I think I should say I’m very lucky to be treated that way. For me that is more than enough.

My days in America will soon be over. Since I have enjoyed living and working here, I will definitely miss it very much once I get home. All I want to say before I go home is just thank you for being my good friends and family. I am honored to meet you and appreciate your support and friendship.

I’m leaving soon, but that’s not the end of the JRA’s work. A new person from Japan will soon take my place. Our mission is to continue and maintain the bridges that we have built through years of hard work.

It’s not a single person’s effort to build and maintain those bridges. It is like the collective efforts of one large organization, the JRA, to do so. I just finished part of these collective efforts. Everyone who came before me did their part and I did mine too.

Our program never ends so stay tuned for what we’ll be up to in the years to come!