MASAYUKI KAWASHIMA
The Japanese usage of English words often makes me laugh. For instance, 'talent' gets used to describe someone in show-business that usually possesses no talent whatsoever (but has good management). The word 'mansion' is employed for a small flat that ultimately represents the exact opposite of a real mansion. And 'elite' basically describes someone who has been educated specifically to pass exams that all too often have little or no meaning in the real world. For me, 'elite' people are those that have proved themselves as exceptional in their chosen field. This isn't easy to do in any country, but, with what amounts to a caste system in Japan, it's even harder to rise to the top if you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

One of the people that has risen above it all is Masayuki Kawashima. Born in Chiba in 1947, he was a jockey in his younger days, but thought about becoming a boxer at one stage. Ultimately, with the help of the famous singer, Saburo Kitajima, he became an NAR trainer in 1990, based at the Funabashi Keiba track. Since then, he's won virtually every award there is to win, and is now the head of the Chiba Prefecture Trainer's Association.

With a life full of episodes that even inspired a manga comic, his stable has a reputation for being one of the best kept in the business, with his care and attention to detail bringing well over 1000 race wins, and the honing of superstars like Furioso, Adjudi Mitsuo and Clave Secreta.

There are so many things to admire about this man, but for me, the human quality stands out above them all. This picture, taken at the Funabashi racehorse auction in spring, sits in my office. Despite the sunlight bouncing off my head and the lack of a clip to keep my tie straight (did get a nice one for my birthday, though!), it's a treasure of mine...