Keisuke Matsuzaki, Training Assistant for Racehorse Liberty Island, Passes Away After Illness
It has been announced on the official website of the Mitsumasa Nakauchida stable that Keisuke Matsuzaki (49), a training assistant who was in charge of the racehorse Liberty Island, passed away on April 12 this year after battling an illness. This news came approximately two weeks before Liberty Island, a beloved horse that Matsuzaki had cherished and cared for over many years, tragically lost her life in a racing accident in Hong Kong, causing deep sorrow and shock among many horse racing fans. The context Liberty Island was an immensely popular and successful Japanese racehorse, a filly who achieved the prestigious Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown in 2023. Her untimely death in a racing accident in Hong Kong in late April 2024 was a significant and heartbreaking event for the Japanese horse racing community. A 'training assistant' (調教助手, chokyo joshu) in Japanese horse racing plays a vital, hands-on role in a racehorse's daily life, similar to a senior groom or exercise...