Japan’s Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne at the Tokyo Olympics, where they finished fourth. Photo by Sally Spickard.
The last Olympic hosts, Japan, are the latest nation to reveal their line-up for next month’s Paris Olympics – and despite not initially earning a team slot, they now field a formidable front as they head into the Games.
The selected horses and riders are as follows:
- Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne JRA – fifteen-year-old Selle Français gelding (Esterel des Bois SF x Korrigane de Vigne SF, by Duc du Hutrel) – owned by the Japanese Equestrian Federation and groomed by Jackie Potts
- Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka JRA – seventeen-year-old KWPN mare (King Kolibri x Kantinka, by Julio Mariner XX) – owned by the Japanese Equestrian Federation and groomed by Matt Glenworth. Direct reserve – Be My Daisy, owned by Riding Club Crane Co Ltd
- Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street – sixteen-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (by OBOS Quality 004 out of an unrecorded dam) – owned by the rider and groomed by Emily Gibson
- Travelling reserve: Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson JRA – thirteen-year-old Holsteiner gelding (by Jaquino out of an unrecorded dam) – owned by the Japanese Equestrian Federation and groomed by Rowan Laird
The team is named after an excellent week at Japan’s final selection trial at Bramham CCI4*-S, which saw Kazu and ‘Vince’, who were individually fourth at Tokyo, take third place in the stacked class. Ryuzo finished in the top ten too, though on new ride Be My Daisy, who has been named as his direct reserve, Yoshi and new ride MGH Grafton Street finished twelfth, and travelling reserves Toshi and Jefferson finished fourteenth.
All the named riders are paired up with horses with storied careers: before Kazu took the reins on Vince in 2019, with great subsequent success, the now-15-year-old was produced by France’s Astier Nicolas, who rode him to seventh place at the 2018 World Championships. Ryuzo Kitajima’s Cekatinka JRA was initially produced by Ros Canter and latterly Tim Price, and was bought for Ryuzo with the Tokyo Olympics in mind. Though Cekatinka ended up sitting out that Games entirely, and Ryuzo was named as travelling reserve with Feroza Nieuwmoed, they did end up representing their nation at the 2022 World Championships, where they delivered a smart clear round but bowed out at the final horse inspection.
Yoshiaki Oiwa and MGH Grafton Street. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
There are two relatively new partnerships on this list: Yoshi Oiwa teamed up with Pippa Funnell’s 2019 Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street just this year, and is keeping the quirky gelding at Pippa’s Surrey base so that she can oversee their progression. In his four FEI starts with the sixteen-year-old, Yoshi has enjoyed competitive, quick, clear finishes, including a placing in Ballindenisk’s CCI4*-L in April. Likewise, travelling reserve Toshi took over Jefferson JRA, who was formerly a Chris Burton ride but more recently competed by Britain’s Bubby Upton, in the middle of last year, and has placed in four of his eight FEI starts with the thirteen-year-old.
Japan joins Ireland and the USA in having announced their final line-up for Paris, while Germany have effectively announced their three riders, pending CHIO Aachen results.
View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here.
