Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
On most mornings at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack, you’ll find a jockey whose smile you can spot a mile down the stretch.
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream.
It was a massive leap of faith for Kimura who, after convincing his family to allow him to move halfway around the world on his own as a teenager, landedin Toronto.
Speaking to CTV National News, Kimura shared his initial experience. “At the time, I didn’t speak English. It was a new country, new language and new culture.”
Kazushi Kimura sits for an interview at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack. (Adrian Ghobrial / CTV News)
But moving quickly is what Kimura does best. First, he worked to master the English language, then he conquered the track, and recently, he won his third straight award as Canada’s Outstanding Jockey at just 24-years-old. Two of his last three Canadian championships came during injury-plagued seasons – making his accomplishment that much more impressive.
While keeping lap times, and a watchful eye on his young client, agent Jordan Miller says Kimura's story is a longshot story that’s now making history: “A lot of the people who are successful (as a jockey), it takes them 10, 15, or even 20 years to accomplish what Kimura’s done in six or seven years.”
Next up is this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.
Kimora's first-ever win on Canadian soil came on a horse with a 70-1 chance at winning. When he steps into the irons at the Derby he'll once again, almost fittingly, ride with longshot odds. His horse, who is being flown in from Japan, is named T-O Password and currently has a 30-1 shot of beating the field at Churchill Downs.
Kimura says that’s where he feels most comfortable. "I mean like, there’s no pressure, I just get to enjoy the race."
Speaking trackside to CTV News, Miller says Kimura’s "dedication to his craft is like none other."
"All he cares about is his horseracing. When he goes home, he’s working out, watching replays. His dedication is second to none.”
In this image provided by Benoit Photo, Goliad (6), with Kazushi Kimura aboard, wins the Grade III $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes horse race on Feb. 3, 2024, in Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)
Last year, Kimura was a call-up to race in the Derby. He finished in the middle of the pack. This season he’s received a formal invitation to take part.
With an infectious smile beaming across his face, Kimura said, “Right now, I feel like I’m representing Canada and representing Japan.”
When asked what it’s like to round the final bend at the Derby, and make a final dash for the finish, Kimura said the first thing that stands out “is the noise from the crowd.”
It’s at that moment that “so many of the jockeys begin being more aggressive,” he said.
“I love to be a giant-killer, so let’s see what's going to happen,” he said, with another grin.
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump is set to conclude in the coming days, putting the landmark case on track for jury deliberations that will determine whether it ends in a mistrial, an acquittal — or the first-ever felony conviction of a former American president.
Zephen Xaver walked into a central Florida bank in 2019, fatally shot five women and then called police to tell them what he did. Now 12 jurors will decide whether the 27-year-old former prison guard trainee is sentenced to death or life without parole.
The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: "unbearable" conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia.
Administrators on some campuses have called in local police to break up pro-Palestinian protesters demanding that their schools divest from Israel in demonstrations that Israel's allies say are antisemitic and make campuses unsafe. From Columbia University in New York to the University of California, Los Angeles, thousands of students and faculty have been arrested in the past month.
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a "hard landing" on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, without immediately elaborating.
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for various items this week, including kids' bassinets, chips, and stoves. Here's what to watch out for.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.