Tokyo Explorer

Horse racing is a year round sport in Japan – but come the balmy days of April and the rising temperatures things really start to get underway.

For centuries referred to as The Sport of Kings, horse racing is today just as popular in Japan as it is in any of the Western nations that lay claim to having founded it.

For the Irish it may be more of a religion than a sport, for the English with just half the population of Japan yet twice as many courses that cater to flat racing and races over the jumps, it may be something that zeniths each April with the running of the globally renowned Grand National at Aintree near Liverpool, the Aussies meanwhile effectively shut down the nation in early November for the Melbourne Cup while the Americans follow suit with the Kentucky Derby and a handful of other significant but internationally less prominent races.

Irrespective of where you are though, irrespective of background, bank balance, lack of a crown or language spoken, there is something a little bit special about watching a large body of horses on such muscular yet dainty legs, each weighing in at around 450kgs hurtling past at breakneck speed.

For those close enough to the tracks the earth can actually start trembling as they approach and pass – the sheer majesty of horses in full flight perhaps the only sport that can cause the hairs on the back of the neck to stand up – ramrod straight.

The where and when – April and early May

Japanese racing, as so much in the nation, is largely split into east and west camps; Kanto and Kansai.

The Kanto region is arguably the focal point of the nation’s annual 22 GI (Grade One) races with 12 of the total taking place at Tokyo’s Fuchu Racecourse or Nakayama in Chiba Prefecture to the east of the capital.

Of note in April will be the running of the Nakayama Grand Jump – a 4.25km race with a purse of 80 million yen scheduled for the 19th, and the 97 million yen rated Japan 2000 Guineas – same course – a day later.

In the Kansai region, 8 of the 22 annual GI events will be split between the Japan Racing Association (JRA) tracks – at Kyoto and Hanshin; including the year’s longest GI race in the area – the 3.2km, 132 million yen Tenno Sho (Emperor’s Cup) Spring set for May 4th at Kyoto.

The what

Most races, in Japan tend to stretch between 1600 and 2400m although there is a smattering of long slogs and sprints thrown in for good measure; the longest over 4km with the shortest held in Niigata, north of Tokyo – the 1000m Ibis Summer Dash in mid-July – named after the nation’s national bird – the crested ibis.

In terms of surface, racing in Japan is largely on turf with just over ten of over 130 graded (GI-GIII – Grade I to Grade III) races taking place on dirt tracks; only 2 of these classified as GI races in 2006 – the February Stakes and the Japan Cup (Dirt) – both of which are held in Tokyo.

Race meets are held most months of the year although the summer months do become a little quieter during the annual onslaught of stifling heat and humidity – no GI races scheduled in July, August and September and much of the action moves north to Hokkaido.

A typical day at the races in Japan will involve a dozen races with any graded race coming in at number 10 or 11 on a given fixture list. Oftentimes races earlier in the day are a mixture of dirt VS turf racing and many fans have their own favorites with horses too tending to favor one or the other.

Races over the ‘hurdles’ are far less common in Japan than elsewhere in the world although a few major ‘Jump’ races do take place – king of the crop perhaps the mid-April Nakayama Grand Jump.

A rank lower than the JRA meets are the events supported and run by the local government racing boards up and down the nation. Generally these are scaled down models of the bigger JRA courses with far less in the way of amenities.

The who

Another east / west (Kanto / Kansai) split interesting to note is the way in which many jockeys align themselves with one region for the run of the mill racing weekends that don’t feature the graded races. In this regard, one man, almost single handedly carries the Kansai region head and shoulders above its Kanto rivals – Yutaka Take; a jockey making forays onto Middle Eastern courses in the past year as he chases the hefty earnings on offer in Dubai.

Undoubtedly Japan’s leading jockey, week in, week out, Take makes the Osaka and Kyoto courses his regular hangout although he does venture east to Tokyo for some of the bigger races. Perhaps not the biggest name (quite literally at somewhere around 55kg) in Japanese sporting circles, Take is becoming increasingly known on the international stage thanks to his amazing coupling with the now retired Deep Impact – winner of so much on the GI calendar in 2005 and 2006.

The way to win – or at least how to try

Gambling in racing here in Japan, as it does around the world, plays its part in the culture surrounding the sport and unfortunately it is perhaps this angle that sees it labeled as more of an old man’s sport than a family pastime or potential outing for younger folk.

Scenes of old men with stubby pencils behind one ear and a dog eared copy of a racing paper in one hand, often unshaven and looking like he could do with a (forced) shower typify the race going fan in the eyes of those never bitten by the ‘racing bug’ but are not as common as some would have you believe.

It is, however, a sad fact that Japan restricts betting to courses and a limited number of JRA offices scattered around the country but it is extremely simple to place a bet once inside for the so inclined regardless of linguistic deficiencies; many of the betting slips being self explanatory and some facilities having easy to follow handouts in English.

Another plus to a day at the races in Japan is excellent range of cheap eateries, playgrounds and even free bouncy castles and horse rides on offer to pull in families at some of the larger courses; many families opting for a day at the races to enjoy the facilities more so than the gee gees.

Mark Buckton

JRA Homepage (info on racing schedules / tracks / betting and much more – in English, French, Chinese and Korean – plus, of course Japanese) http://japanracing.jp/

Kanto Region track access / fees:

Fuchu (Fuchu-shi, Tokyo)
2 mins on foot from Fuchu Keiba Seimon Mae Station
5 mins on foot from Fuchu-Honmachi Station
Admission fee: 200 yen on race days
Homepage: http://jra.jp/facilities/race/tokyo/index.html (Japanese language)

Nakayama (Funabashi-shi, Chiba)
10 mins on foot from Funabashi Hoten Station using Nakki Mall walkway
Admission fee: 200 yen on race days
Homepage: http://jra.jp/facilities/race/nakayama/index.html (Japanese language)

Kansai Region track access / fees:

Kyoto (Fushimi-ku, Kyoto Prefecture)
5 mins on foot from Keihan Dentetsu Yodo Stn or 20 mins by direct (fee payable) bus from JR Yamazaki Stn.
Admission fee: 200 yen on race days.
Homepage: http://jra.jp/facilities/race/kyoto/index.html (Japanese language)

Hanshin (Takarazuka-shi, Hyogo Prefecture)
5 mins on foot via underpass from Nigawa Station on the Hankyu Imazu Line.
Admission fee: 200 yen on race days
Homepage: http://jra.jp/facilities/race/hanshin/index.html (Japanese language)