In recent years, horse racing in Japan has experienced significant growth. The country hosts approximately 21,000 races annually, with prize money ranking among the highest globally. For instance, the G3 Turquoise Stakes, held in December at Nakayama Racecourse, offers a first-place prize of 38,000,000 Japanese yen, roughly equivalent to $250,000, making it one of the more modestly priced events. In contrast, the Japan Cup, considered the nation's premier and one of the most prestigious races worldwide, boasts a staggering purse of 1,085,000,000 yen (over $7 million), with 500,000,000 yen (about $3.3 million) awarded to the winner. Furthermore, Japanese horses have begun to outshine their traditionally dominant counterparts from Britain, the United States, and Australia in international competitions. Notably, in 2023, the Japanese stallion Equinox received the highest world rating from Longines.
The industry's path to the world Olympus
It is thought that horses were absent from the Japanese islands until the 2nd millennium BC. By the 3rd century AD, horses from the mainland were introduced, leading to their multiplication and the emergence of several local breeds. These horses were typically short, with large heads and shaggy coats, known for their fierce temperament. They served as pack animals and were used in cavalry, with samurai being the primary riders while commoners were prohibited from riding.
For military purposes, larger horses became more desirable, prompting Japanese rulers to promote the importation of pure-bred horses from the continent. Initially, Arabian stallions were brought in, followed by pure-bred stallions and mares. As a result of this influx, local breeds nearly vanished, with only a few remaining in the wild and on some peasant farms.
Founded in 1858, the city of Yokohama served as a gateway between Japan and the outside world, benefiting from the extraterritorial privileges granted to foreign nationals residing there. This environment fostered a mix of cultures, giving rise to a unique "Yokohama dialect" spoken by its inhabitants, both Japanese and foreign. Notably, it was in Yokohama that bread was first baked in Japan and where the first ice cream parlour opened. The city also witnessed the introduction of street lighting, the first railway, the first bank, and… the inaugural horse races!
In 1861, a group of bored English expatriates established the first racing club in Yokohama, leading to the construction of the Negishi Racecourse in 1866. Initially, racing catered to foreign spectators, but over time, it garnered interest from the Japanese population as well. Emperor Meiji, an enthusiastic racing fan, frequented the racecourse. In 1880, the Emperor’s Cup (known as Tenno Sho at the time) was introduced, becoming a traditional event, previously referred to as Waza Mikado. The race was relocated to Tokyo in 1937 and has retained its current name since then. By the early 20th century, racecourses were established across Japan, with 11 racing clubs active by 1923. The organisation of these races closely mirrored the British tradition. Recognizing its potential, the Japanese government allocated direct subsidies to enhance the prize pool, supported by increased revenues from the totalizer.
In 1981, the Japan Cup was established, a race with the highest prize in Japan. Foreign horses of a low class were beating Japanese racehorses. This situation did not suit anyone.
The Japan Racing Association (JRA) was founded in 1954. In the late 1970s, it developed a program to improve the class of Japanese racehorses. Since 1986, the country has begun large-scale import of thoroughbred horses.
Breeding
Horses from Britain, America, and Australia were imported into the country, with their numbers reaching 300 by 1990. Starting in 1995, an annual influx of 500-600 thoroughbred horses began. Japanese horse breeders acquired notable champions from prestigious races such as the Epsom Derby and the Arc de Triomphe, bringing top European racehorses—winners and broodmares—into their stables. A key figure in shaping the gene pool of modern Japanese thoroughbreds was the Irish stallion Hindostan, bred by the grandfather of the Aga Khan. He arrived in Japan after his victory in the Irish Derby in 1949 and was named the best sire in the country in 1961-1965 and again in 1967-1968. Among his offspring is Shinzan, who went on to win the Japanese Triple Crown.
In the 1970s, another British thoroughbred stallion, Tesco Boy, took over the breeding initiative. In 1966, he won the Queen Anne Stakes, after which he was exported to Japan. In the 70s and 80s, his offspring led the country's races. In the 80s, the best Japanese producer was the son of Northern Dancer Canadian Northern Taste, breeder E. P. Taylor. In the early 1970s, he won several races in France, was fourth in the 2000 Guineas and fifth in The Derby. His progeny made the Shadai Stallion Station stud farm one of the country's leading breeders. After his death, the Shadai stud farm acquired the American Sunday Silence, who also topped the list of producers from 1995 to 2005. By 2000, the Japanese herd of pure-bred broodmares and stallions had begun to take shape, and imported breeding horses no longer played a major role in breeding. Most of the Japanese champion horses by that time were bred from crossing horses of Japanese origin.
Overseas Horse Racing Winners
Until the early 2000s, elite Japanese races, including the Japan Derby and the Spring and Autumn Imperial Sho, were largely off-limits to horses from outside Japan. The country appeared to enhance its racing reputation by nurturing its own champions while shielding them from potential defeats at the hands of formidable foreign competitors. In the 1980s and 1990s, foreign horses dominated lesser races, with their owners motivated less by the chance for victory and more by the significant prize money on offer. For instance, at the inaugural NHK Mile Cup in 1996, 14 of the 18 entrants were international competitors, and in the first six races, no Japanese jockey managed to secure a top-three finish. This event was often referred to as a proving ground for foreign horses. However, over time, the landscape of Japanese racing evolved; the calibre of local horses improved, and by 2017, only one horse from the USA dared to compete, taking on the Japanese contenders.
In the 1990s, advocates for the global racing industry pushed for the inclusion of foreign horses in major Japanese races. In response, the Japan Racing Association (JRA) announced an eight-year plan in 1992 to gradually ease restrictions on foreign participation.
The Japan Cup, established in 1981, is recognised as the most prestigious and lucrative race in Japan. It saw its first European winner, Irish horse Stanerra, in 1983, while in the first two years, American horses claimed the top prizes. In 1986, British thoroughbred Jupiter Island made history by becoming the first British horse to win the Japan Cup, achieving what would become his most notable success, a victory that earned his owners more money than in all his previous 40 races combined.
In 1996, the Irish thoroughbred Singspiel, owned by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, took first prize in the Japan Cup race. He was trained by the famous Michael Stout from Newmarket, who worked at Freemason Lodge stables, and jockeyed by Frankie Dettori. In 1997, another of Michael Stout's trainees, Pilsudski, consolidated the success of British horses in the Japan Cup. This was the last race in the stallion’s career; he won 11 races in 5 countries and was named the European Champion among older horses. He was 5 years old when he won the Japan Cup.
In 2005, Alkaased, an American horse also trained by Michael Stout, became the last foreign horse to win the Japan Cup and set a world record for the race. For the horse’s jockey Frankie Dettori, this was the third victory in the race, and for Alkaased, the last in his career, after which he retired.
Starting from the following year, only Japanese horses won the Japan Cup.
The strategy of the Japanese horse racing industry turned out to be successful. Government support, capital injections and a slow build-up of racing potential “shot” with great successes for Japanese horses on the world racing arena. Although breeders do not rule out a new wave of imports of broodmares and stallions, which is necessary to preserve the genetic diversity of the breed, and therefore its sustainability.