ParisTurf: What does the Arima Kinen represent for the Japanese?
Keisuke Imamura: It is one of the most prestigious and famous horse races in the country along with the Derby and the Japan Cup. As it takes place at the very end of the year at Nakayama Racecourse, it is like a championship finale, and for many racing fans it is one of the most exciting events in the world. year. Its characteristic is that the starters are selected by “fan votes”. This year, a record 478,415 votes were cast for a single horse, the five-time Group I winner Do Deuce (editor’s note, he was declared non-starter on Friday). In terms of numbers, the Arima Kinen is also a special race. In recent years, sales of the Arima Kinen have reached around 50 billion yen (around 300 million euros). This is the highest amount in Japan and far exceeds other races. The world record took place in 1998 in this race (536 million euros).
Can you give us an overview of the horse racing year in Japan?
The JRA organizes races every weekend and they can be organized simultaneously at a maximum of three racecourses (editor's note, the JRA has 10 racecourses across the country). Horse racing takes place continuously between January and December, with the exception of a brief break for the end of the year and the New Year period. In total, 3,455 races are organized in 2024 and it is almost the same number each year. Last year was a special year for us, as the Japan Cup was awarded as the best horse race in the world and the winner of the Japan Cup, Equinoxwas voted “best horse in the world”. With 2023 being a banner year, we were worried if the 2024 season would be as exciting, but it was. As a result, betting in 2024 amounted to around 3.17 trillion yen (= 19.8 billion euros) and it exceeds last year as of December 22.
Is it important for you to get your races talked about internationally?
This year, we were able to welcome three large foreign horses from Europe, Goliath, Auguste Rodin et Fantastic Moon. Japanese racing fans were really looking forward to seeing their horses compete against them. On race day, nearly 80,000 people attended the Tokyo Racecourse, but many fans were unable to enter the racetrack because it was very difficult to get tickets. The Japan Cup is a special race for us and important for showcasing Japanese horse racing to the world. Nowadays, the globalization of horse racing is progressing not only for the horses, but also for the jockeys. This year, Aurélien Lemaitre and Cristian Demuro obtained a short-term license in Japan and Delphine Santiago participated in the “World All Star Jockeys”. Nowadays, the number of overseas Japanese horse races has increased dramatically, and it is not uncommon for Japanese horses to win overseas. However, we believe it is important to further improve the quality of Japanese racehorses as well as the skills of jockeys and to raise awareness of Japanese racing in various countries.
