thumb|A Ban'ei race in Obihiro, 2020

is a form of Japanese horse racing in which draft horses pull heavy sleds up sand ramps, urged-on by jockeys balancing on the sleds. The horses used in the races are often either purebred or crosses of Percheron, Breton, and Belgian breeds.

As the popularity of the races has waned in recent years, regular ban'ei races are only held at the Obihiro, Hokkaido racecourse.

However, betting ticket sales on the Internet have been strong recently, and their popularity is recovering. In 2021, 15 years after it was held in Obihiro alone, gambling ticket sales quadrupled from 2007 sales.

History

Ban'ei racing has its probable origin in agricultural work, when horses were used to pull farming machinery and sleds of wood. Eventually, the horses were tested for speed and strength in festivals of the late Meiji Era (1900).

The popularity of ban'ei grew; in 1953, Hokkaido's four cities (Kitami, Asahikawa, Iwamizawa, and Obihiro) began to manage races. The former three closed operations in 2007 due to declining revenues. Obihiro racecourse is now the only one currently active, hosting races most Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Races are also held to mark special occasions, such as New Year's Day, and there are many regional races known as ban'ei koshien.

The Obihiro racecourse nearly closed in 2006 before Softbank, a Japanese mobile phone company, provided funds for the races to continue. Odds Park Cup race, named after the internet-betting subsidiary of Softbank, was established in 2007 as an expression of gratitude. Other companies, such as Rakuten and Sapporo Breweries have added their sponsorship and several support schemes have been initiated, including a race-sponsoring scheme for individuals.

Overview

thumb|Course separated by lanes

The ban'ei course consists of a dirt track with lanes separated by ropes laid in the sand. This creates ten lanes, each incorporating a starting gate and two hill-shaped obstacles. The second and steeper obstacle is called the Ban'ei Point. Horses haul sleds across this track, with the weight of each sled ranging from to 1 ton, as seen in the Ban'ei Kinen event.

Jockeys stand and balance on the sled, using long reins as a whip and weight slabs under the feet of the jockey in place of a saddle. Each jockey must weigh at least ; if the jockey is underweight, slabs are added to meet the smallest weight. This is like the system used in Japanese thoroughbred racing. The weight allowance of jockeys is either , based on the number of wins. With suitable ground conditions, horses pulling lightly loaded sleds can clock speeds under 50 seconds. The condition of the track is described using measured-moisture percentage. The track is repaired manually during or between races. Watering is used to prevent excess dust from irritating horses and people. Heating systems allow racing during the winter months.

Horses

thumb|upright|Ban'ei horse on paddock

Horses in ban'ei are often either purebred or crossbred variations of Belgian, Breton, or Percheron draft horses.

Most ban'ei horses start official racing as two-year-olds after passing inspection held between April and August. Regional races ("ban'ei koshien") with finals for yearlings are held in October. Horses that do not pass inspection are either sent back to a breeder as they can be used in events or tourism, or to feedlot. and two dominant whites.

Former racehorses not eligible for breeding are usually sold for meat.

Japanese draft horse

The Japanese draft horse is a breed with open studbook created by crossing purebred and half bred horses together for five consecutive generations. Horses that don't meet this requirement have been registered since 2003 as half-blood draft horses. while data about new registrations of broodmares from 2014 indicates that from purebreds, three form most: Bretons, Percherons, and Belgians.

Japanese drafts are used mainly in ban'ei and horse meat production. used in ban'ei can be traced to a single stallion born in 1967, while dominant white seen in two horses was spontaneous, manifesting in 2010. Prevalence of hereditary diseases is unknown, since at least one Western scientific source lists breed as "ban-ei" without hereditary diseases.

References

  • Archive of Official NAR Video site(note: livestream only in Japan)
  • BANEI THEATER
  • Pen International: Ban'ei Horse Racing