Details of how races are conducted A total of approximately 16,400 individual races are conducted by 16 local governments at 20 racecourses for 1,500 days each year. Race meeting in small and medium-sized towns are scheduled mainly on weekends, while those in large cities of Tokyo and Kansai areas are usually scheduled on weekdays, in order to best cooperate with JRA. Although racecourses in Hokkaido and Tohoku area, which are in the northern regions of Japan, are closed during the winter due to heavy snowfall, races are conducted all year around at racecourses throughout the rest of the country. The racecourses and local governments Prefecture Racecourse Local Government (Racing organizer) Hokkaido Obihiro Asahikawa/ Sapporo/ Mombetsu Obihiro City Hokkaido Iwate Morioka/ Mizusawa Iwate Racing Association Saitama Urawa Saitama Prefecture Urawa Racing Association Chiba Funabashi Chiba Prefecture Horse Racing Cooperative Association Tokyo Ohi Tokyo Metropolitan Racing Association Kanagawa Kawasaki Kawasaki Racing Association Ishikawa Kanazawa Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa City Gifu Kasamatsu Gifu Prefectural Racing Association Aichi Nagoya/ Chukyo Aichi Racing Association Hyogo Sonoda/ Himeji The Hyogo Prefectural Racing Association Hiroshima Fukuyama Fukuyama City Kochi Kochi Kochi Racing Association Saga Saga Saga Racing Association Kumamoto Arao Arao Racing Association Total 20 racecourses 16 local governments * Obihiro City is an organizer for Ban-ei Racing 20 racecourses are ’ranging from very large’ to small Ohi racecourse in Tokyo is located in a more urbanized area than any other racecourse in Japan. Night races are conducted at Ohi Racecourse from March until November. During the period that night races are conducted, the post time of the first race is 3:35 PM, with a total of approximately 10 races scheduled to be conducted by 9:00 PM. During the night race season, an average of about 9,300 people per night visit the racecourse. The new grandstand it's named "L-WING", have opened in last December, 2003. The "L-WING" have 2,582 reserved seats equipped TV Monitor of 6 inches and which have 19 Compartments equipped TV Monitor of 15 inches for searching the Odds and starters' information of every races. "L-WING" has comfortable seats and good tasty food at many restaurants and several kinds of take out foods. Also you are available to take your relaxed time at inside flower garden with green woods and beautiful flowers at 4th floor. Mombetsu Racecourse opened in 1997 the smallest grandstand in Japan has capacity of only 800 people, in Hidaka region of Hokkaido. Hidaka region, which is the largest breeding center of racehorses in Japan, faces the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Due to the construction of this racecourse in this mild region which gets a relatively small amount of snowfall for Hokkaido, it has become possible to conduct races in Hokkaido until early winter. Finish the season of the Hokkaido in November, many 2 year olds colts and fillies will move to other racecourse in every part of Japan. Night races are conducted at three racecourses in Japan. Night races were first conducted in Japan at Ohi Racecourse in 1986, after which they began at Asahikawa Racecourse in 1994, and at Kawasaki Racecourse in 1995. With groups of men and women seen taking in the races on their way home from work, horse racing enjoys the support and appreciation of people of all ages. Types of races Flat races consist of those by Thoroughbred and those by Anglo-Arab horses. There are many races, included listed dirt races, with high prize money conducted at various racecourses, which attract a lot of attention. In addition to flat races there are unique draft races, called Ban-ei races, which are held only in Hokkaido region. These races, which are only conducted at four racecourses in Hokkaido, are run by such heavy horses as the sturdy Perusherons, Bretons and Belgians, which pull a slighted weighing from about half a ton to one ton, along a 200-meter separated straight track with two humps. The dynamic Ban-ei races, which enjoy a large following originated as a popular game among local people in horse-breeding areas in Hokkaido and Tohoku.