Comparing Horse Racing in Japan and U.S.

On my last day in Japan, I was happy to discover that Funabashi Race Track would be holding a series of horse races that day. Even better, the track was just a few stops from where I was staying, so I took my wife and child along with me. It was quite enjoyable, so upon our return to the States, we decided to visit Aqueduct, a track in Queens, as a way to get over jet lag. This post compares the two experiences.

Funabashi Race Track

As mentioned in the previous post, Funabashi is a large city in Chiba prefecture. Unlike Funabashi Arena, however, Funabashi Race Track (Funabashi Keibajo in Japanese) is relatively close to Funabashi station, taking just 7 minutes by train or about a half-hour to walk. From the train station on the Keisei Line, it is just 5 minutes to the main entrance.



Funabashi must dub itself the Bay City, as that is the sign that welcomes you. Keiba means horse racing in Japanese.



It costs 100 yen to get in, and you have to buy a ticket in the automated machines to the right of the gate. Heart Beat Nighter is the brand name of the night races.



Hand your ticket to the ladies at the gates. So there is no hard stub, you either need to buy two tickets and retain one, or keep one of your losing bets if you want a souvenir. Note that some gamblers don't even bother entering as you can make bets in the machines outside the gates.



The track used to hold motorcycle races and there is a small display commemorating that fact.



Walk through the narrow building to get to the track. There are upper levels with seats, but most fans just remain standing close to the track.



The paddock is actually before the main building and is where the horses are shown before the next race. This is where you get a chance to see which horses are maybe a bit skittish, or whatever other signs that help you bet.



This is a view of the paddock from the upper level. All horses are led around the small track for at least 10 minutes and most bettors will watch for a portion of that time before making their decision.



Once the horses are taken to the track, you make your bet at the machines and then head to the track. You can get some good pictures as the horses come down the stretch.



If you have a good camera, you can get pics at the finish line too. I was lucky that my phone was properly focused for the shot below. That is a covered highway in the background.



Betting is straightforward if you speak and read Japanese, but a bit too complicated to explain in much detail here. All betting can be done via filling out a card and inserting it into a machine after putting in your cash first. You have to fill out the track name, race number, type of bet, and horse numbers. This link contains a PDF that explains the various types of bet. If you do go without a Japanese-speaking friend, you might be able to find someone to help you, but don't count on it.



Note the colours of the numbers above and how 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 are the same colour. These are used in a type of bet called Waku. If you bet Waku 5, you win if either horse 5 or 6 finishes as you predicted. Similarly Waku 6 (7-8), 7 (9-10), and 8 (11-12). In the first race, my wife liked horses 6 and 9, but I hedged and bet Waku 5-7 to finish in either order. The final was 9-6, so I won 230 yen on a 200 yen bet. Big money!



There is security here, but from what I can tell, it is mostly for show, as you can see above. I mean, how can he stop what he cannot see?



As there is no Thanksgiving in Japan, Christmas season starts in November and the track already had their lighted fake Christmas trees on display. A more pleasing touch is the pretty lady who guides the horses to the gate and poses for photos beforehand.



The crowd here was quite mixed, with families and young people interspersed with the old guys who make a living on the horses. The venue is very clean, as you would expect in Japan, and very well organized. From the paddock to the betting to the race to collecting on your bets, each race takes about 30 minutes with no waiting in between, so the afternoon goes quite quickly. There are a number of tracks all around Japan, including one in Ooi in Tokyo. Note that Funabashi and Ooi are not Japan Racing Association (JRA) racecourses; rather they are labeled as "local". There is an official JRA course in Nakayama, which is close by, making Funabashi the only city in Japan with two horse tracks within its city limits. So if you are visiting Tokyo and want to try your hand at betting on the horses, you have several choices at which to enjoy yourself.

Aqueduct

We went to Funabashi on Monday afternoon, flew back to NYC on Tuesday, and after a day relaxing, we headed out to Aqueduct to spend a few hours outside in an attempt to get over jet lag. The track is about 30 minutes by taxi from where we live, and is located right next to Resorts World, the only casino in NYC. It is also accessible by bus and has a dedicated subway stop on the A line.



From the outside, the track looks quite nice, with a very cool painting on one side.



There are also some jockey statues commemorating past stakes races. In the background you can see the bridge that connects the subway station to the casino.



Admission is free, but once inside, things quickly deteriorate. We had brought a stroller, but the only elevator was not working, so we used the rickety escalator. On the main floor you will find dozens of TV screens, most of which are tuned to different racetracks around the country. You can bet on any race here, and many bettors are actually following the races at different tracks. The racing forms are on sale near the top of the escalator, and a guide on how to interpret them is on a wall.



There are machines for betting but you seem to need an account to use them. For those without such membership, there are plenty of windows accepting bets as well. There are some nice displays above the betting windows featuring jockey silks and the like, but the overall condition of the room is rather rundown. Most of the money goes to keeping up the casino, which makes sense.



The paddock is visible from inside, but it is below ground level and in the shade, so you don't get the best look at the horses. As well, there are two small tracks inside the paddock; one is used for horses 1-6, the other for horses 7-12. If you want a close look at all the racers, you need to move from one side to the other. Most bettors were focused on races at other tracks, so the paddock area was usually empty.



Outside, there are some benches but most are taken up by smokers, so this is not a pleasant place to sit or stand. There are box seats upstairs, but few patrons seem to make use of them. There is also a club up here, but I did not bother to check it out.



On the far side of the paddock is a lot of open space behind the casino, and we spent most of the time here. There were no smokers around and you had your run of the place.



This is also the best place to take pictures, though you are a bit far away. The spot right in front of the finish line is not open to the public, so this is the best you can get.



There are three primary differences that made the Japanese experience more enjoyable. First, the crowd is much more diverse there; at Aqueduct it was all older men who do this for a living and not really a good place for kids. We certainly got our share of stares here. Second, it was much easier to bet in Japan using the forms; at Aqueduct you really needed to know what you were doing as soon as you went to the window. Third, the overall facility is better maintained in Japan; most bettors threw their losing tickets into the garbage bin while at Aqueduct, they just tossed them on the floor.

With that said, I enjoyed both visits, but found the experience in Japan more suited to bringing my family, while in America, it is geared toward hard-core enthusiasts. Of course, visiting just a single track one time is not nearly enough to form a meaningful opinion about the merits of attending horse racing in the entire country; I am sure other tracks are a different experience.

Best,

Sean