What’s JRA?

What’s JRA?

  Hello! 3 weeks have passed since beginning of 2013, large prize which is special featured race in horse racing have been started. Because of snow, race was going to hold in January 14^th is canceled. So, in January 21^st, substitute race was held. Horse racing tends to be affected by bad weather. Therefore, in January 19^th ~ 21^st, four large prize races were held!! Last weekend was really exciting!

Last time, I tell you about jockey and horses. However to hold horse racing, “JRA” is need. This time I tell you about JRA.

What’s JRA? JRA is Japan Racing Association. It is semi-governmental corporation. It has been started since 1954 along with making rows of horse racing, and it is supervised by the Minister of Agriculture. Its important idea is holding fare horse racing with this regulation.

JRA have all horse race tracks and “WINS”, and many facilities. You may not hear “WINS”. It is place where we can buy betting ticket and watch horse race. Many facilities are training center and school of horse racing, and facilities of introducing horse racing. In addition, JRA offer many service for example talk show or redeyes day and so on.

In JRA homepage (http://www.jra.go.jp) , history of JRA is introduced. The number of holding horse race has been increasing year by year. In 1954, the number of holding horse race is 2120, but last year, the number of this is 3453! Over 1000 races were increased. The number of spectators of race track is also increasing comparing with 2012, but after 1973, it is decreasing year by year. There are two boom of horse racing. The first was started in1973. The number of it is 15 million, and it is the most large number of spectators since 1954. Next boom was started in 1980s to 1990s. the number of it is about 14 billion, and in 2012, the number of it is 6 billion! It is half number in 1996. JRA try to increase number of spectator hard. There is the strong and famous horse in center of boom, for example, “deep impact” and “Haiseiko” and so on. We are excited the strongest and fastest horses. As a result of affected by these boom, many video game was created and cartoon, and movie! It happened a social phenomenon, so these boom of horse racing is very large and now population of horse racing is fall. I am a little sad.

As described above, JRA is semi-governmental corporation, so it is one of the governments of japan. Therefore they pay payment to the state coffers over 10% of proceeds. So JRA and horse racing of Japan is play a role of economy of Japan and government of Japan.

This time I introduced JRA which is important for horse racing. Next I want to tell you famous retired horses. There are many historic horses. For example, “deep impact” and “Haiseiko” which are center of the boom of horse racing and so on is famous. Thank you!