JRA /NAR differences

[Horny Harry]

PRIORITIES AND ORGANIZATION
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The current role of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) and National Association of
Racing (NAR) - the two most important bodies in Japanese horse racing - was defined
by legislation passed in 1954 and 1962.
During these years of rapid expansion, it became clear that fairness and careful planning
were essential to continued growth. And these priorities have not changed.
The JRA is the semi-governmental corporation that administers and operates national
horse racing.
The NAR is also a semi-governmental corporation, with the responsibility of helping
local governments operate regional racing and race meetings. Under the auspices of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, both organizations are committed to
developing horse racing and the livestock industry in Japan, including the breeding of
racehorses and other livestock.
Their specific responsibilities include registering owners, colours and horses; licensing
trainers and jockeys, and approving the choice of stable employees.
The rules of the sport are enforced by the JRA and local governments respectively.
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MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
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JRA has 10 racecourses, 25 off-course betting offices(called WINS) and 22 telephone
betting facilities.
Sharing three of the JRA courses, 25 local governments operate 27 other racecourses
in 20 prefectures, and they also run pari-mutuel betting at 26 off-course facilities
as well as numbers of telephone betting systems for regional races.
While the JRA and NAR are most visible when they are directly involved in an event,
they are also contributing to facilities essential to long-term health of racing.
Prospective jockeys and stable employees are trained at the JRA Horseracing School
and NAR Jockey Training Institute.
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CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY
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Not only the industry but the general public benefits from horse racing and the roles played
by the JRA and NAR.
Among the JRA's funding priorities are the social welfare programmes of the National Racing
Welfare Foundation, which assists private charitable organizations and brings sport to the
mentally and physically handicapped.
Along with its focus on horse racing and steps to maintain the sport's integrity, the NAR
offers wide-ranging support to the livestock industry. Its subsides assist importing and caring
for breeding stallions and broodmares.
In addition has also been working with the JRA in funding a project that looks toward
a self-protective quarantine system for horses. In another initiative, the organization's
revenues are used to help jockeys and grooms under the auspices of the Racing Mutual Relief
Foundation.
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FINANCIAL UNDERPINNINGS
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The financial underpinnings of the JRA and NAR come from the portion of gross betting
receipts that legislation has allocated to the two organizations.
Ten percent of JRA betting receipts are turned over to the national treasury, as well as
half of the profits at the end of the year.
The law stipulates that three quarters of this contribution must go to livestock
improvement programmes, while the remaining quarter is for public or social welfare.
At the local level, 25% of total betting turnover is divided between the NAR (1.2%),
the Japan Financing Corporation for Mutual Enterprises (JFCME) (1.1%), and the local
governments (22.7%).
The NAR uses its proceeds to oversee races and sponsor industry programmes,
while the local governments allocate 21.6% of their share to defray the cost of conducting
races and retain 1.1% as profit.
Every year local governments hold nearly 25,000 races at more than 400 meetings lasting
a maximum of six days.
Events in smaller communities are scheduled for weekends for the most part, while those
in urban centers are held on weekdays to avoid any potential conflict with a JRA meeting.
The races are held year-round except in northern Japan, where the region's heavy snowfall
forces courses to close for the winter. With commuters stopping at the course on the way
home, night races - promoted as 'Twinkle Races' at Ohi Racecourse - often draw crowds of
40,000 in large cities.
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ALLOCATION OF PURSES
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In a purse/plate event, the prize is limited to the JRA's added money, while a stakes race
augments that sum with the special nomination fee paid by the owners.
The JRA's prize money is divided among the first five horses, and the owners' staked money
is split among the top three runners.
Substantial purses have heightened the profile of the sport recently. In a typical year,
thoroughbred flat races may have purses of more than 60 billion yen for JRA events and
well over 30 billion yen for local government races.
The sport also sees purses of nearly 4 billion yen for JRA steeplechases races and 1.5
billion yen for regional ban'ei-keiba (draught-horse races) events.

[imaufo]

April 22, 2003


Darley Japan Racing Co., Ltd.,( Azuma-cho, Hokkaido, and represented by Mr.Chikara Takahashi) has successfully applied to and been accepted by the National Association of Racing (NAR) as a corporate racehorse owner.
The application was accepted on Thursday March 13th.

Darley Japan Racing Co. Ltd. will begin its presence in Japanese horseracing from a foothold established at the NAR Funabashi Racecourse.

Japan horseracing is divided into two main jurisdictions, JRA operating 10 race courses in its cirquit and NAR representing racing operated by municipal governments.

JRA and NAR conduct race meetings independently, and owners, trainers, jockeys and stable hands revert to each organization. Crossover of horses reverting to each organization takes place in regulated race program.

Objectively speaking, there is a considerable difference between the two associations in the level of their racehorses. JRA has an edge over purse structure that attracts owners and horses with fashionable pedegree. Many of race organizers reverts to NAR are facing operational difficulties caused by long going economic depression in Japan.

However, the participation of Darley Japan Racing Co., Ltd. should be an exceptional boost to the level of racing under the NAR, where they are know in the thoroughbred industry world wide of their horses’s talent and breeding from cream of the crop.




The Japanese System of Horseowner Registration

The JRA and the NAR register ownership separately and registrations are divided into individual private owners and corporate horseowners.
Neither Association permits foreign nationals to be registered as individual horseowners, unless they have permanent residency in Japan. The same goes for corporate horseowners.

Neither Association permits registration if the representative or directors of the corporation are non-resident foreign nationals. Under JRA rules, moreover, the representative of the corporation must also hold the status of an individual horseowner. In the NAR, however, this is not necessarily the case.




Future Schedule

The JRA and the NAR register racehorses separately. Registration of a racehorse in both Associations is not permitted. There are, however, a number of "exchange races" in which NAR racehorses may take part in JRA racing and vice versa.
String of horses bred by renowned stallions such as Machiavellian, Singspiel, and Seeking The Gold, have reportedly been transferred to the Mombetsu Breeding Farm in Hokkaido.

No application for horse name registration has yet been submitted to the NAR. Nevertheless, these racehorses are due to debut in stages beginning this summer, emanating from the Yasushi Miyashita and Tadashi Kawashima stables.

A spokesperson for the Funabashi Racecourse welcomed the news greatly, saying that the acceptance of internationally high level of racehorses could serve to revive the NAR from its current depression.