Satsuki Sho 2016

[Hoops McCann]

I didn't see an international subforum so posting this here in case anyone is interested. Sunday Silence is my all time favorite racehorse which has lead me to follow racing in Japan. The Satsuki Sho is the first jewel of the JRA's triple crown and this year's edition looks outstanding.

Here's a preview: http://japanracingblog.com/2016/04/11/satsuki/

A couple videos of the leading contenders:

Satono Diamond (my pick) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1wj24W18q4

Makahiki (number 11) and Leontes (number 12) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGTK85E8Cgw&index=4&list=PLqSBh7xxMqqqIBkpLljI_xTtFoWrX1eiE

TVG will be showing it late Saturday night. Set your DVR ;)

[Hoops McCann]

Dee Majesty pulls off the 30/1 upset. Breaks stakes record running the 2000m in 1:57.9. Makahiki 2nd and Satono Diamond 3rd.

Deep Impact sires the trifecta :)

English speaking replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXyF0PbCyY4

[thespaah]

Dee Majesty pulls off the 30/1 upset. Breaks stakes record running the 2000m in 1:57.9. Makahiki 2nd and Satono Diamond 3rd.

Deep Impact sires the trifecta :)

English speaking replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXyF0PbCyY4
Holy crap the Japanese cram a lot of dough through the windows.
Attendance 51,284
2000 Guineas handle ¥18,646,312,700 or $171 million USD( 109 JPY per dollar)
Days handle on track:¥27,810,166,000 or $255 million USD....
Now that handle is nearly 5 times the typical Ky Derby Day all sources handle and twice the typical Breeders Cup all sources handle.
and this is not even JRA's biggest day of racing...
So what the hell are WE doing wrong?
http://japanracing.jp/_news2016/160417.html

[VigorsTheGrey]

From the little I have seen on TV of Japanese racing it is impressive!

A real national obsession, people dressed up, an air of care and superior training facilities, Hong Hong has some real plusses from what I gather also. As our sport evolves, there needs to be a real dialogue about how to move forward with racing to bring the appeal back to the general population. More exposure to their venues and methods would help. Seems like a larger percentage of their population loves the sport!!

[thespaah]

A few things.....Japan has about 280 racing dates nationwide. so it would seem every race day is something special. Like ya can't wait for it to get here. And the way the Japanese bet is unreal. Per capita wagering is over $3k US
Most of Japan's tracks run at night. I would imagine this allows more people to get to the track.....

[VigorsTheGrey]

I wonder how many tracks they have in Japan. Do they have states like in america? Wonder how the whole enterprise is put together and run? Never really put any effort into understanding the nuances between theirs and ours. I have heard they train on uphill runs on wood chips. There seems to be an air of pageantry to all of it with the trophy presentations hugely prestigious, like they are trying to copy British royalty or something along those lines.

[Hoops McCann]

Looks like they have 10 major racetracks there. The Japan Racing Association (JRA) is the governing body. I believe there are only 13 Grade I races each year which means you always have the top horses facing each other. Makes it easier to promote those big days :) .

[Hoops McCann]

ok, I just looked at the 2014 racing calendar and there were 21 grade I races. Still not very many considering those are spread out among all divisions.

[thespaah]

I still cannot fathom the numbers for handle.
They bet like on the next day wagering will become illegal.
I am guessing handle on JRA is from all over Japan and not just on track