April 20, 2019
by Anzu Yoshida, Nanako Yoshino and Yuki Yamakawa
The Kyoto Horse Racetrack is a popular place to visit in Kyoto, especially for people who like horses and gambling. It is located in the south part of Kyoto, near Yodo station on the Keihan railway line. To enter the grounds, it only costs 200 yen. Races are generally held on the weekends.
The racetrack can seat more than 4,000 people. Some seats are reserved, so they cost more. But most of the seats are free. However, if it is a popular G1 race, it will be filled from the morning. Some of the big horse racing fans board the first train of the day to snatch the best seats, which gives them a clear view of the starting gate or finish line. When they go inside to buy betting tickets, they put a newspaper on their seat to save it. And as some of the stands are covered, visitors can stay dry when the weather is bad.
You can see the paddock out in front of the main stands, on the side opposite of the track. Horses go there before each race and circle around to show their conditions to the crowd. Many fans take pictures of them, and some cheer for their favorite horse and jockey. At the paddock, you can get up really close to horses, so you can feel their strength and size. Kids especially have fun seeing the horses at the paddock. But it is best to be quiet when horses are walking. Big voices would surprise them.
Kyoto Horse Racetrack has both turf and grass courses. One of the turf courses has a slope at the third corner, which is quite unique. Horses have to go up more than 3 meters. And when they run down the hill, they accelerate, so you can see a high-speed homestretch finish. It is exciting!
Many popular races are held at the Kyoto Horse Racetrack, such as the Kikkasho and the Shukasho, the Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ Cup (which is the final race of the Japanese Triple Crown), and the Tennosho, which has a long history. For those races, the racetrack is packed with fans. It is standing room only.
Ticket vending machines are put inside the building. There are many machines, so placing a bet is no problem. It can be done quickly. Also, there are lots of fans milling around the machines, trying to predict horse racing around there.
The Kyoto Horse Racetrack has many facilities other than just a race track for horses. For example, there is an auditorium where visitors can enjoy an interview with either Jockeys or someone else who is famous. And for children, there is a large playground with big equipment and a horse-riding path.
In addition, there are food court and restaurants within the main building. In the food court, you can buy something to eat very quickly, like fried noodles, fried chicken, ramen, etc.
Most of the customers are in a hurry because they want to see the next race, and sometimes the line is long, so food must be served as quickly as possible.
How the Kyoto Horse Racetrack Gets Customers
The Kyoto Horse Racetrack holds numerous events every month. They invite popular guests to promote races. It tries to get people who have never been to a horse race interested in horse racing.
For example, when a very popular male visits the track, the racetrack tries to use him to attract female visitors. Most visitors to the track are men, and even though women are coming, ticket sales weren’t growing as expected. This is probably because the women were not coming to bet. We think the JRA (Japan Racing Association) should aim to attract more male visitors by inviting guests that are popular with men.
For kids, they have a hero show. It is aimed at families with children. As described above, there is a playground, so families can all enjoy a trip to the horse races. There is something for family members of all ages.
On some race days, they offer food events, too. They invite popular restaurants from all over Japan, so people who love food will come. For example, one of the races is called the Ramen Derby. So people who love ramen will come to the track, not only to watch the race, but also to eat a delicious bowl of ramen.
Special events like these help attract visitors to the racetrack, and for this reason, visitors are increasing. However, this is not connected to the sales of betting. Therefore, the JRA must find ways to entice people to bet on the races in order to grow their sales.
The Betting Rules of Horse Racing
There are many chances to get a lot of money in horse racing all at once. Having a big win is a dream for many bettors. But how do you go about placing a bet? Well, first you need to get a betting ticket. The payout changes depending on how much you pay and what the odds are on the horse at the time you place the bet. You can place bets as low as 100 yen, which is equivalent to about one U.S. dollar.
There are a lot of ways of betting, for example, win, exacta, quinella, tierce, trio, and so on. Betting to win is the simplest way. We recommend it for beginners. In this way, you chose a horse that you think will be the fastest. If the horse crosses the finish line first, you can win money. Next, the exacta is more difficult than a bet to win. In this way, you need to choose two horses that you think will be the fastest. In addition, you need to guess what place you think the two horses will come in. If your guess is right, you win. And in quinella, you don’t have to guess their order of finish; just chose two fastest horses. Tierce is very similar to exacta. In this way you have to choose three horses and guess the rank 1st, 2nd and 3rd. If your guess of the 3 horses and rank is right, you win. And Trio is very similar to quinella. You have to choose three fastest horses instead of two fastest horses. Other rules are the same as those of quinella.
These are just a few examples. There are actually a lot of other ways to place bets. You should enjoy your favorite way. The more complicated and difficult the bet is, the rewards will be bigger. After you get your betting ticket, all you have to do next is just enjoy the race. Running horses are very cool. It is a lot of fun to watch them. And if you win the race, just follow the rules and go collect your money. Horse racing is big dream, but it is not good do it too much. Bet responsibly.
The Paddock
You can see the paddock out in front of the main stands, on the side opposite of the track. Horses go there before each race and circle around to show their conditions to the crowd. Many fans take pictures of them, and some cheer for their favorite horse and jockey. At the paddock, you can get up really close to horses, so you can feel their strength and size. Kids especially have fun seeing the horses at the paddock. But it is best to be quiet when horses are walking. Big voices would surprise them.
Conclusion
The Kyoto Horse Racetrack has a long history with many memorable races. Lots of horse racing fans go there to watch and bet on races. Recently, the track has enriched its facilities, so both children and adults can better enjoy being there. We think that once more people discover how much fun it is, the number of people who visit the track will increase in the near future.