Data-driven fans fuel growth without displacing the sport’s social roots
Seina Imamura (No. 16) wins the Japanese Oaks race at Tokyo Racecourse on May 24, becoming the first female jockey to do so. Even as technology fuels a boom in Japanese horse racing, the communal spirit of the country’s racecourses endures, the author writes. © JRA/Kyodo
KAORI SHOJI
August 15, 2026 07:32 JST
In this Year of the Horse, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, Japan’s long-running horse racing boom seems especially fitting. The sport has enjoyed a string of headline-grabbing moments in recent months, from legendary Japanese jockey Yutaka Take marking his 40th year in the saddle, to 22-year-old Seina Imamura becoming the first female jockey to win the prestigious Yushun Himba race (also known as the Japanese Oaks). Veteran Keita Tosaki also scored two consecutive major victories at Oi Racecourse in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district.