JRA announces development of a nationwide dirt race system

The Japan Racing Association, every local racing operator that stages flat racing, and the National Association of Racing (NAR) held a joint press conference in Tokyo on November 28, 2022 to announce a restructuring of the country's dirt racing system under the banner "nationwide development of the dirt racing system"¹. The plan sets out a new race calendar and a long-term goal of converting all dirt graded races into international races, with 2033 named as the target date¹.

The immediate changes concern the three-year-old dirt Triple Crown. The final leg, run in October, will be renamed the Japan Dirt Classic (JDC), replacing the Japan Dirt Derby that had been run in July through 2023¹. Three southern Kanto races will be opened to JRA-trained horses and become dirt graded races: the Bluebird Cup at Funabashi in January, the Kumotori Sho in February and the Keihin Hai at Oi in March¹. The JRA's Unicorn Stakes, currently run in June, becomes a step to the Tokyo Derby and is expected to be moved earlier¹. The autumn step to the JDC will be the Leopard Stakes, a JRA Grade 3 in August, and the Iwate tradition Kitakami Sho in September, which becomes JpnII¹.

Older-horse routes are also being rearranged.

The NAR's TAKASHI AIKAWA described the aim as clarifying the top race in each category¹. The Iwate Racing Association's general manager, SUZUKI MASARU, said the Derby Grand Prix, the final leg of the autumn three-year-old championship, will end next year following the Kitakami Sho's change to JpnII¹. Hyogo's operations chief, INABA OSAMU, said the Kusu Sho is under consideration and that the prefecture's Triple Crown races are also being reviewed¹.

The Jpn grade exists because races that have not passed international grading review are labeled JpnI, JpnII or JpnIII, taken from the word Japan². As of 2023 there were 9 JpnI, 11 JpnII and 19 JpnIII races, and the label applies only to dirt races at local tracks². Nationwide unified grading and the dirt grade name date to 1997². Japan was promoted to Part I status, the top tier that requires a country's racing to be open to foreign runners, in 2007².

What it means for players

The changes affect which races carry which label on a racecard, and that is what bettors see when they read form. A race listed as JpnI today may be listed as an international Grade 1 later, and the phase-out of the Jpn label from 2028 means the letters in front of a race name will change over several years rather than at once². The JDC replaces the Japan Dirt Derby, and several races move to different months and different tracks, so the calendar regulars know will not hold¹. The new system starts with two-year-old races in 2023 and with three-year-old and older-horse races in 2024¹. Japan's graded races are covered in our guide to race grades explained, and the wider picture of horse racing and betting in Asia sets out how pools and bet types work.

What happens next

The new system takes effect for two-year-old races in 2023 and for three-year-old and older-horse races in 2024¹. From 2028 the Jpn label is to be withdrawn in stages, with 2033 set as the target for all dirt graded races to be international races².

The Derby Grand Prix ends after 2023, and the Kusu Sho and Hyogo's Triple Crown races remain under review¹.