Overhaul of regional dirt race system announced

Japan's central and regional racing bodies announced in November 2022 that they will overhaul the country's dirt race system across 2023 and 2024, with a three-year-old dirt triple crown at its center. The four parties involved were the Japan Racing Association (JRA), the National Association of Racing (NAR), the national council of public racing organizers and the regional racecourse operators¹.

The program is called "All-Japan dirt race system development" and rests on three pillars: building a system centered on a three-year-old dirt triple crown, developing two and three-year-old dirt sprint routes, and a comprehensive review of existing dirt graded races¹. Two-year-old races change from 2023, while the three-year-old and older-horse stakes reforms take effect the following year, in 2024¹. The stated aim is to develop Japanese racing with turf and dirt as two wheels, with regional racing taking the lead on the dirt system¹.

The triple crown itself starts in 2024 at Ohi, and a horse that wins all three races earns a bonus of 80 million yen¹. The Japan Dirt Derby is renamed the Japan Dirt Classic and moves to October¹. The reform also changes who can enter. From races held in April 2024 onward, regional horses wanting to run in dirt graded races other than the Tokyo Daishoten must go through a runner selection committee, a requirement that previously applied only to central horses and to the Tokyo Daishoten¹.

Longer term, regional racing aims to phase out the "Jpn" label from 2028 and make all dirt graded races international races¹. Grading currently runs GI to GIII for races with international grading and JpnI to JpnIII for those without¹. The bodies have said the goal is to raise the international standing of Japanese dirt racing and to dispel the long-held assumption among fans that regional racing ranks below central racing¹.

What it means for players

The reform changes the shape of the dirt calendar that bettors in Japan follow, most visibly at the top level for three-year-olds. A new triple crown series at Ohi gives the 2024 three-year-old dirt season a defined climax, and the renamed Japan Dirt Classic moves to October, shifting where that race sits in the year¹.

Entry rules also change, which affects how fields are built. From April 2024, regional horses need to clear a selection committee to enter dirt graded races other than the Tokyo Daishoten, so the make-up of some fields may differ from previous years¹. The stated direction of travel is toward international grading for all dirt graded races, phased from 2028, which would change how races are labeled on racecards and in form¹.

What happens next

Two-year-old dirt races change from 2023. The three-year-old and older-horse stakes reforms, including the triple crown and the renamed Japan Dirt Classic, take effect in 2024¹. The phase-out of the "Jpn" label is targeted to begin in 2028¹. No further dates for individual races beyond those have been reported.

For background on how the two racing authorities differ, see JRA vs NAR Local Racing, and for the wider picture of the sport in the region, Horse Racing and Betting in Asia.