It’s once again the time of year for the Japan Cup, one of the most prestigious horse races in the world, and certainly the race on the horse racing calendar here in Japan that jumps off the page as one of the year’s biggest events.

While it’s been a very tough time for the industry worldwide, Japan has managed to stage most of its racing since the beginning of the year (albeit with no spectators for the most part), and thanks to online sales, turnover hasn’t fallen drastically to levels where racing would have to reinvent itself in a totally different way. JRA President and CEO Masayuki Goto has been fully aware of the situation.

“Since February, racing has had to be held without spectators, but thanks to the understanding and cooperation of racing fans and the people involved in the thoroughbred industry, we have been able to keep the races,” the top official said recently. “This year marks the 40th running of the Japan Cup. The overseas runner Way To Paris is taking part in the race, and we wish him all the best against some of our top horses here in Japan. I sincerely hope everyone can enjoy this year’s Japan Cup, in spite of it being a difficult year,” he added.