Sport of Kings: Horse racing in the UK and Japan
- 5 October 2023
- 6:00pm – 7:00pm
- Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, 13 / 14 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 4QP
- https://dajf.org.uk/event/sport-of-kings-horse-racing-in-the-uk-and-japan
- +44 (0)20 7486 4348
- events@dajf.org.uk
- Tweet
Horse racing is a beloved sport and industry in both the UK and Japan, involving entertainment, gambling, and highly-selective breeding, among other aspects. While both countries share a passion for racing, there are distinct differences that set their horseracing scenes apart. Horse racing originated in England, and along with Wimbledon (tennis), The Open (golf), and Henley Royal Regatta (rowing), Royal Ascot is one of the highlights of the British sporting summer and a major social event. In Japan, by contrast, horse racing has succeeded as an industry by taking care of fans and pursuing improved pedigree, and is nowadays recognized as the largest betting operator in the world, and one of the most popular forms of sport and entertainment.
In this talk, Dr Kanichi Kusano will discuss the history of the horse racing industry up to the present day, drawing a comparison between British “traditional” racing and Japanese “fans and breeding-centric” racing. He will also touch on the challenging issues that racing is currently confronting, offering insights from veterinary perspective.
About the contributors
Kanichi Kusano
Kanichi Kusano has been General Manager of the Japan Racing Association’s London representative office since 2022. After graduating from Nihon University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in 1997 and qualifying as a veterinary surgeon, he joined the Japan Racing Association. His expertise is as a specialist vet dealing with racing-related issues (doping control, prevention of accidents, horse welfare and prevention of infectious disease) and clinical care (primary and secondary treatments including orthopaedic, acute abdominal and respiratory treatments). He gained a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Tokyo in 2009, a licence to practice veterinary medicine in Hong Kong in 2011, recognition as an authorised veterinarian by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports in 2017, and recognition as an authorised clinical veterinarian by the Japanese Society of Equine Science in 2019. He has served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Tokyo’s School of Agricultural and Life Sciences and at the Veterinary Department of Nihon University’s College of Bioresource Sciences, Vice-Chairman of the International Group of Specialist Regulatory Veterinarians, and a member of the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities’ Advisory Council on Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices.
