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is a form of horse racing, unique to the Tokachi area of Hokkaido, Japan. Powerfully built horses compete by pulling heavily weighted sleds up sand ramps while being urged on by jockeys sitting on top of the sleds. The horses used in the races are crosses of Percheron, Breton, and Belgian breeds. Formerly held in a number of places, ban'ei races are now only held at the Obihiro Racecourse. The popularity of the races has waned in recent years〔() Racing Statistics 2005-2014 (Racing by Local Governments)〕 and the Obihiro racecourse nearly closed before Softbank, a Japanese mobile phone company known for its tie-up with Apple and the iPhone, provided funds for the races to continue. Former racehorses are usually sold for meat rather than put out to pasture until old age.〔(New York Times article on Ban'ei racing published 25 December 2006, accessed 24 October 2011 )〕 == History == Ban’ei has its probable origin in agricultural work, when horses were used to cultivate crops and pull sleds of wood. Eventually, the horses were tested for speed in festivals of the late Meiji Era. The popularity of ban’ei grew, and in 1953, Hokkaido’s four cities (Kitami, Asahikawa, Iwamizawa, and Obihiro) began to manage ban’ei. They ran the races until three of them closed operations in 2007 due to declining revenues. Obihiro racecourse is the only one currently active and it has racing almost every Saturday, Sunday, Monday. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ban'ei」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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