Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2012

For almost as long as Japan has been open to the west, horseracing has existed in one form or another in Tokyo.

The first races in the capital were said held at a track on the site of the current Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park. Today, however, the only true course in the city proper is to be found in Shinagawa ward’s Ohi area, on the edge of Tokyo Bay.

The Tokyo City Keiba (TCK) track is said to have pioneered the so-called “Twinkle Race” phenomena, which sees mounts and their jockeys racing after dark and under floodlights—perfect for the working man or woman about town.

Races are held at the track for five or six days at a time, roughly every two to three weeks and usually start at around 2 or 3pm. The Twinkle Race is held once each meet, more often than not on a Wednesday.

This month on Aug 29 the “After Five Star Prize” will run at 8:15pm. The 2012 version of the race will be the 19th running with only one horse ever winning it twice—Hatano Adonis back in the early 2000s.

The opportunity to have something of a flutter is, of course, part of the attraction to racetracks the world over and TCK is no different. Anyone in for a bet has nine options to pick a winner, which can be confusing at first, so stick with the black and white “win” (and everything else is a loser) option to keep it simple. Bets start at ¥100.

There are other options for people looking for horses to “place” or “show” in local lingo equally simple to comprehend. Any and all gamblers looking to understand Japanese one-two-three finish options and more should check the English version link of the TCK website. When the belly starts rumbling at the track, head to the Diamond Turn restaurant in the main stand or, for a quick bite, the takoyaki man on site comes highly recommended.

Tokyo City Keiba, Aug 29. See sports listings for details. www.tokyocitykeiba.com