All the staples for any race day were there but this year's Japan Trophy looked different. Photo / Luke Kirkness
All the staples for any race day were there but this year's Japan Trophy looked different. Photo / Luke Kirkness
Raceday for the Japan Trophy at Tauranga Racecourse over the weekend was like any other in many ways, except it wasn't.
There were high heels and jandals, flat caps and wide brims, suits and dresses, horses and jockeys, owners and budding punters - some sad, others celebrating.
And while allthe staples for any race day were there on Saturday afternoon, there was a notable absence compared with previous years.
Due to Covid-19, representatives from the Japan Racing Association weren't able to travel to Tauranga to present the race winner the Ultimate Mazda Japan Trophy.
Instead, the trophy has been sent from Japan in 2020 and 2021, with Packing Rockstar, trained by Lauren Brennan and ridden by Leith Innes, winning this year's race.
Tauranga Intermediate Te Whānau o Te Maro Hauhake welcomed Ito and the other guests to the racing with a rousing pōwhiri.
Ōtūmoetai College student Millie Beech, 13, performed the New Zealand and Japan national anthems.
The seed for the trophy was sown when former Bay of Plenty Racing Club president Bob Silson travelled to Japan in 1966.
The main focus of the trip was to explore the possibilities of meat exports to Japan, however, a secondary mission was to investigate the computerised totalisator system.
The Japanese tote system never got off the ground in New Zealand but a strong relationship was forged between the two countries' racing fraternities, and the Japan/New Zealand trophy was born.
Later discussions with the Japan Racing Association resulted in an inaugural reciprocal race at Nakayama racecourse.
The New Zealand Trophy race is held at Nakayama Racecourse in April each year.
