The world's slowest horse race wins new fans in Japan with its 'suspense'

A Banei Keiba horse race at the Obihiro racecourse in Obihiro, Hokkaido Prefecture. — Photo: Philip Fong/AFP

Speed isn't everything at one racecourse in Japan, where the unpredictable stop-and-start drama of the world's slowest horse race has drawn new fans eager to bet on their sturdy favourite.

A fanfare plays, the gates flip open and they're off – but at a plod rather than a gallop, pulling heavy sleighs in a tradition that harks back more than a century.