NAKAYAMA RACE TRACK
The latest Dunhill brochure just dropped into the letterbox, with a feature on Sam Waley-Cohen - the English amateur jump jockey who has shown that he can mix life as a businessman (he owns a chain of dental establishments) and a top horseman. Indeed, he's won all sorts of major races in National Hunt meetings, often riding his father's horses.

But as we pass the 2500 visitor mark for the blog, the figure being pushed along nicely by a strong Russian contingent within the last few hours, today we'll talk about my local JRA track, as opposed to the closest NAR one, and that happens to be Nakayama, which is also situated in Funabashi City, Chiba. In fact, the Funabashi NAR facility and Nakayama JRA one are situated only about four miles (6km) away from each other.

Unlike Funabashi, though, where dirt is the only option, the main attraction at Nakayama is the pair of turf courses, augmented by a dirt course, and one of the most demanding steeplechase courses in the country. The turf track closest to the grandstands is notorious for its long rise from the final bend to the finishing line - a true test of a horse's stamina, as well as the jockey's skill in timing the sprint for the line.

Looking back, we can trace the history of Nakayama back to 1907, with the foundation of the Matsudo Keiba Club. However, this was taken over as a military training school, and a new track was duly built closer to the sea. Unfortunately, the huge earthquake and ensuing tsunami of 1923 wiped it out just as the finishing touches were being applied. The project was revived, though, albeit at Nakayama this time, and the first races were held at the new course in 1928.

With the clouds of war darkening the skies, Nakayama looked more like a vegetable patch than a racecourse in the mid-1940s, but racing resumed in 1947, and the JRA took over the administration of the track in 1954. New stands went up in the bubble era, helping give this beautifully-presented track a fresh image for its weekend visitors. It plays host to probably the biggest race of the year - the Arima Kinen, in which fans can choose the field.