OBIHIRO, Japan — Speed is not 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 favorite.

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

The Banei Keiba races are held in Obihiro, a city in northern Japan's Hokkaido, where spectators cheer on the muscular workhorses moving at the pace of a brisk human walk.

Eight equine competitors kicked up dust during a recent afternoon as they powered over the first of two mounds on the 200-meter track.

But they soon began to halt, taking the first of several breaks to catch their breath, which billowed in the winter air.

The slow progress "builds a little bit of suspense", 24-year-old Australian tourist Esther McCourt told Agence France-Presse, marveling at the size of the horses.

"No matter how good people or horses look in the beginning, the crucial part is the last 50 meters, so it can change at any time," she said.

The popularity of Banei Keiba had dwindled until renewed marketing efforts coincided with a surge of interest during the pandemic, when people began to watch the races and place bets online.

Those casual gamblers along with dedicated fans have boosted the event's annual sales to $370 million — a fivefold increase from their low point in 2011.

Banei Keiba developed when Japanese settlers migrated to Hokkaido, a sparsely populated island with long, bitter winters.

They relied on horses known as banba to clear fields, transport goods and operate mines, and would pit them against each other in tug-of-war games and other contests at festivals.

Banba are twice as heavy as racing thoroughbreds, and the sleighs they tug weigh more than 600 kilograms.

Three other cities in the region used to host similar races, but they all stopped under mountains of debt in 2006. The long-stagnant Japanese economy had hit Banei Keiba hard, and the regular punters who kept it going were getting older.

Obihiro Racecourse, now the tradition's sole custodian, made efforts to attract more young families and tourists by cleaning up the facility and making it smoke-free.

Now there are about 750 horses taking part in the races, kept by 28 trainers, 150 caretakers and 21 jockeys.

Agencies Via Xinhua