Why join Godolphin in Japan?

Racing conducted in Japan by the JRA (Japan Racing Association) is the envy of the world with huge crowds in attendance and the world’s best prize money. Godolphin is proud to be a registered owner in Japan and to compete against some of the world’s best racehorses. Typically, Godolphin horses win between 80 and 100 JRA races per year.

An introduction to the JRA is available here. 

Godolphin Japan operates breeding and pre-training farms in the Hidaka area of the island of Hokkaido and on the main island of Honshu. Our horses compete primarily on the elite and lucrative JRA circuit, with races held every weekend all year round.

Our main breeding farm is in Hokkaido with 1,300 acres of land. It also has a fully equipped modern forge. We have 130 mares producing around 100 foals every year and 100 yearlings, with an additional 20-30 imported yearlings. There is also a layup yard to stable around 30 horses who are returning from injury. Our 10 stallions are located in the nearby stallion complex with around 1,000 mares visiting our stallions each year.

Darley’s official website can be found here. 

Our flagship pre-training facility is Castle Park which is about 15 minutes by car from the breeding farm. Facilities include 96 boxes in four barns, a covered 550-metre oval ride, a 1,600-metre outdoor sand track and a 1,400-metre covered uphill ride (where most horses work). Typically, 90 horses are in ridden exercise every day spread over five lots.

A virtual tour of our Hokkaido facilities can be viewed here.

Additionally, we have two satellite facilities on Japan’s main island of Honshu. These are close to the JRA training centres and have about 40 boxes each. The winters in Honshu are much milder than in Hokkaido, but the summers can get hot and humid.

Discover the world of Godolphin Japan

Incorporating our breeding and stallion operations, Godolphin Japan employs a global team of approximately 150 professionals, with around 50 hailing from diverse international backgrounds. Our workforce includes individuals from India, Spanish-speaking South America, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Italy, Afghanistan, Portugal, Australia, Wales, and Ireland. We take great pride in this cultural richness. Although the majority of our team members are Japanese, English is commonly spoken throughout the organisation. We actively support our international staff in their journey to learn Japanese by providing after-hours language instruction.

We also have a training programme for young people, mostly Japanese school graduates, and we expect all senior staff to help and encourage the development of younger staff.

Basic package 

Salary will be commensurate with experience and duties and will be discussed in the interview. However, we generally provide this package to all foreign staff:

• 2-4 weeks paid holiday (depending on service term)

• An annual flight allowance (equivalent to one return flight from/to home country)

• Enrolment in the Japanese Health Insurance scheme (Shakai hoken)

• Enrolment in our company life Insurance scheme

• Accommodation with basic furnishings

• Utilities allowance (electricity, gas, water)

• Uniform

• Hot midday meal

• Access to a company-owned vehicle (for international licence holders)