Do attendance falls suggest British jumping is losing popularity - or are racecourses to blame?

Japanese racing has enjoyed some marvellous days in recent years. Tuesday may well have been the best.

At a Longines-sponsored ceremony in London, Equinox was unsurprisingly named 2023's world champion racehorse, with the Japan Cup awarded the title of world's best race for the first time. Perhaps in a nod to the occasion's significance, Japan's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hajime Hayashi, was among those at The Savoy where he was joined by former UK home secretary Priti Patel and defence secretary Ben Wallace. Both will no doubt have been encouraged to generate interest from their fellow parliamentarians in the Westminster Hall affordability checks debate on February 26.

As racing fans, Patel and Wallace will presumably have been well aware that racing in Japan leads the way on numerous fronts. Not only did it have the best horse and race in 2023, it has a structure that is envied in many other major jurisdictions.