before being ushered to climb the second. A horse has not finished until the entire sled is behind finish line. After the race completes, racehorses are freed from the sleds and led to the back yard, while the sleds are returned to the starting gate with the aid of a trolley. The amount of weight a horse must pull is determined by several factors, with younger horses and mares pulling less than older horses and stallions. A horse's group and rating—which further determines the required weight—depends upon the amount of money the horse has previously earned. Horses compete in groups labeled 1–26, and groups are rated with Open, A1, A2, B1, B2, B3, B4, C1, C2 or D (in order of decreasing winnings). This is like system used in Japanese thoroughbred racing. The weight allowance of jockeys is either , based on the number of wins. Because ban'ei racing is about strength and not speed, the winning time of major races is often slower than lower-class races, where even a small overtime can have a horse disqualified. With suitable ground conditions, horses pulling lightly loaded sleds can clock speeds under 50 seconds. The condition of the track is described using measured-moisture percentage. The track is repaired manually during or between races. Watering is used to prevent excess dust from irritating horses and people. Heating systems allow racing during the winter months. Horses Horses in ban'ei are often either purebred or crossbred variations of Belgian, Breton, or Percheron draft horses. Their weight can surpass one ton, twice the weight of a thoroughbred. Stock Potential stock is chosen from draft horses raised for meat. Most ban'ei horses start official racing as two-year-olds after passing inspection held between April and August. Regional races ("ban'ei koshien") with finals for yearlings are held in October. Horses that do not pass inspection are either sent back to a breeder as they can be used in events or tourism, or to feedlot. Competing horses are mainly solid-coloured, but there have also been pinto ban'ei horses and two dominant whites. Former racehorses not eligible for breeding are usually sold for meat. At the close of every fiscal year during the end of March, prolific retiring racehorses are honoured at their own ceremony. The National Association of Racing (NAR) annually awards the best horse. Japanese draft horse The Japanese draft horse is a breed with open studbook created by