Ban'ei (輓曳 or ばんえい^?) is a form of horse racing, unique to the Tokachi area of Hokkaido, Japan. Powerfully-built horses compete by pulling heavily-weighted sleds up sand ramps while being urged on by jockeys sitting on top of the sleds.

The horses used in the races are Percheron, Breton, and Belgian breeds.

Formerly held in a number of places, ban'ei races are now only held at the Obihiro Racecourse. The popularity of the races has waned in recent years and the Obihiro racecourse nearly closed before Softbank, a Japanese mobile phone company known for its tie-up with Apple and the iPhone, provided funds for the races to continue. Former racehorses are usually sold for meat rather than put out to pasture until old age.

Ban’ei has its probable origin in agricultural work, when horses were used to cultivate crops and pull sleds of wood. Eventually, the horses were tested for speed in festivals of the late Meiji Era.

The popularity of ban’ei grew, and in 1953, Hokkaido’s four cities (Kitami, Asahikawa, Iwamizawa, and Obihiro) began to manage ban’ei. They ran the races until three of them gave up in 2007 for due to declining revenues. Obihiro racecourse is the only one currently active.

Ban may refer to: