Cheongdam Dokki successfully defended his KRA Cup Classic crown at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon, taking victory on the 2000M Korean Group 2 event by two-and-a-half lengths and taking the first steps to putting defeat in the Billion Won Korea Cup International race last month firmly behind him.

Dolkong was a morning scratching, the Korea Cup runner-up having injured the frog of his hoof in a gallop this week. Although close to making the race, discretion proved the better part of valour and he was withdrawn as a precaution with the future in mind but that still left a high-quality field for Chongdam Dokki to defeat if he was to bounce back from the humbling he received when trying to match Japan’s London Town for pace in the Cup.

Defeat them he did. Sent off at long odds-on, Cheongdam Dokki led from the gate under jockey Lim Gi-won, who was restored to the mount, and looked a winner every step of the way. Triple Nine, racing for the first time since finishing 3^rd behind him in the Busan Mayor’s Cup three months ago, hit his top gear late to come home 2^nd while three-year-old US import Munhak Chief (by Pioneerof The Nile) scored a very promising 3^rd.

Champion mare Silver Wolf came home 4^th but there was no luck for two-time SBS Sports Sprint winner Doraonpogyeongseon, who ended up 6^th of the 8 on his first try at 2000M.