Winning Beauty scored a length victory over Admiral Reigart in the feature race at Busan Race Park this afternoon. The Kim Eu Su ridden Admiral Reigart went off a slight favourite at 2.3 but gave four and a half kilos to Winning Beauty in the 1600 metre handicap. Winning Beauty was part of a treble for jockey Chae Kyu Jun who was successful in races 7, 8 and 9. Earlier, Danny Craven had marked the beginning of his stint at Busan with a creditable second place finish on outsider Widaehan Yeongung (55.2) in the day’s second most valuable race, two and a half lengths behind Dongjjogui Bit. Racing returns to Busan on Sunday.
Month: April 2008
Danny Craven to move to Busan
The KRA’s website is reporting that Australian jockey Danny Craven is set to move to Busan. Craven came to Seoul Race Park in November 2007 on a six month contract during which he has so far ridden five winners from 102 rides. His initial contract with the KRA finishes on May 14th and it is reported that he will relocate to South Gyeongsang province for a further three months which will keep him in Korea until the middle of August.
Weekend Racing Preview
The week’s racing gets underway at Busan Race Park on Friday afternoon where the first of the normal nine race card is underway at 13:00. There are also six races at Busan on Sunday.
The action at Seoul Race Park begins on both Saturday and Sunday at 11:20am with twleve races on Saturday and eleven on the Sunday. featire race of the weekend is at Seoul and is a KRW42 Million handicap on Sunday. The 2000 metre race 10 has attracted a number prominent handicappers with the weights headed by Secret Weapon (11 wins from 22) and Good Day (9 from 13).
There is also Saturday and Sunday racing at Jeju Race Park with nine races on each day, the first under orders at 12:20pm.
Park gets two day ban
Park Tae Jong has been handed a two day ban for his ride of Baekgwang in the Ttukseom Cup on Sunday. Park dropped his whip with 50 metres to go (wrongly attributed by me to him recognising Baekgwang’s injury) and this being his third offence recently, the ban was imposed. Meanwhile, Baekgwang will be out of action for at least a year.
Jockey’s Championship – Four each for the top two
Seoul Jockey’s Championship
Moon Se Young scored a treble on Saturday and Cho Kyoung Ho a treble on Sunday. Both jockeys added one more victory on the other day so there’s no change at the top of the table with Moon leading by ten. It was a winless weekend for Park Tae Jong who nevertheless, remains in third.
1. Moon Se Young 45
2. Cho Kyoung Ho 35
3. Park Tae Jong 20
4 = Shim Seung Tae; Choi Beom Hyun 12
Namchonuijijon takes Ttukseom Cup
The threatened rain never materialised and it was a gloriously sunny Spring day at Seoul Race Park and last year’s perpetual runner-up finally landed a big race today as Namchonuijijon swept to victory and the KRW 132Million first prize in the Ttukseom Cup. The Shin Hyoung Chul ridden four year old started the 1.9 favourite and held off the challenge of Baekgwang (5.1) in the final furlong to win by just over a length. Hongji (7.8 ) finished third. As he so often does, Neocheon made the running for most of the 1400 metre race and held it until the final furlong whenthe field came past. With a furlong to go, it looked as though Baekgwang, under Park Tae Jong was finishing the stronger, but Namchouijijon quickened and secured a comfortable win. Park Tae Jong had clearly decided that Baekgwang was not up for the sprint and this was confirmed afterwards as it was revealed that Baekgwang had not fully recovered from his previous injuries – it seems unlikely that Baekgwang will reappear on the racetrack.
In the day’s feature handicap, Top Point (3.3) scored a ten length victory over the similarly named Dashing Champ (10.5) and Nice Champ (5.8). Top Point was Cho Kyoung Ho’s third victory of the day having won earlier on Challanhanbit in race 8 and Triple Seven in race 1. Ikuyasu Kurakane scored a double with Moon Se Young having a poor day by his recent standards with just one win.
Down at Busan, the feature race was a KRW 42Million handicap won by Pilseung Bonghwa (6.6) over favourite King Maker (2.3) and outsider Balhwajeom (138.6.
Seoul Racing Review – Storm Feet, Geumsuni win
The warmest race day of the year so far saw a large turn-out at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. There were no outstanding races but a series of smaller competitive ones. The day’s most valuable was won by 2.5 second favourite Geumsuni ridden by Moon Se Young. The four year old scored a three length victory over 50.3 outsider Balgeunhae.
Another outsider, Powerful Runner, landed the day’s second biggest prize, the five year old getting the better of a strong field including Entro, Clever Star and odds-on favourite Seoul Teukgeup to win going away at 37.3 under Ji Ha Ju. There were no surprises in race 9, however, as the impressive Storm Feet made it three wins from four outings. With Moon Se Young riding, the grey comfortably defeated Devilish Speed by two and a half lengths. One impressive race record did fall today in race 8 as Shining Two, with three wins from three since making his racecourse debut in January, wasn’t able to make the huge step up in distance to 1700 metres, finishing ninth behind Mighty Galloper. Early on, in race 2, the promising Double Buckshot kept his 100% record intact, with a comfortable win.
Moon Se Young was once again the top jockey with three wins. Danny Craven had his 100th ride at Seoul this afternoon, but didn’t trouble the placings. With the waterfalls switched on for the first time this year and the cherry blossoms out in the middle of the track, couple with the recent fine weather, Seoul Race Park was able to attract many more non-race fans than usual. Tomorrow sees the Ttukseom Cup, the first really big race of the year at Seoul. Unfortunately the forecast at the moment is for rain. Racing gets underway at 11:20am.
Busan Racing Review
Crafty Louis edged out Dangdae Star by a neck to take Friday’s feature handicap at Busan Race Park. Ridden by Jo Chan Hoon, Crafty Louis went off the 2.7 favourite to land his second victory of 2008. Hwanggeumbit Taeya finished four lengths back in third and Florida Native fourth. Earlier, the three year old Yusu Yusu made it three wins from four races with a two length victory in Race 4. Racing returns to Busan on Sunday.
Seoul Racing Preview – Baekgwang is back
Ttukseom Cup weekend at Seoul Race Park
One of the real superstars of Korean horse racing returns to the track at Seoul Race Park on Sunday. The grey, Baekgwang will go in the KRW 132Million Ttukseom Cup in his first outing since last September. In 16 races, Baekgwang has never been unplaced, nine of those starts ending in wins with the highlight being a 2006 hat-trick in the DongA Ilbo Cup, Munhwa Ilbo Cup and Minister’s Cup. The Ttukseom Cup is raced over 1400 metres and Baekgwang will be dropping down to the distance for the first time since his DongA Ilbo victory in September 2006. Also lining up will be the dangerous Namchonuijijon, one of those who had the misfortune of being born in the same year as J.S. Hold but has been in imperious form so far in 2008 and Hongji, who beat Galsaem last time out. Old stagers Totoro, Neocheon, Sinheung Gangho and New Fighter will also be there.
The Ttukseom Cup is under orders at 5pm on Sunday and is race 9 of an eleven race card which gets underway at 11:20. On Saturday they also start at 11:20 for a 12 race card. There is racing at Jeju Race Park on Saturday and Sunday with a 12:20 start on both days and at Busan Race Park on Friday (1pm) and Sunday (12:40pm).
Busan Racing Preview
After last weekend’s KRA Cup Mile meeting, it’s back to normal at Busan Race Park this weekend with nine races on Friday and six on Sunday. On both days the feature race is the last which is a KRW 42Million handicap. The first race on Friday is at 1pm and on Sunday at 12:40pm.
Horse Racing in Korea 