AJC and HRI Trophies kick-off Derby meeting at Seoul
The Derby meeting got underway at Seoul Race Park today and two “International Exchange” races topped the bill on a gloriously sunny afternoon.
There was a shock in the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) Trophy as 50/1 outsider Yeopungjudo led from start to finish to pull off an unlikely victory. The mare held off younger rival and favourite Isanghwa to claim the 80 Million Won first prize.
Yeopungjudo (9) holds off Isanghwa in the HRI (Pic: Ross Holburt)
For Yeopungjudo [Sharp Appeal – Yeoyu (Spectacular Spy)], it was just her third ever win from twenty-eight starts. Meanwhile her jockey Lee Sang Hyeok, who qualified in 2008, secured a first ever big race win.
Once the AJC was over, next up was the Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) Trophy. While Mr Calgary was sent off the favourite. it was the horse second in the betting, Cheot Insang who came through the field under Ham Wan Sik to claim victory by half a length from the fast finishing Murim Cheogang. Cheot Insang [Psychobabble – Soma (Far Out East)] was recording his third win from twelve starts and has been in the money in his last six outings.
All smiles after the HRI Trophy (Pic: Ross Holburt)
Tomorrow sees the final International race – the JRA Trophy – and then it’s the big one. The 2010 Korean Derby comes under orders at 5pm.
Full results from Saturday’s meeting at Seoul to follow…
AJC & HRI Trophies on Saturday – JRA Trophy and the Derby on Sunday
The Derby is now less than two days away and it is, along with the Grand Prix, Korean racing’s biggest weekend of the year. See below for a full list of the Derby runners and riders and we’ll have a final preview on Saturday evening.
However, it’s not just the Derby this weekend. For the second consecutive year, the KRA has decided to combine its showpiece event with its traditional “International Exchange Races”. Saturday sees the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) Trophies, while on Sunday the Japan Racing Association (JRA) Trophy precedes the Derby. These three races are some of the longest-establshed Stakes contests in Korea. Let’s take a look at this year’s editions:
Restricted to Korean bred fillies and mares at class three and below, the cream of Korean racing isn’t exactly on show here but it should be an entertaining contest nonetheless. A full field of fourteen is entered and Isanghwa is favoured to get the better of fellow four-year old Ruby. Beomtti, Victor Hunter, Sangju Miin and White Dreamer should also come into consideration.
Still for Korean bred class three and below, its open to colts too and Mr. Calgary could get the weekend off to a great start for jockey Jo In Kwen who rides Seonbongbulpae in Sunday’s Derby. He’ll have plenty of competition in a very open race. Cheotinsang is in good form, as is the improving Saebyeogi. A good case could be made for three-quarters of the fourteen strong field.
With Mr. Calgary & Seonbongbulpae, Jo In Kwen has a big weekend in store
We’ll have a preview of Sunday’s JRA Trophy tomorrow. Here’s what’s happening and where:
Saturday May 15
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:20 to 18:10 Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:10 to 17:50
Sunday May 16
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:20 to 18:10 Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:40 to 16:30
Here are the runners and riders in Sunday’s Derby – we’ll have a final preview on the blog on Saturday evening:
Korean Derby (KOR.GI) – Seoul Race Park – 1800M – Sunday May 16, 2010 – 17:00
1. Tamnaseontaek (KOR) [War Zone – Every Michelle (Every Intent)] (5/2/1/1) – Shin Hyoung Chul 2. Gayabobae (KOR) [War Zone – Myeonggaheui (Revere)] (7/2/2/0) – Yang Hee Jin 3. Dangdae Bulpae (KOR) [Biwa Shinseiki – Indeed My Dear (Alydeed)] (6/4/0/0) – Kim Eu Soo 4. Seonbongbulpae (KOR) [Newsprint – Jeseok (Lost Mountain)] (8/6/1/0) – Jo In Kwen 5. Forest Wind (KOR) [Capital Spending – Coffee Royale (Sword Dance)] (4/2/0/0) – Ham Wan Sik 6. Full Step (KOR) [Didyme – Fox Dance (Foxtrail)] (7/3/1/2) – Oh Kyoung Hoan 7. Cheonnyeon Daero (KOR) [Creek Cat – Doneitmyway (Northern Flagship)] (10/2/5/2) – Park Geum Man 8. Northern Ace (KOR) [Didyme – Telegraph Road (Royal Academy)] (4/4/0/0) – Moon Se Young 9. Money Car (KOR) [Newsprint – Pinocchio (Big Sur)] (7/6/1/0) – Park Tae Jong 10. Triple Sinhwa (KOR) [Capital Spending – Claudia’s Secret (Crafty Prospector)] (5/1/4/0) – Chae Gyu Jun 11. The Almighty (KOR) [Capital Spending – Dauntless Cat (Mountain Cat)] (5/2/1/0) – Cho Kyoung Ho 12. Donghae Gangho (KOR) [Psychobabble – Nae Myeon (Somalia)] (14/2/1/3) – Kim Yong Geun
* Thanks to Fallight and Roar for the video uploads.
Money Car bidding to be thirteenth winner of Korean Classic
The Derby is a relatively recent addition to the Korean racing year. Except for an enforced stoppage during the Korean War, racing has been running on the peninsula continuously since the 1920’s, however, the calendar as we know it today only really started to take shape in the 1980’s. The Ilgan Sports Cup and the Grand Prix started things off with both being run for the first time in 1985.
The introduction of the private ownership of race-horses – and therefore prize money – accelerated the creation of big Stakes races in the 1990s and finally in 1998, the Derby was run for the first time.
In the twelve editions run so far, seven colts and five fillies have taken the prize which for its first three years was run over just seven furlongs before moving up to its current nine in 2001. Here are those winners with pedigree and jockey:
2009: Sangseung Ilro [Concept Win – Ms. Whiskey (Whiskey Wisdom)] – Jo Sung Gon
– The filly, a shock winner of the KRA Cup Mile a month earlier made it two in a row for Busan. She couldn’t maintain her form over the whole year, however, and went down to a shock defeat in the Oaks in August before returning for a creditable third in the Minister’s Cup, the third and final leg of the Triple Crown in October.
2008: Ebony Storm [Buster’s Daydream – Sorority Jazz (Dixieland Band)] – Shim Seung Tae – Two years ago was the first time that Busan’s best three year olds were invited up to Seoul to contest the Derby and it was one of those visitors, Ebony Storm, the longest shot on the board, who took victory in a monsoon downpour.
2007: J.S. Hold [Ft. Stockton – Hwangsangjiljoo (Passetreul)] – Moon Jung Kyun – Widely considered the best Korean bred horse ever. J.S. Hold landed the inaugural Triple Crown injuring himself in the final race and not returning to the track. He is about to commence his first season of stud duties.
2006: Baengnokjeong[Slew O’Green – Lesu Run (Proper Reality)] – Hwang Soon Do – The rank outsider at over 80-1 on Derby day, Baengnokjeong was at the time, the longest priced horse to win the Derby.
2005: Saebyeok Dongja [Fiercely – Cheongpa (The Rodgers Four)] – Chun Chang Ki – Raced on at the top level for three more years and his jockey Chun Chang Ki became a trainer after a battle against cancer.
2004: Mupae Gangja [Didyme – A Heun A Hop Kan (Kinsky)] – Kim Hyo Seob – One of the top colts of this decade, Mupae Gangja won ten of his sixteen races including the Chairman’s Trophy and Minister’s Cup along with the Derby in 2004.
2003: Habidongju [Silent Warrior – Kahwa (Zoffany)] – Park Tae Jong – The last filly to win until Sangseung Ilro in 2009.
2002: Haeam Janggun [Didyme – Ronde (Toast The Champ)] – Lim Dae Gyu – Ronde foaled her second Derby winner in as many years with this filly who won eight of her fourteen races and gave the late Lim Dae Gyu a Derby victory.
2001: Haetpit Maeul [Mujaazif – Ronde (Toast The Champ)] – Ji Ha Ju – Starting a run of three consecutive years of filly triumphs was Haetpit Maeul. Now a broodmare with some success.
2000: Haekdol’pung [Lost Mountain – Swift Diplomacy (Nice Pirate)] – Park Tae Jong – Korea’s most successful ever jockey got his second straight Derby win on the favourite. It was tight though, with Haekdol’pung getting the verdict in a three way photograph.
1999: Manseokkkeun [Fiercely – Komplication (Kris. S)] – Park Tae Jong – Yes, he really did have three consecutive ‘k’s in his name. Park Tae Jong got the first of his three Derby winners on the colt whose sire, Fiercely, died in 2009.
1998: Useung Yegam [Happy Jazz Band – Man Jang Dae()] – Song Seok Hen – Nine of the 14 runners in the first Derby were fillies and the favourite Useung Yegam, whose dam wasn’t even in the studbook, took the honours by a length.
* For more videos see Fallight’s YouTube page. This post is a slightly updated version of the one posted on the corresponding pre-Derby Monday last year.
Blue Pin claimed his first ever class 1 victory in the feature event at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. The four-year old got the better of top mare and favourite Lucky Mountain at the end of the ten-furlong race.
Blue Pin is out of the mare Telegraph Road. Imported to Korea in 2006, she has foaled just one other runner to make the track so far. He is, of course, Northern Ace and will go for glory in the Korean Derby next Sunday.
Down at Busan, six-year old Boryeong Bulbit scored his first win for over a year as he beat favourite Viva Canon into second place in the nine furlong feature.
On Saturday, Angus Empire won the big race at Seoul. With Moon Se Young partnering him for the first time, the US bred six-year old was a dominant three length winner from Free Hugs and Noubeau Riche.
Angus Empire was one of three winners for Moon Se Young over the weekend. Fellow top jockey Cho Kyoung Ho also landed three but it was a good weekend for apprentices too with both Park Sang Woo and Kim Hae Sun recording winners on both Saturday and Sunday.
Apprentice Kim Hae Sun - 2 winners this weekend
So a low-key weekend comes to its conclusion but it really is the calm before the storm. We are now just seven days away from possibly the most heavily anticipated Korean Derby ever. Money Car, Seonbongbulpae and Northern Ace will be among twelve colts lining up at Seoul Race Park next Sunday. Full build-up begins tomorrow.
It’s almost the weekend and racing is back! Cards are mostly low-key with the Derby just a week away but a Classic winner will be in action at Busan on Friday in the shape of Namdo Jeap, while at Seoul Angus Empire and Lucky Mountain will be on show. Here’s what’s happening:
Friday May 7
Busan Race Park: 10 races from 12:00 to 18:00 Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30
Saturday May 8
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:20 to 18:00 Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:10 to 17:35
Sunday May 9
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:20 to 18:00 Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:40 to 16:30
KRA Cup Mile Winner bidding for Triple Crown / Busan Sends Four
There will be four raiders from Busan and eight representing the home team at Seoul. With less than two weeks to go, twelve colts remain in contention for the 2010 Korean Derby which will be run at Seoul Race Park on Sunday May 16.
Last year’s Champion two-year old, Seonbongbulpae will be there, the unbeaten Northern Ace will be there. But it is Money Car, winner of the KRA Cup Mile and on course for the Triple Crown, that they all have to beat.
Money Car - Triple Crown hopeful
The Derby will cap a bumper weekend of racing. Just like last year, the KRA has designated it “International Weekend” and races sponsored by Horse Racing Ireland, the Australian Jockey Club and the Japan Racing Association will all be on the card.
We’ll have plenty more on the Derby as the day draws closer, but for now here’s the list of entrants with pedigrees and race records:
Busan based jockey Park Jae Ho has taken up a short-term license in Japan. Park has been granted a three-month license by the National Association of Racing (NAR) to ride at the Arao Racecourse where he will be sponsored by trainer Hikoji Sakatani. He can also ride at Saga Racecourse, both located in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu.
Park Jae Ho (Pic: KRA)
Although a solid rider, Park Jae Ho has never been one of Busan’s stars with just thirty-eight winners to his name. Able to speak Japanese, however, he befriended jockey Eiki Nishimura who spent 2009 riding at Busan and the Japanese rider encouraged Park to apply for a license after he himself returned to Arao this year.
Eiki had an up and down time in Korea. After a slow start, his big breakthrough came as regular rider of Sangseung Ilro, culminating in the filly’s shock win in the KRA Cup Mile, the first leg of the Korea Triple Crown. However, winning the track’s richest race of the year earned him the ire of a number of local jockeys who declared that he – and South African Martin Wepner – were, in time-honoured fashion, taking “their money”.
Pressure applied by jockeys at Busan, and the powerful Seoul Jockeys’ Union led to trainer Kim Young Kwan dropping Eiki in favour of Jo Sung Gon for the Korean Derby last May, which Sangseung Ilro would go on to win. Wepner and more recently another talented visiting jockey Hitomi Miyashita, have continued to be a focus for local discontent.
Park made his debut at Arao last Thursday with four rides. His best finish was a third place in a race won by Eiki. All credit to him for seeking to broaden his experience. Let’s hope he doesn’t deprive the locals of their no doubt rightful money.
Both Chulgigi and Shaka have plenty of pictures and video of both Park Jae Ho and Arao Racecourse.
Captain Sir, Sangseung Ilro unplaced as filly triumphs
Useung Geotap was just too quick for everybody else as she cruised to an easy victory in the Gukje Sinmun Cup at Busan Race Park this afternoon. Bursting out of the gate, she never let any of her eleven rivals get close to her, loping away for a three-length win from Crafty Louis.
Pre-race favourite Captain Sir came home a disappointing seventh. He followed the filly out of the gate but tired badly in the home straight. Last year’s Derby winner Sangseung Ilro was one of a number of horses dropping back to seven furlongs in search of the big prize the Gukje Sinmun offered. But although she rallied late on, she ran out of track and out of time to make a significant challenge finishing fifth.
Yeongung Manse was the best placed Korean bred horse. Winner of last year’s Governor’s Cup, the five-year old finished third. Useung Geotap arrived in Korea last May and now, with six wins from eight starts looks well on the way to challenging for Champion filly honours.
Gukje Sinmun Cup – Busan Race Park – 1400M – May 2, 2010
1. Useung Geotap (USA) [Dehere – Answer To Me (Peteski)] – Jo Sung Gon – 5.7, 2.1 2. Crafty Louis (USA) [Louis Quatorze – Crafty Atlantic (Crafty Prospector)] – Jo Chang Wook – 1.4 3. Yeongung Manse (KOR) [Sharp Appeal – Saratogasplash (Wild Again)] – Chae Gyu Jun – 4.1
Distances: 3 lengths/1.75 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Jilju Hara; 5. Sangseung Ilro; 6. Jungwon Jepae; 7. Captain Sir; 8. New World Record; 9. Cheogo Beoltong; 10. Angle Slam; 11. Smart As Me; 12. Rolling On Strong
Up at Seoul Race Park, a bumper crowd of in excess of 60,000 took advantage of the warmest day of the year so far to try their hand at some punting. And a lot of them would have come unstuck in the feature race when long odds-on favourite Brothers unseated jockey Choi Bum Hyun as the stalls opened. Second favourite Super Jet took full advantage and landed the prize.
Choi Won Joon gets his second winner of the afternoon
It was a mixed day for Moon Se Young. The jockey increased his lead at the top of the overall standing with three winners from the first four races but the suffered a hand injury while being thrown off Winning Scan in yet another starting stall incident (the third this weekend) in race 6. Although he recovered sufficiently to guide Winning Scan to third place, he had to give up the remainder of his rides.
His loss was Choi Won Joon’s gain and the young rider made the most of his opportunity on Saeroungmaun in the all-filly race 8. Choi was completing a double having earlier won the race, riding Seungniuijewang, in which Moon was injured.
Siinui Norae springs surprise / National Leader wins
Siinui Norae pulled off a surprise win in the day’s biggest race but it was three-year old filly D Day who produced the performance of the day on a sunny spring afternoon at Seoul Race Park.
Stepping up to class 2 company for the first time after a victory one division below earlier this month, D Day comfortably saw off eleven rivals over nine furlongs with jockey Won Jung Il riding hands and heels and easing up from the furlong pole.
D Day (right) takes the final corner
D Day [Belong To Me – Please Don’t Look (Rahy)] qualifies as Korean bred as her dam was inported from Australia while pregnant, but is ineligible for the Classics.
At 55/1, Siinui Norae was the unlikely winner of the feature race of the afternoon. The five-year old held off late challenged from favourite Bungjeongmalli and New Rider to win by three quarters of a length.
In other races, US bred National Leader recorded the fourth win of his career. For jockey Choi Bum Hyun, it was his fourth win of the afternoon.
Horse Racing in Korea 