Strodes Creek Filly Wins Sports Seoul / Kim Ok Sung Returns To Stakes Winner’s Circle

Under an angry sky at Seoul Race Park this afternoon Sen Girl, a 7/1 chance, took victory in the Sports Seoul Cup and in the process put herself among the favourites for the Korean Oaks this coming August.

Sunday’s racing began in the monsoon rain that has lashed the peninsula non-stop since Wednesday, however, by the time the ten fillies took to the track for main event at 4:30pm, the rain had stopped and a brisk wind made for drying conditions. While Seungniuihamseong was sent off the even money favourite, it was Mustang Queen and champion jockey Cho Kyoung Ho who set the early pace. As they began the long turn for home, veteran jockey Kim Ok Sung brought Sen Girl around the field to take the lead.

While Mustang Queen fought back bitterly in the home straight, it was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and Sen Girl held on to win by a neck on the line to claim the 108 Million Won first prize and punch her ticket to the Oaks at Busan. Behind Mustang Queen, Allegrissmo was a distant third.

Sen Girl is just one of twenty foals to be produced by the sire Strodes Creek (Halo) during his spell in Korea before his untimely death in 2008. Imported from Japan in late 2006, Strodes Creek stood for just one season before his tragic paddock accident. Three of that crop were in this race with Cheonupilseung and Event Queen finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

It was also a milestone day for jockey Kim Ok Sung. Kim had his license cancelled last year after being accused of passing along inside information. After serving a six month ban, he returned to action last month. Although accused of a crime that punters hate more than almost anything, Kim remains exceptionally popular with race fans in Korea.

It could be his ever-present grin and willingness to engage in paddock banter that causes this – since his return punters are forever asking him for a tip. Or it could be the fact that he’s one the most experienced riders in the weighing room and punters like familiarity.

Perhaps though, it’s more to do with the fact that unlike the young professional athletes he rides alongside these days, he simply looks as though he enjoys a spot of soju and Sam-gyeop-sal and that if he wasn’t riding, he’d be queuing at the betting windows along with everyone else. Whatever the reason, it seems great to have him back.

Sports Seoul Cup – Seoul Race Park – 1700M – June 26, 2011

1. Sen Girl (KOR) [Strodes Creek – Badgering Shari (Badger Land)] – Kim Ok Sung –
2. Mustang Queen (KOR) [Concept Win – Arouser (Golden Missile)] – Cho Kyoung Ho –
3. Allegrissimo (KOR) [Bon Vivant – Corporate Romance (Corporate Report)] – Moon Se Young –

Distances: Neck/8 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Seungniuihamseong 5. Cheonupilseung 6. Event Queen 7. Giengnal Geunal 8. Saebyeokcheonsa 9. Hwaryeohansesang 10. Firenze

Mister Park Ties Unbeaten Record / Ace Galloper Finds It Easy At Seoul

A mismatch isn’t easy to celebrate. Certainly very few punters were as Mister Park’s victory at Busan today paid out at a rate of 1.0 – that is, those who bet on him got their money back, but no more. Nevertheless, this demolition job took the Grand Prix Champion onto fifteen straight wins, equal with two greats of Korean racing, Po Gyeong Seon and Saegangja.

A horse can only beat what is put in front of him or her and Mister Park (Ecton Park) has certainly done that. However, of his fifteen wins, only the Grand Prix – admittedly the biggest of them all – was a Stakes race and on only one other occasion was he asked to take on foreign bred horses.

Today’s victory was as routine as it gets. Jockey Yoo Hyun Myung took Mister Park into the lead straight out of the gate and accelerated away from the field as they entered the home straight. Ten lengths was the distance jockey Yoo opted to win by. It could have been thirty.

The record will surely come next time out and after that is when it should get interesting. Mister Park’s handicap mark should render staying competing against domestic bred horses impractical in all but Stakes races. Then we’ll have some fun.

Up in Seoul, there was another finding the going pretty easy today. Ace Galloper (Chapel Royal) is just like Mister Park in that he is Korean born but not bred (in that his dam was imported to Korean while pregnant) and therefore wasn’t eligible for the three-year old Classics last year and also in that he has been campaigned rather conservatively.

This afternoon in the feature race in the Capital, he took on Top Point, former Champion filly & mare. While Top Point took an early lead, Cho Kyoung Ho produced a masterful ride on Ace Galloper to come through and take the victory by a comfortable three lengths. Ace Galloper moves onto thirteen wins from nineteen starts. Oh but would he and Mister Park race each other.

In other races, Japanese jockeys Mai Beppu and Makoto Noda both registered their first place finishes. Beppu had made her Korean riding debut nearly two months ago but got injured on only her second day. Returning this weekend, she managed a second and a third place. Meanwhile, Noda was making his debut and on his thirteenth and final ride of the weekend, scored a very unlikely third place on longshot Silk Road in the last today.

Both jockeys seemed to get the quantity but not the quality in their rides this weekend. Their countryman Hiro Hamada, who joined them in a couple of races today, has been riding in Korea for more than a year now and, while arguably one of the best riders at the track, these days receives neither quality nor quantity to ride. Such is the life for a foreign jockey in Korea.

Racing returns to the peninsula next weekend when we will have Stakes action in the form of the Sports Seoul Cup.

Ttukseom Cup Champ Eases to KNN Cup / Kkakjaengi Wins Owners’ Trophy

He’d already won the Governor’s Cup, The Minister’s Cup, The President’s Cup and the Ttukseom Cup and today, Dangdae Bulpae was in imperious form as he soundly defeated the best of his peers to win the KNN Cup at Busan Race Park.

Almost all of Busan’s top Korean bred horses were there. Cheonnyeon Daero won the Derby last year before stablemate Dangdae Bulpae, hit his stride. He was the one who got closest to the winner today. However, “closest” is a relative thing when the winner was eased down yet still finished ten lengths ahead of everyone else. Battling into third place was the 2008 Derby winner Ebony Storm. Now a gelding, the six-year-old showed at the front early and stayed on well to beat out Triple Sinhwa, who came close in all three Classics last year.

Disappointment of the race was Yeonseung Daero. Pre-race he was considered Dangdae Bulpae’s biggest threat but, while seemingly well placed as they entered the home straight, the five-year old faded badly to finish out of the money. Also running below-par was Lucky Dancer, meaning the wait goes on for Aussie trainer Peter Wolsley to saddle a Korean Stakes winner.

As for Dangdae Bulpae, it was his twelfth win from seventeen starts and his fifth Stakes. Only one horse stands between him and being the undisputed top Korean bred horse in the country. Mister Park couldn’t run today by virtue of having been sired overseas. Last time they clashed, in the Grand Prix at Seoul, Mister Park won. Their next meeting promises to be very interesting indeed.

Up at Seoul there was also Stakes action in the shape of the Seoul Racehorse Owners’ Association Trophy, one of the biggest races of the year for foreign bred fillies and mares. This year three Korean bred fillies also took their chance.

However, while Love Cat, Cheonun and Raon Glory were all sent off among the favourites, it was imports who swept the placings. In the end it was Segye Ilbo Cup winner Kkakjaengi who took her second Stakes victory of the year as she comfortably held off pre-race favourite Geumbi to take a two-length win. Long-shot Imperial Girl completed the placings with Cheonun coming home fourth.

SROA Trophy (KOR.G.III) – Seoul Race Park – 2000M – June 12, 2011

1. Kkakjaengi (USA) [Put It Back – Wild Dixie Gal (Wild Again)] – Shin Hyoung Chul – 6.6, 2.2
2. Geumbi (USA) [Ecton Park – Lady Justine (Lit De Justice)] – Jo In Kwen – 1.6
3. Imperial Girl (USA) [Imperialism – Wallena (Wallenda)] – Jang Chu Youl – 22.1

Distances: 2 lengths/2 lengths
Also ran: 4. Cheonun (KOR) 5. Gippeumnuri (USA) 6. Jangjagang (USA) 7. Pilseung Korea (JPN) 8. Fortunata (USA) 9. Love Cat (KOR) 10. Sky Center (USA) 11. Blueband Mama (USA) 12. Burning Sky (JPN) 13. Florida Sox (USA) 14. Raon Glory (KOR)

KNN Cup – Busan Race Park – 1600M – June 12, 2011

1. Dangdae Bulpae (KOR) [Biwa Shinseiki – Indeed My Dear (Alydeed) – Jo Sung Gon – 1.8, 1.1
2. Cheonnyeon Daero (KOR) [Creek Cat – Doneitmyway (Northern Flagship)] – Park Geum Man – 1.7
3. Ebony Storm (KOR) [Buster’s Daydream – Sorority Jazz (Dixieland Band)] – You Hyun Myung – 3.7

Distances: 10 lengths/3 lengths
Also ran: 4. Triple Sinhwa 5. Crown Flag 6. Pick Me Up 7. Coming Through 8. Annika Queen 9. Yeonseung Daero 10. Gangjaui Beopchik 11. Lucky Dancer 12. Super Chocolate

With five wins from eight starts, Kkakjaengi will head into class 1 racing as a force to be reckoned with. Today, however, most went home talking about Dangdae Bulpae,

who just seems to get better and better.