Month: June 2011

Forest Camp Colt Tops Jeju Sale

A colt by Forest Camp and out of the With Approval mare Fully Approved, fetched the highest bid at last week’s Jeju May Two-Year old Sale. The colt – called Myeongun Jewang – was bought for 130 Million Korean Won, a price which broke the sale record set last year by Exploit colt Champion Belt who was fourth in this year’s Korean Derby.

This Forest Camp colt topped the Jeju May 2yo Sale (Pic: Korea Racing Journal)

Forest Camp arrived in Korea in late 2007 and this year will see his first crop of two-year olds reach the racecourse. Fetching the second highest amount was a colt out of the mare Byenne (Jambalaya Jazz) who was in foal to Jump Start when she was imported to Korea in December 2008.

There were no fillies among the top ten lots and only two in the twenty. Menifee was the only sire represented more than once in the top ten which was as follows:

Sex – Pedigree – Sale Price – Seller – Buyer (Racecourse)
1 U.S. dollar = 1 082 South Korean won (June 7, 2011)

1. Colt [Forest Camp – Fully Approved (With Approval)] – 130,000,000 – Korea Horse Land – Kim Pyeong Kap (Busan)
2. Colt [Jump Start – Byenne (Jambalaya Jazz)] – 90,000,000 – Horse & Agriculture Co-op – Kim Taek Soo Busan/Seoul)
3. Colt [Menifee – Star Billing (Quest For Fame)] – 61,000,000 – Kim Soon Gon – Park Jae Beom (Seoul)
4. Colt [Menifee – Island Maiden (General Silver)] – 55,000,000 – Korea Horse Land – Jangsu County (Seoul)
5. Colt [Vicar – Prada (El Prado)] – 50,000,000 – KRA – Lee Joon Geol (Busan)
6. Colt [The Daddy – Nikki’s Nightmare (Dixieland Band)] – 50,000,000 – Choi Jong Bok – Woobin Leisure (Seoul
7. Colt [Pico Central – Shagoof (Diesis)] – 49,500,000 – Kim Chae Hyoung – Jangsu County (Seoul)
8. Colt [Exploit – Dixie Humor (Distorted Humor) – 40,500,000 – KRA – Jo Young Ja (Busan)
9. Colt [Archer City Slew – Bar Room Hit (Singh America)] – 40,000,000 – KRA – Lee Sun Ho (Seoul)
10. Colt [Biwa Shinseiki – Catcom (Catrail)] – 39,500,000 – KRA – Choi Byoung Kwan (Seoul

Source: Korea Racing Journal

As ever, full details on all horses in Korea for both racing and breeding can be found online in the Korean Studbook. meanwhile, Fallight has a number of official appearance videos by Korean based stallions on his Youtube channel.

Jo The Real Victor

Moon Se Young landed four winners on the day but, as the former champion jockey heads into yet another suspension, it was rising star Jo In Kwen who landed the feature race as he helped Real Victor live up to his name at Seoul Race Park this afternoon.

Putting them in the shade: Real Victor and Jo In Kwen hit the front

Real Victor was sent off as second favourite in the eight and a half furlong main event After sitting towards the back for much of the race, Jo guided the four-year old colt through the field with a blistering final furlong run to take the line a length ahead of Natural Guy. Symphony Sonata (a half-brother to former Blue Grass Stakes winner Dominican through their dam First Violin) grabbed a shock third place – his first money finish since October 2009.

He may have had four winners but Moon Se Young still didn't look too pleased as he contemplated his next four-day ban

Earlier, Moon Se Young had shown his class with four routine victories including on the improving Tiger Wing (Repent) in race 9. However, he’s going to have a fortnight off to spend his prize money after picking up a four-day ban yesterday for the kind of crazy first corner manoeuvre that he is becoming notorious for.

Although he won the Jockey Championship in 2008, he was, unfortunately injured for much of the 2009 season. Last year, he was neck and neck with Cho Kyoung Ho at the end of November before picking up a lengthy ban which gifted the title to his rival. This year, it seems he has been suspended more often than not.

For up and coming Jo In Kwen who, in the past few weeks has passed the milestones of both his 100th career winner and his first Stakes race victory, it was another very good day.

Down at Busan it was another extremely good day for Toshio Uchida as the Japanese jockey claimed victory in both co-feature races. First up he took the domestic Class 1 handicap on Mupae Star before winning the foreign class 1 on Daldeongi (Whywhywhy). Uchida remains untouchable at the top of the Busan Jockey CHampionship.

Ruler Of The Gold takes command at Seoul today

Earlier back at Seoul, there was a second win for US three-year old Ruler Of The Gold (Tribal Rule). The colt always looked to be a late developer and looked very sharp when coolly taking the seven furlong race 7.

Next week is a big one. At Busan it is the KNN Cup, a race that will see Derby winners Cheonnyeon Daero and Ebony Storm, President’s Cup winner Dangdae Bulpae and Governor’s Cu winner Yeonseung Daero among a field of Busan’s top Korean bred horses. Meanwhile, Seoul’s best fillies and mares will battle it out for the Owners Association Trophy. Full build-up to both of them will be on the blog in the coming days.

Seoul Racecourse - June 5, 2011

Dongbanui Gangja Gets His Toughest Win At Last

Double Grand Prix Winner Comfortably Defeats Tough Win in Stretch Duel To Win “Clash Of The Champions”

Dongbanui Gangja turned the tables on Tough Win to claim victory in the feature event at Seoul Race Park this afternoon to score his first win in over a year and get the better of the battle of three former Horse of the Year winners.

Dongbani Gangja and Moon Jung Kyun win the "Clash of the Champions" at Seoul

It had been a bad 12 months for Dongbanui Gangja. Once the undisputed best horse on the peninsula, he had always had a tendency to run wide in the home straight causing him to cover far more ground than necessary. He got away with it for twelve consecutive victories, including the Grand Prix Stakes in both 2008 and 2009 until he ran into the then unbeaten Tough Win – two years his junior – in the Busan Metropolitan last July. The younger horse prevailed, Dongbanui Gangja veering wildly off the racing line as the field turned for hom, eventually finishing ninth.

This would be repeated, albeit less dramatically in the KRA Cup Classic – won by Tough Win, and would thwart his attempt to secure an unprecedented third Grand Prix title. It looked like he may never win again. Today though, with race conditions allowing for a dramatic drop in the weight he usually has to carry, things were different.

With Dongbanui Gangja only carrying 51 kilos today, lightweight Moon Jung Kyun got the ride

Because of that weight drop, regular jockey Choi Bum Hyun couldn’t ride and Moon Jung Kyun was drafted in to partner the former champion for the first time and Dongbanui Gangja was sent off second favourite behind the odds-on Tough Win. While outsider Big Sox took the lead early on with Tough Win close behind, Dongbanui Gangja sat right at the back of the field. Midway through the back straight though, he made his customary move, rounding the field within the space of 100 metres and slotting in on the rail slapbang in front of Tough Win.

This time he stayed on the rail. Rounding the home turn, it became clear that this was going to be a private battle between Dongbanui Gangja and his former usurper. And with Dongbanui Gangja running in a straight line for once, Tough Win had no answer and was three lengths behind as the winner crossed the line. Dongbanui Gangja was back in the winner’s circle.

Tough Win canters to the start for what would be his third career defeat

Jumong came in third, with the final former Horse of the Year in the race, Bally Brae grabbing the final money finish in fifth.

Class 1 (Foreign) – Seoul Race Park – 1900M – June 4, 2011

1. Dongbanui Gangja (USA) [Broken Vow – Maremaid (Storm Bird)] – Moon Jung Kyun – 3.6, 1.4
2. Tough Win (USA) [Yonaguska – Maggie May’s Sword (Sword Dance)] – Cho Kyoung Ho – 1.1
3. Jumong (USA) [Johar – Foreign Aid (Danzid)] – Jo In Kwen – 1.5

Distances: 3 lengths/3 lengths – 10 ran

Dongbanui Gangja moves on to eighteen victories from thirty career starts. Today everything came right in a way that it might not again. Regardless of this and of whether Tough Win, who was slow to emerge for the post parade, was at 100%, Dongbanui Gangja is a special horse who still only six years old, has plenty still to offer.

Here’s what’s happening tomorrow:

Sunday June 5

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:30
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00

Seoul Racecourse - June 4, 2011

Weekend Preview

Three Horse Of The Year Winners Clash at Seoul on Saturday

The first races of June get underway imminently at Busan and after last week’s low-key cards, there’s plenty to keep us occupied racing wise on the peninsula this weekend. There are no Stakes races – we have to wait until next week’s Owners’ Trophy for that – for big name value, Saturday’s feature race at Seoul is hard to beat.

It's Dongbanui Gangja vs Tough Win again

We have the double Grand Prix Champion and one time Horse of the Year, Dongbanui Gangja. Difficult to control as he gets older, he hasn’t won for over a year. However, a change of jockey and carrying significantly less weight (this race not being a handicap) than usual means that if he runs in a straight line, he cannot be discounted. However, that’s a big “if.” Then there’s Tough Win. He dethroned Dongbanui Gangja in the Busan Metropolitan last year and has won eleven of his thirteen starts. He’ll be favourite.

Also going in the same race is another past Grand Prix champion and Horse of the Year, Bally Brae. The nine-year old is in good form and renews his competition with Jumong, half-brother of his erstwhile rival Subsidy. The four top stars will be joined by six others in the nine and a half furlong race which is off at 17:00 on Saturday.

Here’s what’s happening when and where this holiday weekend:

Friday June 3

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday June 4

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday June 5

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00