Busan Race Park gets its season underway on Friday as all three tracks in Korea run a program this weekend before all three take an immediate break for Lunar New Year.

And it’s at Busan where the biggest names are appearing. Minister’s Cup winner Dongseo Jeongbeol heads the field in Friday’s feature where he’s joined by prolific winners Mulbora and Tamna Hero, as well as Peter Wolsley’s old-stager Khaosan.

On Sunday, Champion Belt takes on a full field of foreign bred horses in the feature while earlier in the card, the unbeaten three-year old filly Geumdda will be bidding to take her record to five wins from five starts.

Seoul is reasonably low-key this weekend with the most valuable race being a class 1 sprint handicap on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile on Sunday, promising Australian filly Xicar begins her three-year old career looking for a third win in what will be her sixth start in the afternoon’s feature.

Here’s what’s happening when and where on what should be a chilly but dry weekend across the peninsula:

Friday January 13

Busan Race Park: 10 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:00 to 17:30

Saturday January 14

Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:30 to 17:10

Sunday January 15

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 7 races from 12:30 to 17:00