Ghost Whisper probably dislikes the Korean summer even more than I do.
Two years in a row he’s competed in the Busan Mayor’s Cup in July and two years in a row, he’s needed 7 months off after it.
He will not be among those disappointed that winter seems to have returned to the peninsula after a mild two weeks as he makes his 2014 debut on Sunday.
Now 6-years-old, the grey gelding, owned by Pegasus Stables and trained by Peter Wolsley, will carry top weight in Busan’s feature race of the weekend; a class 1 handicap over 7-furlongs on Sunday afternoon.
Ghost Whisper (Gotham City) be giving a minimum of 4.5kg to every other horse in a field that also includes last year’s KRA Cup Mile winner Sting Ray – a horse whose form has been so indifferent since that triumph, that he now joins Ghost Whisper as a gelding – and 2008 Korean Derby winner Ebony Storm, still going strong as a 9-year-old.
Megaton and Myeongun Jewang, who have tangled over this distance recently, are among those more likely to come out on top than theClassic winners though.
At Seoul, it’s a low-key weekend although there is one class 1 race on Sunday. Here’s what’s happening when and where:
Friday March 7
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 11:40 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:20 to 17:20
Saturday March 8
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 10:50 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:30 to 17:30
Sunday March 9
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 10:50 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:45 to 17:00