Month: August 2016

Weekend Round-Up: Choi Eun Kyeung Rides First Winner

There’s been quite the heatwave across the peninsula for the past week and with temperatures in Seoul hitting 35C, it was probably for the best that it coincided with the capital track’s summer vacation. It wasn’t much cooler at Busan, which returned following its own weekend off last week and where there were no less than 23 races across Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday will have been memorable for apprentice jockey Choi Eun Kyeung. The 19-year-old qualified from the Jockey Academy this spring and was sent to Busan where she is not only the track’s only female jockey but also the first Korean female to be licensed there since 2010.

Choi landed on her feet on the South Coast, however, being assigned to South African trainer Bart Rice. She made her debut back on July 10th, riding For My Sis to a par 5th place. She didn’t have another ride until Saturday when her boss put her on Barry Irwin’s Swoop in race 2 at Busan. Swoop, who had raced 6 times without success, was sent off as an 8/1 chance for the 1000M race and didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, exiting the gate hesitantly and was last into stride.

However, the three-year-old improved around the turn and under a hands and heels ride from Choi, picked off his rivals in the home straight, running on to win by half a length. It was a second Korean winner for US owner Barry Irwin and another for Bart Rice who continues to be the in-form trainer at Busan. As for Choi, it was her only ride of the weekend and she suddenly finds herself with a 50% win rate.

In other races at the weekend, Diferent Dimension (Into Mischief) returned to the winner’s circle in Sunday’s feature handicap. Peter Wolsley’s US import struggled under a high weight last start but ran away from a decent class 1 field in the 1800M test. Diferent Dimension now has 8 wins from his 13 starts and was ridden by Seo Seung Un, who was partnering his 6th winner of the weekend.

Among the foreign jockey ranks, both Yonekura Satoshi and Paolo Aragoni rode winners.

Busan Sunday Notes (August 7)

No racing in Seoul this weekend so Sunday sees a Busan-only day. There are 15 races at the south coast track with the first at 10:50am and the last at 18:00.

English language racecards can be found here. Notes on selected races below:

Race 6: Class 5 / 1000M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 13:30 (KST)

(7) SUPER JJANGJJANGI made all to win comfortably on debut a month ago and while up in class today, should have too much for these. (9) YEONGTO DAEWANG, a much improved 3rd at this class last time should also be off to a fast start and can challenge while (4) V DIVA and (10) FOCUS LINE both return from a couple of months off and can go well here. Best of the rest is (8) JAYUROUN HWANHUI

Selections (7) Super Jjangjjangi (4) V Diva (10) Focus Line (9) Yeongto Daewang
Next Best 8, 3, 5, 2
Outsiders 1, 6, 11
Fast Starters 7, 8, 9

Race 7: Class 5 / 1200M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 14:00 (KST)

(4) MACHEON CHIRON is up in class and distance following a six-length win over 1000M on July 1st and can go on to win again here. She will look to make all as will (6) YUSEONGCHEOREOM, also up in class following victory on her debut in June, albeit slightly less impressively and in slightly weaker company. Yet to win, (2) HAEGA TTEUNDA is also up in class and can come close once more while of those with experience at this level, (10) BIHO JILJU, 2nd at this distance a month ago in decent company looks the best and will be away to a quick start. Trainer and jockey combination means that (8) HWANGJEUI TANSAENG, disappointing on his return from a spell two weeks ago, will be given another chance.

Selections (4) Macheon Chiron (6) Yuseongchereom (10) Biho Jilju (8) Hwangjeui Tansaeng
Next Best 2, 5, 9
Outsiders 1, 3, 7
Fast Starters 4, 6, 10

Race 8: Class 5 / 1300M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 14:30 (KST)

(8) SUPERNOVA IJI was a closely beaten 5th last start at class and distance but from gate 6 today can get to the front early under Yonekura Satoshi. If she can get forward, she can win this. Main danger – and possible favourite – is (8) CAPITAL GANGJA. She’s been getting closer at this level and was 2nd in a decent all-filly race a month ago. She’s beaten (3) AREUMDAUN YEOWANG in each of her last two but that filly has also been improving and is capable of finding the money at this level. (2) YEONGWON CHUKJE and (5) KWAESOK BOLT are also worth considering in what looks a nicely competitive race.

Selections (6) Supernova Iji (8) Capital Gangja (2) Yeongwon Chukje (3) Areumdaun Yeowang
Next Best 5, 1
Outsiders 4, 7, 9
Fast Starters 6

Race 9: Class 4 / 1300M / Handicap / KRW 55 Million / 15:00 (KST)

Another Bart Rice one on top here with (9) DAEHANUIMYEONGSUNG poised to return to the winner’s circle having come very close in each of her last four starts. She drops down just slightly in distance today and that could make the difference. Thomas Gillespie’s (6) GREAT SONG is yet to win in four but has been getting closer and looks to have a win in him at some stage at this level. He can go close once more although does have to deal with top weight. (12) MUJEOKUI SAMSON was an encouraging 4th when back from four months off on July 1st and can build on that today while both (4) WHITE CASTLE and (10) EOROK both have claims.

Selections (9) Daehanuimyeongsung (6) Great Song (12) Mujeokui Samson (10) Eorok
Next Best 4, 7, 1, 5
Outsiders 2, 3, 8, 11
Fast Starters 2, 12

Race 10: Class 4 / 1200M / Handicap / KRW 55 Million / 15:30 (KST)

(8) SPECIAL ROOKIE was 4th in the Oaks behind her stablemate Ottug Ottugi and returned to action last month to win over a mile. She drops down to a sprint distance today for her first try at class 4 and should have too much. She makes all here. (6) HWANHUIUI BYEOL, also a fast starter, is the main danger while the up in class (3) WORLD FLASH can be competitive. Always competitive is (7) FOR MY SIS and while (4) GANGJA DAERO is yet to win in 37 outings, he comes in following his sixth 2nd place and can aim for the money again today.

Selections (8) Special Rookie (6) Hwanhuiui Byeol (7) For My Sis (3) World Flash
Next Best 4, 11, 1
Outsiders 2, 5, 9, 10
Fast Starters 1, 3, 6, 8

Race 11: Class 4 / 1200M / Handicap / KRW 55 Million / 16:00 (KST)

Thomas Gillespie’s (7) JUNGANG YEOJE comes in following three straight wins and looks very nicely in here against this modest imported opposition. She should be looking at four-in-a-row, most likely making all. (5) TAEGWON CHAMP is yet to win in fourteen but enters in reasonable form and should be competitive, however, the main danger may be debut-maker (10) I’M YOUR FATHER, a $50,000 purchase as a yearling who looked good when trialling last month and has a top jockey on board. (3) DANCING CAT and (8) DAEHO GANGJA are best of the rest.

Selections (7) Jungang Yeoje (10) I’m Your Father (5) Taegwon Champ (3) Dancing Cat
Next Best 8, 4, 12, 1
Outsiders 2, 6, 9, 11
Fast Starters 3, 7, 11

Korea Cup & Sprint Nominations Well Underway / Keeneland Sponsor Both Races

There are just a week to go until preliminary nominations close for the inaugural Korea Cup and Korea Sprint. The two international races, which will be sponsored by Keeneland, will be run at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday September 11th.

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Choegang Schiller and Lee Chan Ho won last year’s Asia Challenge Cup which this year is the Korea Sprint (Pic: Ross Holburt)

The Keeneland Korea Cup has a total purse of 1 Billion Won ($830,000) – making it the most valuable race ever to be run in Korea – and the Keeneland Korea Sprint 700 Million Won ($600,000) and there has been keen interest in both races with close to 50 nominations from overseas so far. The bulk of those are from Japan and Singapore, however, horses from Hong Kong, UAE, France and Ireland are also set to take their chance.

Reports in Hong Kong confirm that well known runners Gun Pit and Circuit Land have been nominated for the Cup and Rich Tapestry and Super Jockey for the Sprint:

Early Cup and Sprint nominations from Japan and Singapore are strong too for the two races, which will be run on Seoul’s sand track at 1800M and 1200M respectively. While fewer in number, those from Europe and the UAE are also extremely competent. The full list of nominations, including local ones from Korea, will be released during next Friday’s card at Busan Racecourse. There will be a maximum field size of 16 for each race.

Keeneland, whose three annual sales are popular with Korean buyers, previously sponsored a race at Seoul on Derby Day in 2015 and were quick to acquire naming rights for the two races. “For many years, Keeneland has enjoyed a successful partnership with Korea and its horsemen through our premier horse sales. We now look forward to supporting the KRA as they prepare to welcome the world to Seoul” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland President and CEO in a joint press-release last month

In that same release the KRA’s Executive Director of Racing, Yangtae Park said of the event “Following our recent promotion to PART II and our successful hosting of international races with Japan and Singapore over the past three years, we are delighted to present the inaugural Keeneland Korea Cup, the most valuable race ever to be run in Korea. Over the coming years, we plan to build this event into one of the top weekends of international racing in Asia.”

As the latest incarnation of the already established Asia Challenge Cup, the Sprint is included in Part II this year, while the Cup, despite being of greater value is not (and the current exchange rate has unfortunately meant it won’t be quite worth US$1M).  However, both races look set to be very competitive and could be the start of something very exciting.

The same weekend also sees the running of exchange races at Seoul with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Singapore Turf Club and Horse Racing Ireland as well as the official  unveiling of the new 120 metre long “multi-vision” screen and the opening of the infield “horse experience” theme park.

Key Dates in the build up to the race are as follows:

Friday August 12: Preliminary Nominations close
Friday August 26: 1st/Entry/Nomination
Wednesday August 31: Overseas horses expected to begin arriving in Korea
Friday September 2: Late Entry/Nomination
Thursday September 8: Declarations/Barrier Draw
Sunday September 11: Race Day

The Korean Horse That Gets Everywhere: Sgt. Reckless Awarded UK’s Dickin Medal

Late last Wednesday afternoon I arrived into London’s Liverpool Street Station and noticing that the Evening Standard is now free, picked up a copy as I headed off into the bustle for an exciting evening in the Greatest City on Earth (ok, to eat Marks & Spencer sandwiches and drink cheap wine in an overpriced hotel room in the Greatest City on Earth).

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London Evening Standard – July 27th, 2016

On the second bottle glass of Prosecco and having established there is still nothing on British TV, I opened the Standard and was mildly surprised to see on page 8 the familiar black and white picture of the Korean warhorse Sgt. Reckless coming under fire in battle. It turned out that that very morning at the Korean War Memorial in London’s Victoria Embankment Gardens, Sgt. Reckless had been posthumously (she died more than 50 years ago) awarded the Dickin Medal, which is Britain’s highest honour for an animal who has served in conflict – the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Her story has been told many times before, including on this site but over the past few years, it’s been told most prominently by American writer Robin Hutton, who set up the website Sgt.Reckless.com and in 2014 published a book about the horse, which reached the New York Times Bestsellers list for its category. The Dickin Medal sounded like it would have the hand of Hutton behind it so I messaged to inquire: “Yes! I was there” came the answer “HRH Princess Alexandra presented the Dickin to the Marine Corps. attache and then a smaller one for me. It was awesome!”

Awesome is one way to describe Hutton’s dedication to this horse. A few years ago I corresponded with her during the preparation of her book and met her briefly in Seoul earlier this year. Hutton was in Korea with sculptor Jocelyn Russell, with whom she had worked to create a monument to Sgt. Reckless at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. in Quantico, Virginia. A similar monument is to be installed in the Korean county of Yeoncheon – site of the Battle for Outpost Vegas and close to the present day DMZ – and the pair had traveled to view the site and participate in a number of other Marine Corps. veterans’ functions across the peninsula and on Jeju Island. They also visited the current Seoul Racecourse – complete with its own Sgt. Reckless tribute – and also the site of the former Sinseol-dong track in downtown Seoul.

The story of Sgt. Reckless is a very American one and as such was barely known in Korea until recently. Hutton’s passion and energy for her cause has begun to change that and “Achimhai” as she was supposedly called in Korean, is gradually seeping into the public consciousness here. While that’s especially true in the small towns near the battlefields where her exploits took place – and where savvy entrepreneurs have naturally been quick to try to cash in – she’s also making more general headway. A children’s book was published (albeit one that bears little relation to the actual story) and the Korea Racing Authority runs an annual “Achimhai Memorial” race on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. A number of mainstream Korean language news outlets also covered the Quantico memorial unveiling.

The Korean media has picked up on the Dickin Medal award too (Korean) and the Sgt. Reckless story will be sure to get more coverage here when the Yeoncheon memorial is dedicated. The story would, of course, make for a good film and given the current success of domestic Korean War movie “Operation Chromite”, perhaps that is not too far away either.

At the ceremony in London for Sgt. Reckless, the medal itself was worn by Somme, a horse from the King’s Troop mounted artillery. In addition to the London Evening Standard, numerous media covered the award, including the BBC, ABC News and Horse & Hound.

 

Catching Up: Supreme Magic & Yonekura Satoshi Won The KNN Cup

I’ve been away. There are several things to catch up on, most notably developments with regard to the Korea Cup and Sprint, however, the day before I left, the big action was the second leg of the Queens Tour, the KNN Cup at Busan.

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Yonekura Satoshi and Supreme Magic win the KNN Cup (Pic: KRA)

Billed as a battle between Bichui Jeongsang and New York Blue, the race was instead won by a 70/1 outsider as Supreme Magic flew home late on under a perfectly timed ride by Japanese jockey Yonekura Satoshi, to take the honours.

A full-field of sixteen contested the KNN Cup, which was run over a mile. Unusually for a big Stakes race – and a welcome change – Seoul sent a strong contingent to the race including Bichui Jeongsang, who had won the first leg of the tour, the Ttukseom Cup, in the capital in June. She would be sent off as second favourite, behind New York Blue, 3rd in the Ttukseom Cup and who fell in this race last year when expected to win.

Last year’s Korean Oaks winner Jangpung Parang would set the early pace with New York Blue handy while Bichui Jeongsang, coming out of a wide gate, went right to the back. Supreme Magic settled just a couple of spots off the back of the field. Not that many were paying too much attention to where she was.

In the home straight, Jangpung Parang was quickly done and New York Blue took things up.  It looked like this may be her year but that was to reckon without the closers. Once she found a  run, Bichui Jeongsang finished the quickest of them all, but it was too late and she only managed 5th. Instead, out of nowhere emerged Supreme Magic on the stands side to sweep past and run on for a surprisingly comprehensive two-length win.

Supreme Magic [Lookin At Lucky – Thru N’Thru (Stormy Atlantic)] was a $27,000 purchase from the June 2014 Ocala sale in Florida. A four-year-old, she finished 8th in the Ttukseom Cup but had just been promoted to class 1 following a pair of victories and a 2nd place at class 2. The win was her 5th in 14 career starts.

It was a huge win for jockey Yonekura Satoshi. The Japanese rider has had plenty of rides since starting in Korea in April but had been afforded little in the way of quality. Nevertheless, he’s managed to get 27% of his mounts home in the first three. Supreme Magic was his 9th winner at Busan and of course, his biggest so far. The 40-year-old Satoshi’s license has been extended for six months to run until the end of next January. Hopefully there are plenty more winners to come.

The KNN Cup (KOR G3) – Busan Racecourse – 1600M – July 24, 2016

1. Supreme Magic (USA) [Lookin At Lucky – Thru N’Thru (Stormy Atlantic)] – Yonekura Satoshi – 73.4, 8.5
2. New York Blue (USA) [Candy Ride – Aim For The moon (Deputy Minister)] – Lim Sung Sil – 1.2
3. Silver Wolf (AUS) [Orotorio – Ready For More (More Than Ready)] – Yoo Seung Wan – 2.6
Distances: 2 lengths / 1.75 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Who’s Perfect (USA) 5. Bichui Jeongsang (USA) 6. Ms. Margaux (USA) 7. Areumdaundonghaeng (USA) 8. Jangpung Parang (KOR) 9. Winner’s Marine (KOR) 10. Hwanggeumbitjijung (KOR) 10. Model Line (USA) 12. Bear Queen Trophy (USA) 13. Rush Running (KOR) 14. Yuseong Tiger (KOR) DNF: Balios Queen (USA)

Touch Flying Soars In Ilgan Sports

Touch Flying landed her biggest win to date, taking the Listed Ilgan Sports Cup at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon. The filly won by three lengths under apprentice jockey Jo Jae Ro to claim her sixth victory on her tenth career start.

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Touch Flying and Jo Jae Ro get some assistance in the Ilgan Sports winner’s circle

Winner’s Glory, 4th in this year’s Korean Derby, was sent off as a strong favourite for the 1800M race but it was Touch Flying, under apprentice jockey Jo Jae Ro, who made all to take the win. Cheonji Storm, 6th in the Derby, was 2nd and Chanma 3rd, with Winner’s GLory having to settle for 4th.

Apprentice Jo did find himself having to explain why Touch Flying seemed to impede Cheonji Storm half a furlong out and while he was given a three-day ban (and Touch Flying herself ordered to barrier trial before her next start), stewards decided the result should stand.

Ilgan Sports Cup – Seoul Racecourse – 1800M – July 31, 2016

1. Touch Flying (KOR) [Colors Flying – Jeongtongseong (Lassigny)] – Jo Jae Ro – 6.7, 2.0
2. Cheonji Storm (KOR) [Admire Don – Great Thought (Empire Maker)] – Lee Sang Hyeok – 1.8
3. Chanma (KOR) [Menifee – Candleglow (Carson City)] – Kim Dong Soo – 2.3

Distances: 3 lengths / 2 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Winner’s Glory 5. Cosmos King 6. Haetbinna 7. Super Tank 8. Royal Victory 9. Simsin Jiryeo 10. Special Star 11. Gangja 12. Special Win DNF: Oneuri