Kim Bo-kyung, one of the leading trainers at Busan Racecourse, died on Monday March 30. He was 43.

Starting out as a groom in 1998, Kim Bo-kyung worked for a number of stables first on Jeju Island and then from 2005 at the Busan Racecourse. He was ultimately granted a license to strike out on his own in 2018 and quickly established himself among the top tier of trainers at Busan.

In 2019, his first full year, Kim Bo-kyung finished in 6th place in the Busan Trainer’s Premiership, sending out 40 winners. His top three strike-rate of 30% was second only to perennial champion trainer Kim Young-kwan.

While he hadn’t yet saddled a winner in a Group race, Kim had one of this season’s leading three-year-olds, Breeders’ Cup runner-up Save The World, among his 33-strong team, one of the largest at the track.

Save The World provided him with his biggest win when scoring in the main Breeders’ Cup lead-up race in October last year.

A notice posted on the KRA’s Korean language website the week after his death paid tribute to Kim Bo-kyung’s “long term dedication and passion for horse racing”.

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