Last year it took Tiz Plan three attempts to get the better of Cheongdam Dokki. It’s taken him just two to record a victory over the other member of the Seoul Staying Big Three as the six-year-old avenged January’s defeat to Moonhak Chief with a comprehensive win at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday.

The 2019 Korea Cup and Grand Prix Stakes winner Moonhak Chief only raced once in 2020, just before racing’s first prolonged shutdown in February. He returned in January this year and defeated Tiz Plan by six-lengths at level weights over 2000M.

With Sunday’s race under handicap conditions, Tiz Plan was able to get 3kg from Moonhak Chief but punters still sent the Moon Se-young ridden champion off as the odds-on favourite.

It looked to be business as usual as Moonhak Chief sat behind early pacesetter Platinum Euro before taking over at the head of proceedings in the back straight. He soon opened up a lead but under Johan Victoire, Tiz Plan was stalking, never less than four-lengths behind.

By the top of the stretch the pair were on level terms and it was Tiz Plan who proved the strongest running on to win by two-lengths on the line. Moonhak Chief rallied well and held off the fast finishing Brigadier General to claim 2nd place and keep the quinella punters happy.

Both Tiz Plan and Moonhak Chief are owned by Kwon Kyung-ja but are under the care of different trainers. Tiz Plan was winning for the eleventh time in twenty-one starts.

No Stakes schedule has yet been published as with Covid restrictions remaining in place and the government continuing to stall the legalization of online betting what with important regional elections just around the corner, racing’s income remains at 10% pre-pandemic levels. Regardless, a third chapter in their rivalry is inevitable regardless of the conditions or prize money of the race.

In other news at Seoul on Sunday, Dolkong’s half-sister Jangsan Gold got her maiden win at start number six. The four-year-old Goldencents filly was a dominant winner of race 12 at under Moon Se-young.