The weekend’s racing gets underway at Busan on Friday where there are eight races from 12:00 to 18:00. All betting locations are open but attendance must be pre-booked using the MyCard app. Here are the previews:
Busan Race 1: Class 6 (1200M) Allowance / KRW 40 Million
Three-year-old maidens open the card with six of the twelve making their racecourse debuts. It’s one of those first-timers who will be the one to beat. (5) KING BOSS trialed two weeks ago and was very impressive, jumping out well and staying on the bridle, crossing the line in 2nd place with seemingly plenty of running in him. The 1200M can suit and from a good gate, he should be on pace and make a winning start to his career. Staying with the debut-makers, (1) KKUM NEOMEO also trialed well sitting handy and crossing the line 3rd, a long way behind King Of The Match but just over a length behind Jera, who has four wins from eight and is his half-brother. From the inside, he can be in this a long way. (4) COME ON FIRST also put in a bold showing in his trial and can be considered first-up. As for the experienced ones, (3) FLYING REGAL and (11) BUSAN SORY look the best.
| Selections | (5) King Boss (1) Kkum Neomeo (4) Come On First (3) Flying Regal |
| Next Best | 11, 6 |
| Fast Start | 1, 2, 5, 12 |
Busan Race 2: Class 6 (1300M) Allowance / KRW 25 Million
Maiden fillies (and one mare) here. (5) WONDERFUL FILE is the clear pick here. After an indifferent debut, she has produced two fair performances to finish 4th, both at this distance, and she won’t need to improve much to win this. (8) QUALITY QUEEN also comes in following two decent runs, most recently at this distance on February 5th when 6th of fourteen in a sterner test than this. In this field she can probably get on pace, and she has solid claims to go close. (9) HAMAN YEOHANGSAN comes up to this distance for the first time. She has proven able to run on the speed, as she did two starts back when 4th, or settling back and running on for 6th, both in big fields and both at 1200M. She has at least placing chances today. (1) WONDERFUL SMARTY has never finished better than 3rd in twenty outings but this is the kind of race where she can pick up some minor money. (4) DOCTOR TANGO another who could sneak into a place.
| Selections | (5) Wonderful File (8) Quality Queen (9) Haman Yeohangsan (1) Wonderful Smarty |
| Next Best | 4, 2 |
| Fast Start | 3, 4, 8, 9 |
Busan Race 3: Class 6 (1600M) Allowance / KRW 25 Million
Small but competitive field. (3) GRAND CHUKJE has earned favourite status based on his latest two outings, most recent when 3rd, just neck behind the winner in a tight finish at this distance. The same apprentice jockey keeps the weight low, and he draws a much better gate this time and at the fourteenth time of asking, it can be his day. Just a further half-length back in 4th place in that race was (8) CHOEGANG MARINE, who led for much of the way around. He also has a 3rd place to his name at this distance and despite being drawn in the widest gate, he should be able to get a relatively soft run to the lead and he could overturn the form. Also coming out of that race is (7) ADELE STELLA. He has finished between 3rd and 5th at all of his starts so far. He can run on well and maintain his consistent form here. (4) ETTEUMI and (1) KING PARTY others who can have a say in the finish.
| Selections | (3) Grand Chukje (8) Choegang Marine (7) Adele Stella (4) Etteumi |
| Next Best | 1, 2 |
| Fast Start | 4, 5, 7, 8 |
Busan Race 4: Class 6 (1400M) Allowance / KRW 25 Million
We’ll take a chance here on (7) RAON THE FIGHTING. He races for just the fifth time and comes up in trip after a decent 4th over 1300M on February 27th having raced handy throughout. He could well lead here and has every chance. (8) CHAMP GO will probably be the favourite. Draw a line through his latest effort on February 20th when he used up plenty to get forward from a wide draw and instead go on his previous two when 3rd and 2nd, both at this distance. He is up in the weight here, but Franco Da Silva climbs aboard, and he has solid chances. (1) CARIBBEAN DAY is yet to finish in the top two but has been a model of consistency with three 4th place finish and a 3rd from his latest four appearances, all at a mile. He comes back in trip here, draws nicely and can run into some money again. (3) MAJOR FORCE and (4) DAEJI SPECIAL are others with placing chances.
| Selections | (7) Raon The Fighting (8) Champ Go (1) Caribbean Day (3) Major Force |
| Next Best | 4, 9 |
| Fast Start | 4, 7, 9, 10 |
Busan Race 5: Class 5 (1400M) Handicap / KRW 40 Million
Fillies and mares only here. (4) ALIVE QUEEN was a gate-to-wire winner two starts back over 1300M at class six level before running 2nd on her first try at this level, again at 1300M on February 11th. She was a beaten favourite that day and was wide early before leading for much of the straight, only to be passed by a good winner. She draws slightly better here and this half-sister to Doraonpogyeongseon, an eleven-time winner in Korea, can come home on top this time. (11) CHEONNYEONUIGUREUM enters in good form with a 4th and a 2nd in her latest two, both at this class and distance. Her running style is to settle back and finish off so the wide draw shouldn’t be too much of a problem. (3) OCEAN STORM remains a maiden having been promoted to this level with a pair of runner-up finishes. She added a third before finishing 4th on her first try at this distance on February 27th, having led for part of the race. She should have come on for that and will be in the mix. (10) FANTASTIC LOVE and (8) GREAT GO are among several others who may be considered for the places.
| Selections | (4) Alive Queen (11) Cheonnyeonuigureum (3) Ocean Storm (10) Fantastic Love |
| Next Best | 8, 9 |
| Fast Start | 2, 3, 6, 10 |
Busan Race 6: Class 5 (1300M) Handicap / KRW 60 Million
(11) MISS GO should be winning this. She is yet to finish any worse than 4th in five starts and was a bit slow away and just a little late arriving on the scene when favourite over 1200M last time out on February 18th, ultimately finishing 3rd. True she has got the same unfavourable gate, but she has plenty of ability and should put things right here. That will mean overturning the form on (1) A ONE PLUS, who finished half a length ahead of Miss Go in 2nd place in that February race. She franked that form with another 2nd over 1200M on March 4th, once again coming from off the pace. She is yet to win in seventeen starts and should find one too quick again, but she looks the most credible danger to the favourite. (3) BURUI GEOM has mixed his form so far but showed plenty of zip when winning at 1200M at class six level two starts back. He struggled from a wide draw over 1400M on his first try at this level but should be much more comfortable today. (9) MORNING THUNDER and (7) MONEY BAG are others in the hunt.
| Selections | (11) Miss Go (1) A One Plus (3) Burui Geom (9) Morning Thunder |
| Next Best | 7, 5 |
| Fast Start | 1, 6, 8, 11 |
Busan Race 7: Class 5 (1200M) Allowance / KRW 40 Million
It’s hard to look too far past (7) KENDRICK. An emphatic winner on debut over 1000M, he stepped up to this class and distance on February 11th, having worked hard from the outside gate to lead close to home. He draws better today, comes down slightly in the weights, and he will take some beating. (3) STORM TO WIN returns to action for the first time since November. She is a class and distance winner and while she didn’t run especially well in the two outings prior to her layoff, she absolutely blitzed a trial last weekend. We perhaps shouldn’t read too much into the time as the track was very wet, but she comes in here carrying 6kg less than when we last saw her and 4kg less than when she last won. She could be interesting. (5) HANEUL GANGJA comes up in class having made all to win at this distance on February 18th. That was just his second start, and he can measure up in this company. (1) CHIEF OFFICER and (11) SEOGWI PLUS are others who can enter the calculations.
| Selections | (7) Kendrick (3) Storm To Win (5) Haneul Gangja (1) Chief Officer |
| Next Best | 11, 10 |
| Fast Start | 3, 7, 11, 12 |
Busan Race 8: Class 3 (1800M) Handicap / KRW 75 Million
(2) WORLD CHANGE took his chance in the Korean Derby last November and while things didn’t go especially well that day, he is unbeaten in three outings since and can extend it to four here. Two of those wins have been at this distance and while his latest was back at 1400M, it was at this class and under a fair weight and from a good gate, he should have too much. He is tactically versatile so could lead or could settle back. The clear second choice is (9) DOCTOR TAKE. He ran 2nd to World Change at class 4 level over this distance two starts back and then beat several of today’s rivals when winning at this class and distance on February 27th. He comes up 3.5kg for his troubles but can be a danger. (8) TOP MATE had a torrid time over a mile when drawn in gate fourteen at his latest start. This should suit much better and today’s handicap conditions brings him down 4kg in the weights. It took (1) LUCAS SUN fourteen attempts to get his maiden win, but he evidently enjoyed it because he immediately followed up with another. Both were at this distance, and he comes up in class and significantly down in weight, looking for a hat-trick. (3) HILL MORE another who can go close.
| Selections | (2) World Change (9) Doctor Take (8) Top Mate (1) Lucas Sun |
| Next Best | 3, 10 |
| Fast Start | 2, 6, 8, 10 |
Horse Racing in Korea 