Day: September 23, 2023

Jeju Governor’s Cup Sunday Seoul & Busan: Race-By-Race Preview (September 24)

The Queens’ Tour is back for the opening leg of its Fall & Winter series as the Jeju Governor’s Cup comes to Seoul on Sunday afternoon. The race will pick the three-year-old Triple Tiara winner Jeulgeounyeojeong against older fillies and mares, including Raon First and Raon The Spurt. See here for a full preview of the big race. There are 11 races at Seoul from 10:35 to 18:00 and 6 at Busan from 11:50 to 16:35. Here are the previews:

Jeulgeounyeojeong will return to the scene of her Triple Tiara final leg win (Pic: KRA)

Seoul Race 1: Class 6 (1200M) Special Weight A / KRW 60 Million

Juvenile maidens in the opener with four of the ten racing for the first time. We’ll side with the only one who has raced twice before, (6) GOLDEN DRAGON. Having run 6th on debut, he was an improved 2nd at start number two over 1200M on August 19th, when settling midfield and running on. He won’t need to improve much to win this. (8) CHADOL DIA was a close 2nd when racing on pace on her August debut over 1000M. She should be on the speed again here and strip fitter for the run. Among the first timers, the clear pick is (2) MEGA DRAGON. He first trialled in April but didn’t make it to the races, but he looked very good in another hear on September 8th, settling back and then working through the line well in a good time. The 1200M should suit first-up and a bold showing is likely. (1) VICAR NAREUMA hinted at ability in his trial and along with (3) EUNPA PARTNER, rates as a place chance.

Selections(6) Golden Dragon (8) Chadol Dia (2) Mega Dragon (1) Vicar Nareuma
Next Best3, 5
Fast Start1, 5, 6, 8

Seoul Race 2: Class 6 (1200M) Special Weight A / KRW 60 Million

More juvenile maidens and (1) USEUNG CONCORD will be a warm favourite here. After a positive trial, he ran 3rd on debut on August 26th, having raced handy throughout. He should strip fitter for that, and the additional furlong can suit. (2) SEIRENE has raced twice, improving to 2nd in the latest of them on August 20th when settling back and running on. The time wasn’t quick, but she should have benefitted from the 1200M experience, and she shapes as the main danger. (11) BLOOD MOUNTAIN and (4) THUNDER YEOGEOL both ran 6th on their respective debuts, the former behind Useung Concord. Both can get closer today. There are three debut makers among whom (9) STAR TREK looks best placed to make an immediate impact.

Selections(1) Useung Concord (2) Seirene (11) Blood Mountain (4) Thunder Yeogeol
Next Best9, 5
Fast Start1, 3, 4, 5

Seoul Race 3: Class 6 (1200M) Special Weight A / KRW 25 Million

August’s Rookie Stakes was too much too soon for (6) CHEONHAENGCHAT, but he returns to shallower waters today with solid claims. That’s based on his runner-up finish two starts back over this distance when close to the pace throughout and a similar performance in this company can see him home on top. (2) SEOUL DOLPUNG looks the main danger. After an indifferent debut, he has run 3rd and 4th in two subsequent appearances at this distance and at 1000M both times settling back and running on. He can continue to make progress here. Solitary debut-maker (8) GROUPER looked well in a trial back in June. It’s three months later but in this modest company he has to be given a chance first-up. (9) YONGBICHEON beat a couple of these on her way to 3rd place at this distance on August 26th and can go close again. (12) MENI WIN another in the hunt.  

Selections(6) Cheonhaengchat (2) Seoul Dolpung (8) Grouper (9) Yongbicheon
Next Best12, 11
Fast Start3, 6, 11, 12

Busan Race 1: Class 6 (1200M) Special Weight A / KRW 25 Million

Fillies only in this maiden. (8) WORLD FIRST CAT ran 3rd on debut over 1000M in July and then 2nd on her first try at this distance on August 20th when settling midfield and running on and only going down by a narrow margin. She should be on or close to the pace today and she can exit class 3 with a win. (9) GANGSEO BULPAE was sent off as favourite on debut having won a trial and while she was beaten into 2nd place, she ran well, leading for much of the way around. She should have derived benefit from that experience and is the main danger here. Those two in either order will fill out most quinellas. (7) TOMYRIS put in an improved performance over 1400M last time out and looks the best of the rest, while (3) THE BIG SHOT and (4) SANGIM STAR are other potential improvers.

Selections(8) World First Cat (9) Gangseo Bulpae (7) Tomyris (3) The Big Shot
Next Best4, 2
Fast Start2, 4, 5, 8

Seoul Race 4: Class 6 (1300M) Special Weight A / KRW 25 Million

(7) GEOMUI JEONSEOL enters off a solid 3rd place at this distance on August 27th when ridden handy throughout. In the process he recorded the quickest time any of these have managed for the distance and in this modest company, he can make his breakthrough. (10) HAPPY PLAY beat a couple of these, including Geomui Jeonseol, on her way to 3rd place over this distance last time out. That was all the way back in June so she comes in following a thirteen-week layoff, but she can be a danger. (8) POWER ETCHED registered his best finish to date when 2nd at 1400M on September 2nd and a repeat of that performance would put him very much in the mix today. (3) SWITCH SONG and (6) QUEEN TOP the best of a limited rest.

Selections(7) Geomui Jeonseol (10) Happy Play (8) Power Etched (3) Switch Song
Next Best6, 11
Fast Start2, 3, 5, 10

Busan Race 2: Class 6 (1600M) Special Weight A / KRW 25 Million

(2) THE BEST EVER comes in after a 2nd and a 3rd in his latest two, both at 1400M. He comes up to the mile for the first time, he draws well, and he can come out on top today. (11) GRAY BOSS ran 4th to The Best Ever’s 3rd when they raced each other at 1400M on August 27th coming out of the same wide gate that he draws today. He settled right back but showed a nice turn of foot at the end – he has by far the fastest final furlong average time of all of these – and the additional furlong here could well be in his favour. (1) COLONEL FLYING enters in consistent form with a 2nd and a 3rd from his latest two. He is another with a strong finish who should be challenging late. (4) SHINE MONSTER and (9) I’M KING IJI among others with at least placing chances.

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TIARA WINNER JEULGEOUNYEOJEONG FACES RAON FIRST IN QUEENS’ TOUR SUNDAY

The Queens’ Tour returns for it’s Fall and Winter series and while the top-two from the Spring and Summer, Raon The Spurt and Raon First return, the Park Jong-kon trained pair will have to contend with a newcomer as Triple Tiara winner Jeulgeounyeojeong will join them in the starting gate in the Jeju Governor’s Cup (1400M KOR-G3) at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

Jeulgeounyeojeong easily won the Triple Tiara (Pic: KRA)

JEULGEOUNYEOJEONG won the Luna Stakes (1600M) by just a nose, but she dominated both the Korean Oaks (1800M) and the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup (2000M) to sweep all three jewels of the Tiara. Even more impressive perhaps was her return to Busan on August 27th when she crushed a field of solid older male class 1 horses over the same 1400M that she will face on Sunday. Back in restricted filly and mare company and with a three-year-old weight allowance, she may prove hard to beat.

Franco Da Silva will partner Jeulgeounyeojeong, just as he did in all three-legs of the Triple Tiara after stepping in as a late replacement for Seo Seung-un in the Luna Stakes and subsequently keeping the ride. It’s been a golden year for Da Silva, who is in second place in the Busan Jockey Premiership (behind Seo Seung-un) and he is closing in on Djordje Perovic’s all time record of winners for foreign jockeys in Korea.

Although she will start a strong favourite, Jeulgeounyeojeong may not have everything all her own way. RAON FIRST is the highest rated filly or mare in the country courtesy of her superb win in the President’s Cup (2000M KOR-G1) last November. She hasn’t won a race since, but she finished 2nd in the opening two legs of the Queens’ Tour Spring and Summer before beating Eoma Eoma on her way to 2nd behind Ssonsal in the SROA Chairman’s Sprint. It is this consistency that has her favoured over stablemate RAON THE SPURT, despite the latter beating her by six-lengths in May’s Ttukseom Cup over the same course and distance. That win was enough to see Raon The Spurt to enough points the claim the overall Spring and Summer series title, but she can mix her form.

The Raon pair are likely to be second and third in the betting market. They will be followed by a duo that have gone somewhat under the radar. YELLOW CAT is a lightly raced five-year-old, who defied big odds to run a solid 4th in the KNN Cup, the final leg of the Spring and Summer Series in June over a mile at Busan.  She rarely runs a bad race and can be close. ILBEONJI steps into this company for the first time. She has won six of thirteen, most recently over 1400M at class 2 level in August, making all. She could step up.

EODIGANA, who won the first race of the Spring and Summer Series, the Donga Ilbo Trophy, returns but is racing for the first time since her 5th place in the Ttukseom Cup and faces a big ask first-up.  Aside from Jeulgeounyeojeong, there is just one other three-year-old in the race. That’s RANUT, a winner of five from ten, runs in Graded Stakes company for the first time and has Moon Se-young aboard.  She has been done no favours by the draw.

The Jeju Governor’s Cup is race 8 on an 11-race program at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday.

Selections: (12) Jeulgeounyeojeong (6) Raon First (9) Raon The Spurt (15) Yellow Cat