The 2025 Principal Race calendar gets underway at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday with the Segye Ilbo Trophy (1200M KOR-Listed). FULL RACE-BY-RACE PREVIEW OF ALL SUNDAY RACES AT SEOUL & BUSAN HERE.

While restricted to Korean bred runners, the race nevertheless has attracted most of the nation’s top sprinters, including the first three locally trained horses across the line in last September’s international Korea Sprint.

VINCERO CAVALLO was only the 3^rd best local in that Korea Sprint, coming home in 6^th place, but he has kicked on since then with a 4^th place in the Kookje Shinmun Trophy (1400M KOR-Listed) followed by back-to-back wins at today’s distance of 1200M, both at class 1 and in contrasting styles, from the front, and from well off the pace. Versatile and perhaps with his best yet to come, he can get his first Stakes win here.

The Korea-trained horse who got closest to Remake, Jasper Krone and Anarchist in the Korea Sprint, running on late for 4^th, was SPEED YOUNG. He is a two-time local Group race winner, having won the G2 Breeders’ Cup Rookie as a juvenile in 2022 and the 2024 G3 Busan Owners’ Cup at a mile last June.

Speed Young rounded out the year with 3^rd place in the G1 President’s Cup at 2000M and G1 Grand Prix at 2300M, both races won by stablemate Global Hit. Global Hit’s regular jockey Kim Hye-sun rides him on Sunday.

Champion jockey Moon Se-young is rapidly closing in on 2000 career wins and he partners NAOL SNIPER. Runner-up to Global Hit in the 2023 Korean Derby, he moves down to the sprinting ranks for the first time after a strong end to 2024 and is an intriguing entry.

One of just two fillies or mares in the race, CROWN HAMSEONG is a winner of seven from ten most recently on her first try at class 1 in December. This is a stern step up in challenge, but she looks to have plenty of potential and it’s not impossible she could give jockey CC Wong his first Korean Stakes win.

Twelve runners will go around in total:

1. HANGANG CLASS – Champion juvenile in 2023, it didn’t really happen for him as a three-year-old and he missed five months of the season. Showed signs of a return to form with 2^nd at class 2 over 1800M on December 27^th. A two-time winner at this distance (as a juvenile), he will have some backers on a place line.

2. CROWN HAMSEONG – A winner of seven from ten including her latest two, both over a mile and most recently her first go at class 1 on January leading all the way. Moon Se-young rode her in both and while he gets on Naol Sniper, CC Wong is a more than adequate replacement and from a great draw she can be in this a long way.

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