SPEED YOUNG (Menifee) showed why he was recently crowned Korean Horse of the Year for 2025 when overcoming many obstacles to become the first Busan prepared horse to take out the Segye Ilbo Trophy (1200M KOR-Listed), the first black type race of 2026. at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday.

On a day where six of the ten races were won by leaders, Speed Young came from the second half of the field to storm down the outside to deny a game YEONGGWANGUI WORLD, who led all bar the last fifty metres.

Speed Young, who had never won over 1200M prior, was outpaced and under pressure in the early stages but, on a front running dominated track, proved to be by far the best under a brilliant first ride on the horse for Jo In-kwon.

ZIGGURAT was a further five-lengths away in 3^rd, also coming from well back, ahead of HAKSAN SPEED in 4^th.

Korea Sprint 3^rd SUPER FINISH and BEST RACE, who drew either side of the stalls, were the next pair home followed by last year’s winner CROWN HAMSEONG.

The major disappointment was the 3.5 favourite MUNHAK BOY who came into the race on a streak of six victories but was effectively beaten from the start, proving unable to get onto the early speed and ultimately, ended eight and three quarters lengths in 10^th.

“(Speed Young) hadn’t raced over the distance for a year so there was always that concern,” winning jockey Jo In-kwon told KRBC. “But as soon as I saw Munhak Boy hadn’t managed to get on to the speed, I was more at ease and thought we could win. If Munhak Boy had been in front of me, I would have been anxious, but from then on I just left it to Speed Young.”

Speed Young doesn’t currently hold an entry to the first leg of the Sprint Series next month and trainer Bang Dong-suk was non-committal about where his charge would next run: “The first priority is the health of the horse, but we will consider going back to the Stayer Series. For now, I am happy to start 2026 with a win.”

Earlier, THE CLASSIC (Concord Point) was an impressive eased down twelve-length winner of the opening race. He is a “full” brother to the 2023 KRA Cup Mile (2000 Guineas) winner Betelgeuse and looks to have similar ability based on his debut. Betelgeuse didn’t run again after that Cup Mile win but does stand at Stud and just this month his first foals have been reported to be on the ground.

GENERAL WIND (Yeonseung Daero) justified 2.9 favouritism to impressively lead throughout in race 4 under Kim Yong-geun (1400M Class 5) scoring by four-lengths over 3.3 second pick VALID YOUNG who lost no admirers in second.

The American bred MOVING VOLCANO (Stay Thirsty) was a good one-length winner from the top in race 8 (1200M Class 4). The three-year-old colt was the last of the two winners on the program for both Kim Yong-geun and Hong Dae You in a race which saw fancies MUNHAK DAESE and RAON SPILETTA never land a blow.

CIRCLE A (Higher Power) was yet another front running winner on the program scoring in race 9 (1700M Class 4) by four-lengths and in doing so brought up a riding double for Turkish jockey Furkan Yuksel who earlier scored in race 2 with X-TEN (Mischievously). CC Wong was also among the winners on CHRYSOL STONE (Chrysolite).

The biggest surprise of the weekend – and one of the biggest surprises so far this year – came in the closing race when top star three-year-old filly CHIEF STAR, hitherto unbeaten, was run down as 1.3 favourite in the closing stages by the 8.2 second pick FLYING DAY (Race Day) under apprentice Woo In-cheol.

Chief Star, despite jumping a little at the start, began much better compared to recent starts and led effortlessly, albeit never convincingly, and was eventually caught and beaten a length and a half into second. Her jockey Choi Bum-hyun was cautioned by stewards for consistently looking at the big screen in the home straight but there was no doubt she was going to be beaten anyway.

Just like her stablemate Mujehan Geup, and fellow star juvenile last season, the jury is out on Chief Star heading into the Classics.

THE ACTION AT BUSAN ON SUNDAY WAS ALSO HOT WITH YEONGGWANGUIFIRST (Boys At Tosconova) winning the feature Class 1 over 2000M denying the 2024 Horse of the Year and stablemate of Speed Young, GLOBAL HIT. The two pulled clear in the home straight to produce a final furlong thriller with Yeonggwanguifirst prevailing by a head. Global Hit, who was giving away weight, wasn’t diminished in defeat and seems set to stay in training ahead of the Stayer Series where he could yet again face the horse from down the shedrow in Stable 26 at Busan, Speed Young.

Four-year-old POWER TIME (Chrysolite) was a one-length winner of the following 1800M Class 4 over market-toppers BREEDO SOL and LEGEND HIT. Power Time completed a treble on the program for rider Lee Sung-jae following success in race 3 with MUJEOKYI (Hightail) and race 4 with BARBELL TROFEO (Concord Point)

In the opening race (1300M Class 6) RUSH WILD (Bayern) followed up her front-running trial win with an impressive three-length race debut win from the front. Jockey Jin Kyum completed a race-to-race double eighty minutes later when following up on board TAEPYEONG FLEX (South Beach) in a 1600M Class 6. Jin matched Lee Sung-jae by completing a treble on the day with GREAT BOY (Hansen) for trainer Thomas Gillespie in the concluding race 7. 

A DAY EARLIER AT HEADQUARTERS, NO PROBLEM (Federalist) continued his progression in the day’s main race (1800M Class 2) with a front running romp by five-lengths. His local handicap mark will be well above 80 now so he will be taking on Class 1 horses when he appears next, but he is showing no signs of slowing down at this stage.

GLOBAL CHAMP (Gaon Champ) proved too good late when winning race 6 (1200M Class 5) by two and a half lengths under CC Wong denying Best Dream who led for most of the way and ran another game placing and surely is close to a victory.

MR. TAEYANG (Race Day) was one of the more impressive winners of the day in race 7 (1700M Class 5) sitting just off the pace before exploding away in the closing stages to score by seven-lengths.

RAON THE CLARA (Musket Man), LOVERMAN (To Honor And Serve) and EAN PERFECT (Old Fashioned) were all wide margin winners of the opening Class 6 contests whilst WHIZ PERFECT (Rock Your World) and G B VAULT (Rock Your World)were the winners of the two foreign bred Class 4 races on the card.

The meeting got off to the worst possible start after a catastrophic injury to Hwasumok in race 1 in an incident that brought down three other runners. The other horses involved emerged relatively unscathed and jockeys CC Wong and Jang Chu-youl were able to fulfil their remaining commitments. Luis Quiroz and Moon Jung-kyun required hospital treatment, however, Quiroz was cleared to return to riding on Sunday.

AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY, THE EVER PROGRESSIVE YOUNG SKYWALKER (I’m Your Father) completed a hat-trick of victories in race 7 (1800M Class 2) with an impressive two-length score over Oasis Red bridging the margin back in their rivalry to 3-2 in favour of the latter. Young Skywalker sat midfield in a slowly run race before showing a great turn of foot in the straight to decisively account for Oasis Red who whilst he was beaten comfortably on the day lost no admirers having his first run back after a minor colic setback in January. Geuma Gutty and Unju Guy chased home Young Skywalker and Oasis Red, as they are accustomed to doing, in 3rd and 4th.

In other races on the program THE POINT (Concord Point) was an impressive five-length winner of the opening 1200M Class 6 and ARI DRAGON (Musket Man) won by a length further in race 4 (1300M Class 5).

Riding honours on the day went to Choi Si-dae with a double on board OASIS RUBY (Race Day) in race two and QUEEN TYCHE (Hansen) in race seven.

There is no racing in Korea next week due to the Lunar New Year holiday but the action will be hot when racing returns with the first of the Classic Trials in the Listed Gyeongnam Shinmun Trophy and Listed Sports Seoul Trophy taking place at Busan and Seoul on March 1 with a black type race to follow every Sunday after that until June 14.

As a bonus, the first weekend back will also see Monday racing at Seoul to mark the Independence Movement Public Holiday. It is the first of three Monday public holidays in 2026 to feature a special race program.