THE REIGNING GRAND PRIX CHAMPION CLEAN ONE WAS THE STAR OF THE SHOW AT SEOUL ON SUNDAY BUT THERE WERE NINE OTHER RACES RUN AND WON ON THE CARD.

K N LIGHT (Testa Matta), as is his racing pattern, came right from the back of the field but unlike recent runs passed all of his rivals under Jeong Woo-ju landing the day at odds of 41.7 and in doing so became the second horse of the weekend at Seoul to win as the rank outsider.

The other class 3 contest on the card was the last and WE GO HIGH (Musket Man) returned from three months out to register his fifth win from eight starts by a comfortable five-lengths under Jang Chu-youl.

MUSKET CLEAVER (Musket Man) was an impressive eight-length winner of race 5 (1600M Class 4) and looks to have scope for more improvement going on the way he very easily accounted for his rivals.

The same can be said about CONCORD BLUE (Concord Point) who landed race 4 (1300M Class 5) by five-lengths under CC Wong for trainer Lee Shin-woo.

WHILST DOWN AT BUSAN ON SUNDAY UNJU GUY (Freedom Child) was an incredibly impressive winner of the concluding 1800M class 2 by an ever-extending nine-lengths. 

Unju Guy, who was second to Oasis Blue in last year’s Derby, had run into the likes of Young Skywalker and Oasis Red in recent starts, and was also sent up to Seoul for a crack at the President’s Cup in October, but appreciated not running into horses of that ability with what was visually the most impressive win of the day across the country and the style of his win surely wouldn’t have dented his confidence levels going forward.

The disappointment of the race was the 4.0 second choice Geuma Gutty who had been ahead of Unju Guy at each of his last two starts but only managed a 14-length sixth.

Franco da Silva must have had mixed feelings when seeing Clean One, who he seems to have somehow lost the ride on, return with success in the feature up at headquarters but he was literally riding like a man possessed on Sunday as the victory on Unju Guy completed a treble for him on the card after earlier success with VICTORIA CHUKJE (Central Banker) in race 1 (1300M Class 6) and ROAD TO ACE (Musket Man) in race 4 (1200M Class 5).

ARI DRAGON (Musket Man) continued his consistent career to date with victory in race 5 (1400M Class 4) by a half-length at odds of 1.5 and she is yet to do much wrong.

BUNKER BUSTER (Concord Point) justified the incredibly short odds of 1.1 when leading throughout to win race 3 (1400M Class 5) by four-lengths for Masa Tanaka and Bart Rice. He has now won two races from four starts and looks to be getting better and is one to keep following.

SUCCESS DAY (Race Day) was a decent three-length maiden winner of race 2 by a margin of three-lengths after taking up the early running and staying there.

A DAY EARLIER AT SEOUL the highlight on the program was the 1000th career winner for jockey Kim Yong-geun which came in the concluding 1400M class 3 on GIANT BOSS (New White Socks).

Kim went into the program on 998 winners but thanks to two winners on the program, the other being MOVING VOLCANO (Stay Thirsty) in race 8 (1200M Class 4), he completed the milestone.

“I was a bit nervous as the countdown got closer.” Kim told KRBC immediately after jumping off Giant Boss. “So I was really happy to get it out of the way right away. Very thankful to all the racing fans who have supported me, and I will keep going.” 

The two victories also completed a double on the program for trainer Hong Dae-you.

Kim famously rode Power Blade to sweep all three legs of the Triple Crown in 2016, among seventeen Group wins over his riding career to date.

The principal race on the program from a grading perspective was dominated by VET CAPTAIN (Take Charge Indy) who followed up his prior 11-length victory with a nine-length score once again from the front in the 1800M class 2.

Vet Captain, who had never been further than 1600M, was sent off the equal 8.3 fifth choice and as it turned out he was the forgotten horse in the race. He looks like a decent class 1 prospect going on his last two starts. Taepyeong Hero, Yeonhui Hero and the never nearer Zetta Master chased him home whilst the 3.3 favourite Ace K was beaten 18 ½ lengths into eighth at his first class 2 start following a 13 length victory the start prior.

BREEDO AQUA (Shackleford) chased home an impressive winner on her debut and for her second start was sent off the 1.6 favourite and duly obliged from the top, scoring by seven-lengths in the opening maiden.

RAON SNIPER (Musket Man) was a further seven-length winner on Saturday’s card when landing race 6 (1400M Class 5) under Woo In-cheol. The second placed Road To Heat looks one to keep following and is surely close to a victory

As mentioned Hong Dae-you took training honours on the day but there were also doubles on the program for jockeys Kozzi Asano, who completed a race-to-race double in race 3 (1700M Class 6) and race 4 (1800M Class 5) on board POWERFUL IMPACT (Purge) and CHRYSOL DONGHAE (Chrysolite) and Kim Tae-hui, who won on two outsiders in race 7 (1400M Class 4) with GRACE ROUTE (Testa Matta) at odds of 20.0 and GOOD HAPPY (Cloud Computing) in race 9 (1800M Class 4) as the rank outsider at 51.3.

AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY THE PRINCIPAL CONTEST WAS THE LAST RACE WHICH WAS WON BY NICE BUDDY (Central Banker) who confirmed form with Sincheon First after beating that horse by a nose last start.

Nice Buddy had three kilograms more than Sincheon First when they last met but on Friday it was four and a half kilos more but she still proved too good for Sincheon First with a neck score in the 1400M Class 3 justifying punters support as a 3.3 favourite.

DAESEONG GOLD (Uncaptured) continued his consistent record with a victory in race 7 (1200M Class 4) with victory by one-and-three-quarter-lengths and looks progressive.

DOCTOR CARRY (Cupid), at odds of 15.7, accounted for 2.1 favourite Rush Wild in race 5 (1600M Class 5) in decisive style by one-and-a-quarter-lengths with the latter looking to travel strongly with 300 metres to travel but was eventually eclipsed in the closing stages following an impressive debut.

LIGHTNING FORCE (Air Force Blue) went two places better than his debut in the opening maiden with a smart two-and-a-half-length win at odds of 1.3 for Seo Seung-un and Thomas Gillespie.

Franco da Silva had a riding double on the program thanks to GRAND TREE (Uncaptured) in race 3 (1300M Class 5) and NANEUN KKUM (Paynter) in a competitive race 6 (1800M Class 4) and of course added to that two days later with a treble to make it a quintet of victories across the two Busan meetings for this week.

The feature race in Korea next week is the first leg of the Queen’s Tour Spring/Summer, the Dong-a Ilbo (1800M KOR-Listed).