THE PRINCIPAL ACTION IN KOREA ON SUNDAY WAS ON THE SOUTH-EAST COAST BUT SEOUL STILL HAD A GOOD PROGRAM AND A VERY STRONG CLASS 1 CONTEST WAS WON BY VICS GO who made it two consecutive wins over the course, distance and grade in race 9, writes Luke Humphreys.  

Vics Go (Vics) was ridden exactly the same by Woo In-cheol as at the start of the month, going towards the rear and then hugging the rail to go on and score by two-and-a-half lengths over Ziggurat and Pepper X who ran very honourable races in 2^nd and 3^rd places.

The last horse home was last year’s G3 Kookje Shinmun Cup winner Munhak Boy who with 58kg was beaten 17 lengths. He was on pace early but lost the plot from the halfway stage onwards.

No Problem was coming into the race on four consecutive victories but his first run at class 1 level was one to forget as he got upset in the gate as the race began and dumped Song Jae-chul who was conveyed to hospital for x-rays.

KING MASTER (The King) ran out a strong winner of race 8 (1800M Class 4) when defeating Mr. Taeyang by four-lengths. King Master had chased home the smart Chrysol Stone at his previous start and could potentially be a Derby horse, as could Mr. Taeyang who lost no admirers in second.

King Master gave jockey Jo Jae-ro two of the last three winners on the card as the ever consistent TIARA SUA (Audible) led throughout to win the concluding 1400M class 3.

SLAM DRAGON (Power Blade) took race 7 (1600M Class 4) for Kozzi Asano and Tony Castanheira defeating his co-favourites Myeong Power and Geosen Daero.

HWASAN POKPAL (Smokem) broke through at the seventh time of asking when winning race 6 (1300M Class 4) as the third market elect at 5.9. He had never placed from six runs, but the best two runs of his career were his two previous outings, so he is obviously heading in the right direction. The race saw the two favourites in Jjarithan Haengbok, 2.6, and Hero Cheetah, 3.6, proved disappointing.

Hwasan Pokpal completed a riding double on the program for Jeong Jeong-hee as he won race 4 (1200M Class 5) on board 24/1 chance SMART MARU (Revolutionary) with only a nose, a head and a nose separating the first four home.

The victory of Smart Maru completed a race-to-race training double for Park Jae-woo who 68 minutes earlier landed a 1700M Class 6 thanks to the four-length victory of the 2.7 favourite LUCKY JOY (Gemologist).

FLYING THUNDER (Preservationist) was an impressive seven-length winner of race 5 (1400M Class 5) and in doing so completed back-to-back front-running victories and looks destined for more victories in his career.

BEOLGYO EMPEROR (Rock Your World) was the best of the maiden winners in race 2 winning the 1300M contest by two-lengths at odds of 1.5.

DOWN AT BUSAN ON THE SAME DAY FUNNY WILD LANDED THE KOREAN 2000 GUINEAS BUT THE LAST OF THE TWO CLASS 3 HANDICAPS WAS WON BY NEVER GIVE UP who lived up to his name as he was winning for the first time at the grade at attempt five.

Never Give Up (Peace Rules) won three races in a row last summer over the Busan 1800M and once again won over the distance when landing the concluding contest of the day as a 5.7 third pick in the betting. The 3.1 second favourite Max The Cat, who beat Funny Wild at his prior start, was a two-and-a-half-length 2^nd whilst the 2.6 favourite Storm Fighter was an eight-and-a-half-length fourth.

The race saw Choi Eun-gyeong get dumped at the start when Sekwang Choegang knuckled on leaving the stalls. Choi, who only last week had returned to riding after four months out with a pelvic injury walked back to the jockey’s room but will have to pass concussion protocols.

The victory of Never Give Up completed a riding double for Jo In-kwon after 60/1 outsider BEOLGYO MABEOPSA (Revolutionary) came from miles back to win race 2 (1400M Class 6). 

EPHPHATHA (Instagrand) made it three wins from as many starts when leading for the majority of the contest to win race 5 (1400M Class 3) by two-and-a-half lengths. The US import looks progressive and is one to continue following.

4.3 second favourite SUNRISE (Gemologist) proved too good for the 2.4 popular pick Lampyojeonggeenie when pulling away to win race 4 (1300M Class 5) by one-and-a-half lengths. She has now won her last two races, which gives her a 50% winning strike rate.

Kim Hyo-jung was down at Busan to ride Flutter in the Korean 2000 and whilst he only beat two home her trip was still worth it as she picked up multiple rides on the card for Baik Kwang-yeol and DOCTOR HUNTER (Race Day) was a decent five-length winner for that combination in the opening 1200M class 6 as a 3.5 second pick defeating 2.1 favourite Global One Pick.

AT SEOUL ON SATURDAY DAESEONG STAR bounced back from a disappointing effort last start to land the 2000M class 2 by one-length.

Daeseong Star (Concord Point) had won the start prior over course, distance and grade and made it two wins from his last three starts and in doing so defeated the ever consistent Choegang Gold, who ran a fine race at his first run at the grade, Musket Day, who had the perfect run and presented as the winner early in the home straight but only managed third as a 2.3 favourite, and the 2024 Derby winner Eunpa Sarang, who for the second consecutive start ran a much better race. Brown Gold, the 4.1 second market choice, was home in fifth but was only beaten by two-lengths.

WONPYEONG SKET (Musket Man) was written off by some after her incredibly basic performance against similar rivals at the start of the month, but punters kept the faith sending her off a 2.2 favourite in the closing 1200M class 3 and she justified their support with a diminishing neck victory. 

The two worst runs of her career, obviously including her previous run, had been the only two times where she hadn’t led so naturally from gate one Ruan Maia was very keen to hold the top in the early stages and she was a clear leader for the majority of the contest before getting very tired in the closing stages, but she had enough of a break to hold off the late challenge of Cosmo One in a solid time of 1:13.5 considering the slow track. 

Cosmo Run ran the equal quickest final furlong of the race, 13.1 seconds, whilst the fourth placed Free The One, who was the 3.7 second favourite, also ran the same time for his last 200 metres coming from last after getting way too far out of his ground in the early stages.

The disappointment of the race was Gwanaksan Storm who won the form-line race for this event on March 1 when leading Wonpyeong Sket but today the roles were reversed in the run and also in regard to the result and he was the one that was vehemently disappointing.

The victory of Wonpyeong Sket completed a double on the program for trainer Jung Ho-ik who prepared SONGDANG HWANGTAEJA (Overanalyze) to win race 9 (1800M Class 3).

Songdang Hwangtaeja was having his first run over both the distance and grade but proved more than up to the task after sitting midfield off a strong pace to win by two-and-a-half lengths. 

It was Malaysia against Brazil in the first half of the race with CC Wong on the 2.5 favourite Dragon Killer and Ruan Maia on the 2.8 second choice Perfect Danaeun both very keen to lead and they set up a decent break on their rivals, which obviously was eventually reduced, and a quick time of 1:57.1. Dragon Killer was second whilst Perfect Danaeun, at his first run at the trip, ended up a tired fourth. MK Lee and BS Storm were the two disappointments of the race finishing sixth and ninth respectively.

The very consistent CLUB Q (Revolutionary) won her fourth race, they have all been over 1400M, when winning race 7 and making it two wins from her past three starts, both at class 4 level. She was sent off the 3.2 favourite and won by two-and-a-half lengths over the third and fourth picks in the market in Tohomarket and Geunyang Gara whilst the big disappointment was the 3.2 favourite Jiljuui Yeowang who has now produced two very good performances and two very bad performances from four runs.

RAON SAPPHIRE (Musket Man) made it two wins from four starts when winning race 5 (1300M Class 5) by one-and-a-half lengths over Choego Gold, 2.4 favourite, whilst CHEONJI TANK (Air Force Blue) was an impressive four-length winner of the opening 1300M class 6 as a 1.3 favourite.

Riding honours on the day clearly went to Lee Dong-ha who not only rode a double but also his 300th career winner on JILPUNGA (Tapwrit) who led throughout to score by four-lengths in race 6 as a 3.7 favourite. Lee’s earlier winner came on BEST URBANE (Uncaptured) in race 3 (1400M Class 6) which, a la Jilpunga, also led throughout.

AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY THERE WERE PLENTY OF TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS WITH MULTIPLE SUCCESS AND VANGIE completed a treble on the program for Bart Rice and a double for Seo Seung-un when winning the concluding 1200M class 2.

Vangie (Musket Man), who was having his third run at class 2 level, was having his first run at the grade over the 1200M after a third and two fourth places over 1400M but appreciated the drop back in trip by a furlong and recorded his fifth win from 15 starts with four of those coming over the six furlongs. He has never missed the top four either with six second places, a third and two fourth place finishes also. 

The favourite in the race was Beolma King who wasn’t far away but finished a never nearer sixth just the same.

The other victory for jockey Seo Seung-un on the card came courtesy of FAST MAN (Blue Pin) who justified 1.5 favouritism in race 4 (1200M Class 5) with a four-length victory, and made the form of race 5 at Busan on February 27 look very good as he finished third in that race whilst the second placed Bunker Buster has been a subsequent winner also. However, the winner of that race, Seongsil Dream, is yet to have raced again.

The other victories for trainer Bart Rice came in race 1 (1200M Class 4) with BARAM DAERO (Copper Bullet), who led throughout to deny the 1.4 favourite Vegas Jeontu, and also SKY WIN WIN (Win Win Win), who was ridden from the top for the first time, in race 6 (1800M Class 4) and held on to score by one-length in what was an outstanding frontrunning ride from Franco da Silva.

The victory of Baram Daero in the opener was the first of two winners for jockey Masa Tanaka who followed up in race 5 (1400M Class 5) on board GWANGBOKUI BANSEOK (Mendelssohn) who won by a comfortable space of four-lengths.

Jockey Lee Hyo-sik and trainer Lee Jung-pyo combined to have a double thanks to the efforts of debutante CHEONNYEONDOR (Dortmund) in race 3 (1300M Class 6) and SEKWANG LIGHT (Shackleford) in race 7 (1600M Class 4)

The biggest winner of the day was YONGBI JJANG (Gemologist) in race 2 (1600M Class 6) who won by a very cute 10 lengths as a 1.5 favourite.

The big race for next weekend is back down at Busan with the first leg of the Triple Tiara taking place for the three-year-old fillies in the Luna Stakes (KOR-Listed), the Korean equivalent of the 1000 Guineas. At Seoul it will also be the opening of the popular annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

(more…)