THE GIRLS TOOK CENTRE STAGE AT SEOUL ON SUNDAY WITH THE COUNTRY’S PREMIER RACE FOR OLDER FILLIES AND MARES BUT IN OTHER RACES THE MAIN RACE WAS THE VERY LAST AND THE CONSISTENT J S ROAD, after chasing home Geudaemaniddamyeon and Eclipse Berry at his previous two starts, recorded his first win since December 2024 getting the better of Wonpyeong Sket and More Than Joke in a close finish between the three popular picks.

J S Road (Twirling Candy, under a perfectly timed ride from gun apprentice Woo In-cheol grabbed the long-time leader and talented but stamina-challenged three-year-old filly Wonpyeong Sket in the dying strides to win by an extending half-length with More Than Joke a neck away in 3rd.

The victory of J S Road completed a training double on the day for Song Moon-gil, who also prepared the progressive URUS SABBIA (Overanalyze) to make it two wins from two in Race 3 (1400M Class 5). The victory was by five-lengths, but it could have been even further had he not been so green in the home straight the same as on his debut. He needs to improve his manners, but the ability is there.

Kim Yong-geun rode a race-to-race double on the card and that began when BREEDO CALEY (Revolutionary) led throughout to win Race 4 (1800M Class 5) by four-lengths after two 2nd places at his prior two starts. That race saw the 2.5 favourite Fighter finish a well beaten 8th after effectively being beaten from the halfway stage. Fifty minutes later Kim rode SLING STAR (To Honor And Serve) to land Race 5 (1700M Class 4) by one-length as the 1.9 favourite. Sling Star completed a hat-trick of victories and continues to progress.

Race 8 (1600M Class 3) saw the impressive MAEUM HANA (Gaon Champ) somehow start the 5.2 third elect but despite being written off by punters he made it four consecutive wins going up in grade by one level on each occasion. With Geudaemaniddamyeon, the country’s highest rated three-year-old at present, out for the remainder of the season and his future career in doubt, Maeum Hana may just be one to keep things ticking over in the classic ages ranks for the combination of CC Wong, Choi Yong-geon and Woo Tae-yul. The race saw Free The One and Best Pitch, 3rd and 4th in the Sports Seoul Trophy respectively, start the 2.3 and 4.4 popular picks but they were both bitter disappointments with Best Pitch always towards the rear finishing 8th whilst Free The One knocked right up and was last of the 10 runners to complete the course.

Maeum Hana was the second impressive winner of the day for Choi Yong-geon as NAOL AURORA (Musket Man) was a smart winner of Race 2 (1400M Class 6) leading throughout to score by six-lengths.

In Race 9 HANGANG PERFECT (Old Fashioned) landed a competitive 1800M Class 3 as the 6.8 fourth market choice accounting for the incredibly consistent Morning Wonder by a head. The 2.5 favourite Dragon Killer could only manage 7th after being unable to lead and therefore working hard in the run.

MEANWHILE DOWN AT BUSAN ON THE SAME DAY THE CLOSING CLASS 2 LOOKED A VERY COMPETITIVE HANDICAP BUT 1400M SPECIALIST BRUG KINGMAN made the race anything but as he roared away in the closing stages to land the spoils by five-lengths.

Brug Kingman (Gyeongbudaero) was 5th behind a few reopposing rivals in his first Class 2 test on March 6 but followed up his 1400M Class 3 victory from January beating 3.8 favourite King Anyday, who had finished five-and-a-half lengths ahead of Brug Kingman in March. Of the other favourites Race Man, 8.1, was 5th and wasn’t a bad run considering he got very upset in the stalls. The consistent and admirable Vangie, who had beaten most of these on March 27 over 1200M, once again failed in a 1400M contest whilst Beolma King could never work into the race and unlike at this previous start, didn’t look to have many excuses this time.

Masa Tanaka had success on the card with WONDAEHHAN KKUM (Tapwrit) bouncing back to his best form to win Race 5 (1800M Class 3) by two-lengths. The four-year-old gelding had been in great form when last in work and at his fifth run of this preparation got back on the winners list with a smart victory. Force Be With You, 1.7 favourite, was the disappointment and never looked a chance and has now had three Class 3 starts for three defeats as favourite on each occasion.

Franco Da Silva rode three very impressive winners on the card and the first of those was in the opening 1200M Class 6 on WILD REAL (Bayern) which made a winning debut for trainer Choi Ki Hong and owner Choi Sang Il, who of course will combine with Funny Wild in the upcoming Korean Derby. Wild Real had had the two trials for a 5th and a good 2nd and despite being slow to go was rousted along early to eventually take the lead and proved too strong by one-and-a-quarter lengths.

The second of Da Silva’s victories was in Race 3 (1300M Class 5) when the speedy SAENAE HUNTER (To Honor And Serve), who was having his first race since last July, led throughout and won brilliantly by seven-lengths as a 1.5 favourite. He clocked a smart time of 1:20.0 and accounted for his co-favourites Most Wanted and Doctor Hunter very easily. The latter had led when winning at his previous start and Seo Seung-un was very keen to test Saenae Hunter for the lead throughout, but Doctor Hunter was eventually 4th beaten by eight-and-a-quarter lengths. Considering Saenae Hunter accounted for Vangie last June it would be surprising if he doesn’t progress through the classes.

Da Silva closed the treble with ROAD TO ACE (Musket Man) winning Race 6 (1200M Class 4) by a very soft six-lengths. He had won at his previous start in March over the distance at Class 5 by eleven-lengths and is a horse racing with sky-high confidence at present.

ON SATURDAY AT SEOUL LEE DONG-HA TOOK RIDING HONOURS WITH THREE WINS FROM FIVE RIDES AND HE CONCLUDED HIS TRIFECTA OF VICTORIES IN THE CLOSING 1200M CLASS 3 ON BOARD HAKSAN DARK HORSE who justified his 3.2 favouritism to win by three-lengths.

Haksan Dark Horse (South Beach) had lost form slightly in his last couple of runs but was racing very consistently prior and bounced back to his best to win going away. The other two successes for jockey Lee came in Race 3 (1300M Class 6) on ORATORUM (Uncaptured), who as a 2.2 favourite won by a nose, and in Race 6 (1300M Class 5) on THUNDER MARVEL (Hansen), who drew clear to score comfortably by two-and-a-half lengths.

Seo In-seok also had multiple successes preparing STEPPING STONE (Mr. Crow) to make a winning debut in the opening 1200M Class 6 before the well backed TEUKGEUP PARTY (Yeonseung Daero) landed the 3/1 odds in Race 9 (1300M Class 4) by a nose. The ride on Teukgeup Party was brilliant from Woo In-cheol who from the widest gate restrained the filly before darting to the inside to save ground around the one and only turn and eventually charge through on the rail from well back to get up in the final stride. Jiljuui Yeowang despite her narrow defeat proved she is a classy front-runner as she led everywhere bar the line and was a game 2nd whilst Seongsil Daero was 3rd ahead of the 4.1 second pick Unica. Haengunui Yeosin and Geuphaeng Yeolcha, fourth and fifth in the betting respectively, could never work into the race finishing 7th and 9th.

The victory of the Seo In-seok trained Teukgeup Party very narrowly denied Lee Joon-chel, trainer of Jiljuui Yeowang, a treble as he prepared GWANAKSAN CHECK IN (Hansen) to win Race 5 (1200M Class 5), the victory of that horse yet another example of how far back horses can come to win races in this country, before ECHO STAR (Medici Glory) led throughout to win Race 7 (1400M Class 5) by a nose as a 2.5 favourite.

There were two three-year-old’s on the card that were smart victors and the first of those was HERO CHEETAH (Yaupon) for Kozzi Asano and Tony Castanheira who made up for his last start defeat with an impressive four-length win in Race 8 (1200M Class 4) whilst GENERAL WIND (Yeonseung Daero) confirmed form with subsequent winner Valid Young from February 15 when leading throughout under Furkan Yuksel to win Race 9 (1800M Class 4) by three-lengths after finishing midfield in the KRA Cup Mile (Korean 2000 Guineas) the start prior.

AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY SPEED TOP was the victor in the closing 1200M Class 3 completing a riding treble on the card for Jo In-kwon.

Speed Top (Hansen) came from well back in the field to score by a half-length over Great Top and Pachamama whilst Knicks Go Won, 3.5 favourite, finished the furthest back in her career to date with a 4th place finish however it wasn’t a bad run from the widest gate with Kim Eu-soo taking her over heels early to play for luck and she eventually weaved her way through late and hit the line well.

Jo In-kwon began his treble with BACK TO THE DREAM (Gemologist) who landed the 1.4 odds by six-lengths in Race 2 (1400M Class 6) before following up 65 minutes later in Race 3 (1400M Class 5) on board LAMPYOJEONGGEENIE (Uncaptured) who bounced back to winning ways with a front-running victory by four-lengths as a 1.7 favourite. That race saw her main danger Dubai Seonmul miss the break for the second consecutive start and therefore she was a never nearer 7th.

Masa Tanaka also had multiple successes on the card with a race-to-race riding double. He began the pair of victories on ISIMNYEON JIGI (Uncaptured) in Race 4 (1200M Class 5) which raced on-pace and won by four-lengths as the 3.7 second choice accounting for the 1.7 favourite Lightning Force who could only manage 4th. He then followed up on the Bart Rice prepared SKY WIN WIN (Win Win Win) which proved too strong in Race 5 (1800M Class 4) winning by six-lengths and in doing so making it back-to-back front-running course, distance, and grade wins. He and Sun Jae, 7.2 fourth pick, had a battle for the front and set up a multi length gap on their rivals and whilst Sun Jae eventually ran a long last, Sky Win Win put up a relentless display in a time of 1:55.1, 1.5 seconds quicker than standard on a slow track. All Round One, who was sent off the 2.7 favourite despite being behind Sky Win Win on March 27, never worked into the race finishing a well beaten 9th.

The progressive DAESEONG GOLD (Uncaptured) was a smart one-and-a-half length winner of Race 7 (1400M Class 4) and in doing so the three-year-old locally bred colt made it four wins from six starts and there should be more to come.

Race 6 (1600M Class 4) on the card looked like a competitive contest on paper but SEKWANG LIGHT (Shackleford), 3.1 favourite, made it a non-competitive race coming from well back on the inside to race away and win by seven-lengths confirming form over the 3.4 second pick Fantastic Eagle from when they had last met four weeks prior.

DELTA FORCE (Honest Mischief) went off a 1.7 favourite in the opening 1300M Class 6 and duly won by six-lengths breaking through at attempt four.

The first of five KOR-G1’s for the season takes place next week with the country’s principal classic, the Korean Derby taking place at Seoul on a huge weekend of classic action right across the globe.