AT SEOUL ON SUNDAY BORN DIA LED THROUGHOUT TO WIN THE COUNTRY’S BIGGEST LOCAL SPRINT RACE BUT THERE WAS PLENTY OF GOOD ACTION ON THE UNDERCARD. MUSKET DAY was the winner of the supporting Sports Chosun Trophy (KOR-LR) over 2000M by five-lengths in a race dominated by the backmarkers (writes Luke Humphreys).

Musket Day (Musket Man) came into the race with very consistent form and won easily under Jang Chu-youl as the 4.3 second favourite over Wonderful Northern who was best of the group of six that broke away up in front, ridden the most conservatively of them, finishing 2nd. Taepyeong Hero was 3rd with Zetta Master from his standard rearward position making late ground for 4th. Daeseong Star, 2.9 favourite, could only manage 5th after racing on the pace with the 2024 Derby winner Eunpa Sarang blowing his chance at the start with a horrible beginning and was a never nearer 6th. No Problem could only run 7th after being one of those that was prominent whilst Mandaero was 8th in the final ride in Korea before returning to Malaysia for Harry Kasim.

The victory of Musket Day completed a training double for Moon Byeong-ki after PANGPANG DAERO (Frosted) landed Race 4 (1200M Class 5) by three-lengths and in doing so broke his maiden at the sixth time of asking.

Elsewhere on the card the concluding 1400M Class 3 was landed by the admirable seven-furlong specialist CLUB Q (Revolutionary) who made it six wins from ten starts with a one-and-a-quarter length victory as the 3.1 favourite over Orion Alpha with the up in trip Cheonmahoryeong finishing 3^rd                                                                                                                     

GLOBAL CHAMP (Gaon Champ) continued his progression in Race 6 (1600M Class 4) following up his late closing win on April 18 with an eight-length romp under CC Wong at generous odds of 2.2. He has now won four races from six starts and the locally bred Jeon Seung-gyu prepared gelding is one to keep watching.

VINCENT KATHY (Yorkton) was an impressive winner of Race 3 (1400M Class 5) under Furkan Yuksel at odds of 1.8 and in doing so made it two wins from two starts and the Lee Shin-woo prepared classic aged filly looks destined for more considering how soft her four-length victory was over the 3.7 second favourite Cheong Wol.

AT BUSAN ON SUNDAY MANY SMART AND PROGRESSIVE HORSES STAMPED THEIR MARKS ON THE CARD AND ONE OF THOSE WAS MAENGNYONG who made it a hat-trick of victories with an outstanding three-length win in the 1400M Class 1.

Maengnyong (Uncaptured) was coming up two grades from Class 3 level, but he was more than up to the challenge as he stormed away to win incredibly easily. Punters did not miss him either, sending him off as the 4.7 third pick. Last year’s Derby winner Unju Guy, 4.2 second favourite, was a three-length 2nd after leading whilst King Anyday came from well back to run 3rd. Oneulisungan, 5.3 fourth choice, was 4th whilst the well backed Biwol, 3.4 popular pick, could only manage 5th at his first run for ten-and-a-half months. Jeongmun Cobit, who was resuming since a 4th in the KRA Cup Classic last July, was 9th of the eleven runners.

BUNKER BUSTER (Concord Point) (1600M Class 3) was excellent in making it three wins in a row in Race 6 and he had to do it the hard way after not the greatest of beginnings. He was not far from the speed, but it was the furthest back he had settled in the run to date, but it did not stop him from landing the 1.2 odds by two-and-a-half lengths completing individual doubles for Franco da Silva and Bart Rice. Never Give Up, who was a winner two starts back before failing over 2200M, was particularly good coming from well back for 2nd with Wonderful Jones in 3rd.

DOCTOR CARRY (Cupid) made it three wins from nine starts, that trio of victories coming from his past four starts, when winning Race 5 (1800M Class 4) by one-and-three-quarter lengths as the 2.7 favourite.

QUEEN MAKER (Concord Point) made it two wins from five starts when winning Race 4 (1400M Class 4) by one-length as the 1.4 favourite under Franco da Silva, the first of his two wins on the program. She had run 9th at her previous start in the Luna Stakes (Korean 1000 Guineas) at odds of 18.5 after two second places to begin her career before a Class 5 victory. She has competed against some smart types in all her runs to date and her recent run was the easiest race she had run in and she should continue to progress.

Son Gyeong-min had a race-to-race double on the card with GREAT POWER (Gemologist) leading throughout to win Race 2 (1400M Class 6) by seven-lengths before the Bart Rice prepared SEOBU DANCING (Gyeongbudaero) came from last to win Race 3 (1600M Class 5) by an extending six-lengths over the 1.4 favourite Yongbi Jjang. The victory of Seobu Dancing was the opening victory of Bart Rice’s training double.

POWERFUL BATTLE (Testa Matta) was sent off at 1.2 to break his duck at attempt six in the opening 1300M Class 6, after chasing home subsequent Friday winner Powerful Thunder at his previous start, and the Jo In-kwon ridden Moon Hyeon-cheol prepared three-year-old gelding duly scored by five-lengths.

ON SATURDAY AT SEOUL THE EMERGENCE OF RAON FLORENCE as a potential serious horse continued with a brilliant front-running win over the 1200M in the concluding Class 3.

Raon Florence (Musket Man) made it four wins from nine starts with a four-length victory as the 3.0 second favourite and three of those wins have been in his last three starts. As good as Raon Florence was, his chances were significantly helped when the resuming Di Ne, 2.7 favourite, missed the start and was positioned towards the rear. Di Ne looked unstoppable in three consecutive wins prior to bombing out in the Sports Seoul Trophy (Classic Trial) and KRA Cup Mile (Korean 2000 Guineas) but made a respectable comeback and did an exceptionally decent job to run a fast-finishing 2nd after blowing his chances at the break. Royal Socks, 4.4 third choice, came into the race searching for a hat-trick and ran a game 3rd with Real Deal, 9.7 fourth pick, in 4th.

The other two Class 3 races on the card were two divisions of an 1800M contest, and they were won by DRAGON KILLER (Power Blade), who broke through at the fourth time of asking at the grade by two-lengths in Race 9, and CHEONJANGSA (Overanalyze) who landed Race 7 which was the Kyushu Racehorse Owners’ Association President’s Cup.

Park Jae-woo had a race-to-race training double on the card thanks to the help of South American jockeys with MUNHAK BELL (Audible) winning Race 5 (1700M Class 5) at odds of 6.5 under Luiz Quiroz before Ruan Maia got KOREAN DREAM (Echo Town) to break his maiden at odds of 3.0 in Race 6 (1200M Class 4). Green Jacket, 2.9, and Whiz Perfect, 1.8, were the favourites in that pair of races but could only manage 5th and 6th respectively.

Tony Castanheira was on the board with the blinked first time EAST DREAM (Omaha Beach) leading for the majority of Race 8 (1600M Class 4) to win by six-lengths whilst earlier winners included NICE WINNER (Race Day) in Race 4 (1400M Class 5), who won by five-lengths as the 2.2 favourite, and BEST SECRET (Concord Point) in Race 2 (1200M Class 6) who landed the odds-on 1.5 quote by eight-lengths from the front.

AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY THERE WAS AN UPSET IN THE HIGHEST GRADED RACE ON THE CARD WITH TUHON FIGHTER landing the concluding 1600M Class 4 under Choi Eun-gyeong.

Tuhon Fighter (Boys At Toscanova) improved vastly on his last couple of runs to replicate his course, distance, and grade victory of November 23 by two-and-a-half lengths at odds of 22.6. Flash Park ran 2nd at odds of 28.2, ensuring that it was an outsiders quinella, whilst Air City, 1.3 favourite, lost his chance at the start with a slow getaway and could only manage 3rd.

There was multiple success on the program for Moon Hyeon-cheol who unleashed yet another smart late grooming three-year-old in INDIE TIGER (Uncaptured) who made it two wins from as many starts when leading most of the way in Race 3 (1400M Class 5) to score by four-lengths as the 1.4 favourite. The Franco da Silva ridden Bart Rice prepared Brown Choco, 3.6 second choice, also came into the race following a debut victory and lost no admirers in 2nd.

The other success for trainer Moon was in Race 6 (1200M Class 4) with BREEDO MIRACLE (Testa Matta) who at odds of 5.1 defeated Win Win, 5.5 fourth pick, by a half-length. Kyungnam Dragon, 2.9 favourite, was 4th with Road to Party, 5.2 second choice, finishing 8th of the nine runners.

The victory of Breedo Miracle completed a double for Jin Kyum who earlier rode DOCTOR HUNTER (Race Day) to make it two wins from four starts in Race 2 (1200M Class 5) with a victory by a head as the 1.8 favourite.

However, Jin could have so easily had a treble on the card had Oasis Happy, 2.1 favourite, not knuckled leaving the stalls in Race 4 (1400M Class 5) and leaving him no chance of staying on. The other two favourites in POWERFUL THUNDER (Gemologist), 2.9, and Carat King, 5.4, were left to fight the contest out with the former making it back-to-back wins in beating the latter by three-quarters of a length.

Race 7 (1300M Class 5) saw wife defeat husband with the Kim Hye-sun prepared SEOGWI LADY (Shackleford) defeating the Park Jae-i ridden Bulbit Yeongma by a half-length. Masa Tanaka was aboard the 3.9 priced winner whilst the hat-trick seeking Victoria Chukje, 3.4 favourite, was always towards the rear and only beat one home. Of the other favourites Dubai Seonmul, 9.9, was a never nearer 6th whilst Sky White, 5.7, was 8th.

The other two winners on the card were the consistent NEVERSTOP HEEMANG (Purge) in Race 5 (1600M Class 5) who under Franco da Silva as the 3.8 second favourite grabbed his first win at start fourteen in the dying strides over Power Tree, 3.1 popular pick, by a neck whilst CHAMPUI SARANG (Champ Line) was an impressive debut winner in Race 1 (1200M Class 6) by six-lengths as the 2.4 favourite.

Busan hosts the principal race of the Korean Stayers Series next week with the Busan Mayor’s Cup (KOR-G2) set to feature Clean One, Global Hit, Success Baekpa and Speed Young.