AT SEOUL ON SUNDAY THE 2300M START WAS IN USE FOR THE FIRST OF THREE TIMES ANNUALLY AND THE PRINCIPAL RACE ON THE CARD WAS WON BY THE HORSE THAT WAS BY FAR THE BEST STAYER ON THE DAY IN SATANG SONYEO for Jeong Jeong-hee and Luigi Riccardi (writes Luke Humphreys).

Satang Sonyeo (Girvin) has always looked a long-distance type and as per usual she showed little to no early speed but under encouragement from Jeong Jeong-hee eventually took a role closer than normal just behind the pacesetters, who did too much down the straight on the first occasion. Satang Sonyeo struck the front at the top of the straight the second time around, and the 3.2 favourite held off the challenge of the 4.8 third choice Pepper X who was a game 2nd with East West eleven-lengths away in 3rd.

The victory of Satang Sonyeo completed an outstanding weekend for trainer Luigi Riccardi after multiple successes twenty-four hours earlier.

Kim Tae-hun had a riding treble on the card beginning with TRIPLE S (Revolutionary) who got up late on to win Race 3 (1400M Class 6) by a head as the 9.3 third pick, over the 5.7 second choice Jechuk Sanjiro with the 1.4 popular pick Saenae Rania only 5^th. POWERFUL PRADO (Colors Flying) the got the better of her co-favourites to land Race 5 (1300M Class 5) by a neck as the 6.2 third choice with Nuni Olkkayo, 2.7 popular pick, beaten a neck into 2nd and Brown Mamma, 2.8, a head away in 3rd. DONGGANGUI STAR (Old Fashioned) was the last of the trio in Race 6 (1700M Class 5) getting up in the concluding stages to win by a half-length.

The victory of Powerful Prado was the beginning of a double for trainer Lee Joon-chel as in Race 9 (1800M Class 3) KEIDRAGON (Goldencents) was an eye-catching winner from the top by eleven-lengths under Kim Yong-geun. The four-year-old Canadian bred gelding was having his third run this time in and ran his rivals off their feet. The two favourites in Airforceone, 3.0, and Major Crown, 2.6, were disappointments in 6th and 8th places respectively with the former losing his chance after a slow start whilst the latter didn’t stay.

LOVE IN SEOUL (Army Mule) continued her progression when winning the concluding 1300M Class 4 by a neck as the 3.0 favourite under Choi Bum-hyun. She has now won three races from six starts and is very progressive.

Choi Bum-hyun bookended the card as he also won the opener. It was Australia against America in that Race 1 foreign bred maiden over 1000M and it was won by Aussie bred three-year-old and 1.6 favourite SOUTH CARNIVAL (Castelvecchio) who at his third start won by one-and-three quarter lengths despite jumping the shadow of the winning post at the finish. The two best fancied of the American bred juvenile debutantes filled 2nd and 3rd with Grand Pas Classic, 8.0, finishing one-and-three-quarter lengths ahead of Hope K, 2.5, the former ducking in under pressure in the home straight.

NINJA TIGER (Race Day) had been building up to a victory leading into Race 5 (1400M Class 5) and broke through at the fifth time of asking under Furkan Yuksel with a four-length victory at odds of 6.9.

BEAUTIFULLY (Mr. Crow) overcame the widest barrier to win Race 2 (1200M Class 6) in smart fashion by eight-lengths as the 3.3 second choice following a 3rd on her debut a month earlier. The 2.3 favourite Flying Smart was a never nearer 3^rd, suffering defeat as favourite for the third time in as many starts.

THE GIRLS TOOK CENTRE STAGE ON SUNDAY AT BUSAN BUT ON THE UNDERCARD ONE OF TWO CLASS 4 EVENTS ON THE DAY CONCLUDED THE AFTERNOON AND ANOTHER FILLY WINNERS ROOKIE narrowly justified her 2.7 favouritism with a narrow head victory.

Winners Rookie (Musket Man) is a full-sister to the great Winners Man and the Jin Kyum ridden Min Jang-gi prepared four-year-old filly made it back-to-back victories over the course, distance, and grade and will be promoted to Class 3.

Naneun Kkum, 6.6, came home hard for 2nd with the other favourites in the race in Fantastic Eagle, 5.3, and All Round One, 4.8, finishing 5th and 9th respectively in the field of ten.

The other Class 4 was over 1200M as Race 3 and it saw Jung Do-yun achieve a milestone in riding his 300th career winner aboard MADE HEEMANG (Indie Band) who led throughout to score by two-and-a-half lengths at odds of 7.2. Of the other favourites Runners High, 2.1, after finishing down the field in the KRA Cup Mile was a never nearer 4th, Encore, 7.9, was 5th and Oasis Young, 3.5, was 8th of the nine runners.

Race 4 (1400M Class 5) was named in honour of the recently retired Tuhonui Banseok and it saw WILD REAL (Bayern) again lead throughout to make it two scores from two starts. The colt is prepared by Choi Ki-hong and raced by breeder Choi Sang-il and a la his debut he did what he had to do and got the prize by a half-length as the 1.8 favourite.

STEALTH KINGMAN (With Distinction) was a short priced 1.3 favourite to win Race 2 (1300M Class 6) under Masa Tanaka, following a runner-up finish on debut behind a subsequent impressive winner, and duly obliged by one-length over the 5.8 second pick Pilseung Winner.

WIDAEHAN HEART (Musket Man) was a soft front-running winner of Race 1 (1300M Class 6) under Choi Si-dae as the 1.5 favourite following a 2nd on her debut back in October. She defeated the 3.5 second favourite Northern Queen by six-lengths.

A DAY EARLIER AT HEADQUARTERS THE STAR OF THE SHOW WAS G B VAULT who continues to look like a top stayer in the making for Johan Victoire and Luigi Riccardi.

G B Vault (Rock Your World) broke his duck at start three in February over 1400M. He was then sent off at long odds-on for his fourth start over 1600M where he was beaten into 2nd. However, in that race he was outpaced a long way from home and came again in the closing stages to only lose by a nose. He went up to 1800M for his next start, a front-running nine-length romp, and followed up with a success that was just as visually impressive in Race 9 (1900M Class 2). It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the three-year-old gelding raced by Son Byung-seok as he is now on the verge of Class 1 level.

Stunning Money was 2^nd to G B Vault gain, getting two-lengths closer this time with a huge weight swing under Luis Quiroz whilst Mustang Power was 3rd for Furkan Yuksel in an international riding trifecta.

Johan Victoire and Luigi Riccardi completed doubles on the day. French jockey Victoire never looked in doubt from the front on VALID YOUNG (Shackleford) in Race 8 (1800M Class 4), who scored at odds of 1.8 over the 4.1 second favourite Danaeun Star in a race dominated by the leaders, whilst Italian trainer Riccardi prepared MASTER KWAIGON (Dynamic Dash) to win for the third straight start when the four-year-old blitzed his rivals by ten-lengths in Race 7 (1600M Class 3) as the 2.7 favourite.

THE SUN BULSAJO (King Socks) made it four wins from six starts with a soft two-and-a-half length victory in Race 10 (1200M Class 4) despite delaying the start for a couple of minutes before agreeing to enter the stalls. She chased home Chief Star and Wonpyeong Sket in the LR NACF Chairman’s Trophy before concluding her juvenile campaign with a victory. She struggled over 1400M in her first run of the year, but she has bounced back to her best over the six-furlongs at her next two starts and will now be up to Class 3 grade.

She completed an enjoyable day for her owner Han Myeong-ro as THE SUN STORY (Shackleford) was also a smart winner in his green and gold colours in Race 6 (1400M Class 5) leading throughout to win by one-and-a-half lengths. The favourite in the race was Purple Korea, 2.3, who finished 4th.

RAPID THUNDER (Concord Point) made her fourth start in Race 4 (1200M Class 5) and despite letting favourite backers down in her first three runs with two 2nd places and unseating Jo Jae-ro in the other, she showed that she has ability with an all-the-way victory by five-lengths as the 1.5 odds-on chance. The other two favourites were Gwanaksan Check In, 6.6, and Juring Sky, 6.8, filling the minor places in that order.

Kozzi Asano rode BEAT CODE (Concord Point) to win Race 2 (1300M Class 6) by five-lengths whilst MAJOR FURY (Revolutionary) justified his 1.4 favouritism by a neck, over the 6.2 second choice Road To Champion, in Race 1 (1000M Class 6) which was the opening juvenile race of the season in the nation’s capital.

DOWN AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY A DOMESTIC BRED CLASS 2 WAS THE MAIN EVENT ON THE CARD AND THE SEVENTH RACE OF THE DAY SAW A RETURN TO FORM FOR MACH TITAN who led throughout to record the eleventh victory of his career at start sixty-two.

Mach Titan (Hansen) dropped back to Class 2 grade when behind a couple of reopposing rivals over 2200M at the beginning of May and with a 3kg claim from Son Gyeong-min led his rivals a merry dance at odds of 22.3. The only higher priced runner was the 2nd placed Geuma Distinction, 28.4, who was beaten two-and-a-half lengths with Mr.Keyman, second pick at 4.0, coming home 3^rd in a race the market got wrong.

Thomas Gillespie continued his great run preparing a double following his treble at the same meeting seven days earlier.

YOUNGYOUNG BRAVO (Malibu Bulpae) justified his 1.7 favouritism by an extending one-and-a-half lengths in Race 5 (1400M Class 4) under Jin Kyum. He made it four wins from seven starts and four from his last five runs with the defeat being behind the potentially very smart Saesidae Won. Going on his most recent victory he should improve going up in trip as well.

YEONGGWANGUIPRINCE (Concord Point) completed the double fifty minutes later in Race 6 (1600M Class 3) with an upset victory at odds of 47.2, defeating the 2.1 favourite Daeseong Gold, who was searching for four straight wins, by a half-length.

Jung young-kwang was the winning owner of Youngyoung Bravo, who made it a race-to-race double for him after K ROYAL (Gyeongbudaero) landed Race 4 (1600M Class 5) by eight-lengths at odds of 6.0, a race that saw the 1.3 favourite Oasis Star blow his chances from the start. STRAWBERRY QUEEN (Shackleford) scored in Race 8 (1400M Class 4) by three-quarters of a length as the 2.7 favourite over Rich Tree with the 3.6 second pick World Blue Pin Cat two-and-a-half lengths away finishing a never nearer 3rd. That completed a double for jockey Jung Do-yun

SHIN STAR ONE (Centralcommand) looks potentially another smart late blooming three-year-old for trainer Moon Hyeon-cheol going on his victory in Race 2 (1400M Class 6) which was by six-lengths at odds of 10.0 under Franco Da Silva. Healing Farm Union races him, their third winner in the last week after the successes of Clean One and Knicks Go Won last Sunday.

Race 1 (1000M Class 6) was the first juvenile race of 2026, and HAERANG RUBY (Musket Man) looks as if a step up in trip should suit going on her extending one-and-a-quarter length victory over 1000M.

Next week the big action returns to headquarters with the Minister’s Cup (KOR-G2) over 2000M concluding the Korean Triple Crown series. All the big guns from the Derby are expected to take their chance with Hwang Geum Eo Jang and Funny Wild amongst others all entered whilst the wildcard could be the Bart Rice prepared Bunker Buster who has been so impressive down at Busan and could be taking a huge step up both in grade and distance.