SUNDAY AT SEOUL SAW SUNRISE WIN THE CLOSING LEG OF THE TRIPLE ON THE UNDERCARD THE MAIN HANDICAP WAS WON BY THE PROGRESSIVE DRAGON KILLER (writes Luke Humphreys).

Dragon Killer (Power Blade) had been a beaten favourite in three attempts at Class 3 level before breaking through at that grade last time out. He went straight into Class 2 company with a dominant front-running display over the 1800M and while tiring late, had enough in hand to score by almost two-lengths. Dragon Killer was the 4.1 second pick and beat his co-favourites in Tanseongui Banseok, 3.0, and Zetta Master, 5.1, who both had too much to do from their rearward positions. The former was a neck ahead of the latter for 2nd and 3rd.

The victory of Dragon Killer completed a double for trainer Kang Hwan-min as he earlier prepared ONE DIA (Independence Hall) to win Race 7 (1400M Class 4) by two-lengths at odds of 17.2. That race saw Unju Prince start a 1.9 favourite, but he dropped out after having every chance in front.

PURGE STEP (Purge) bounced back to her best form in Race 6 (1800M Class 3) leading for the majority as the 3.3 favourite. She had won two in a row before taking her chance in the Listed Dong-a Ilbo Trophy against the best older Korean fillies and mares where she finished 13th of fourteen runners. Only 6th at her next start, she bounced back to winning ways in determined fashion after initially being headed by the eventual 2nd placed Storm Breaker halfway up the home straight.

COMPLETE STEP (Girolamo) struck a very winnable contest in Race 10 (1200M Class 4) as the only mare against the boy. A debutante was sent off as a 1.7 chance in Phantom Prince, but he had no match for Complete Step who drew clear for an easy seven-length success as the second favourite at 5.0.

RAON THE TONY (Musket Man) proved too good in Race 5 (1300M Class 5) leading throughout to break her maiden status at start six by one-length. Except for her previous start she had been consistent and paid an each-way price of 10.3.

FLYING SMART (Old Fashioned) had proven an enigma for favourite backers in her three starts prior to stepping out in Race 3 (1400M Class 6) with slow starts and rearward positions in the run doing her no favours. However, this time she began well and led under Kozzi Asano and the Tony Castanheira prepared filly scored by three-quarters of a length. Naturally, punters had not retained faith and sent her off as the 5.5 third market choice. Clair Freedom started favourite at 2.1 and finished 3rd.

ECLIPSE SUNNY (Shackleford) won Race 2 (1300M Class 6) by three-lengths as the 3.4 second favourite giving Ruan Maia his third winner of the weekend after a double on Saturday.

AT BUSAN ON SUNDAY THE SEVEN-RACE PROGRAM SAW TWO JOCKEYS RIDE TREBLES INCLUDING JIN KYUM WITH HIS BIGGEST WINNER COMING ON PRIME SECRET in the concluding 1800M Class 1.

Prime Secret (Upstart) was a Class 2 winner over the distance at the beginning of April before taking his chance in the Busan Mayor’s Cup where he was well back. However, he regained the winning groove with a three-length victory as the 2.6 favourite.

Jeongmun Cobit, who was the 4.5 second choice second up after a lengthy absence, was a good 2nd and should not be far away from a victory. He was four-lengths in advance of the 3rd placed Cardinal Force.

BABEL FOLGORE (Shackleford) in the opener (1400M Class) was the first of Jin Kyum’s winners landing at 2.5 odds by a head for trainer Thomas Gillespie over the long-time leader Oasis Hwanhui and surviving a stewards’ inquiry. Jin’s other win was on CHAMPUI SARANG (Champ Line) in Race 5 (1300M Class 5) who got up late on to score by a neck and maintain his 100% record following a six-length victory on debut.

Park Jae-i also rode a treble with the first coming on ROAD TO CLEO (Musket Man). She had been an impressive winner on debut last October before failing in two more runs before the turn of the year, pulling up lame in the second. She only managed midfield when resuming but was back to her debut form with a three-length victory in Race 2 (1200M Class 5) at odds of 3.9. The 1.7 favourite Boryeong One Road was 2nd. Doctor Hunter, who would have gone off as either the favourite or second favourite, a late scratching.

Park’s second win came fifty minutes later in Race 3 (1800M Class 4) on SKYLOR JIYOU (Global Campaign) for trainer Moon Hyeon-cheol. Global Prince, who after competing in the Derby at Seoul was naturally sent off as an odds-on favourite at 1.5,  was disappointing finishing 6th of eight, beaten by some sixteen-lengths.

Park completed the treble, race-to-race at that, on SUCCESS COW (Cowboy Cal) in Race 4 (1400M Class 5) who was rewarded for consistent form with a one-length score at odds of 5.4 over 4.2 third market pick Sworn Queen and 3.8 second choice Powerful Thunder. Carat King was the 3.1 favourite but was 9th of the eleven runners.

AT SEOUL ON SATURDAY AN EXCELLENT CLASS 1 CONCLUDED THE PROGRAM AND FINAL K made it two wins from three starts this preparation with a gritty neck victory as the 1.5 favourite. 

Final K (Cairo Prince) had won up to four in a row last year before bombing out in the G3 Owners’ Cup at Busan in June. He only resumed in April where he was able to get up late on to win a 1200M Class 1 and did the exact same thing again, despite looking under pressure early in the straight. He got the better of the clear topweight Crown Hamseong who ran a huge race under 57.5kg at odds of 20.9. Final K and Crown Hamseong were both coming out of the G2 SROA Chairman’s Sprint where they finished 6th and 12th respectively. 

Silver Rain, who had finished ahead of both in the Chairman’s Sprint, was one-and-a-quarter lengths away in 3rd with Nice Force, 5.8 second favourite, finishing 4th after leading.

Lee Dong-ha rode Final K and was completing a double after similarly getting MEGA STEP (Free Drop Billy) up in the dying strides to win Race 7 (1800M Class 4).

Also doubling was Ruan Maia who led throughout to score by two-and-a-half lengths on ROYAL BEST (Hansen) in Race 5 (1400M Class 4) before getting MIGHTY CODE (Cloud Computing) home by a head in Race 8 (1600M Class 3).

Royal Best was completing back-to-back victories and was also reversing form with the 2nd placed Jazz Purple from when they met on March 28 and a big weight swing did not hurt his chances. Jazz Purple, who was the 2.4 favourite searching for a four-timer, lost no admirers under equal topweight of 58kg whilst the other topweight in Parisui Bulkkot was a never nearer 4th after once again doing his chances no good with a bad beginning.

Mighty Code recorded a second straight success and was kept safe in the market at 5.3. He defeated the hat-trick seeking 3.1 favourite Global Champ by a head with Lucky Frank, 5.0, a neck away in 3^rd. Circle A, who had won two in a row when last in work including at this class last start, had to use plenty of petrol from a wide draw to lead and was found wanting late. The 6.4 fourth market choice ended up 6th but was beaten no more than two-and-a-half lengths. The race saw an international jockey trifecta with Ruan Maia (Brazil), coming out on top over CC Wong (Malaysia) and Kozzi Asano (Japan).

CC Wong’s busy Busan-Seoul-Busan weekend paid off with a victory on HAKSAN CAIRO (Cairo Prince) in Race 6 (1700M Class 4) beating the 2.8 favourite Pas de Cheval by a head to record his first win at attempt twenty-two. Pas de Cheval was ridden aggressively to take the early lead before getting a breather up the back straight and while a beaten favourite for the fourth straight start it was a better effort than his previous couple. The other favourite was Raon Nizhinskii, 3.0, who never got into the picture.

WHIZ STAR (Caravaggio) completed back-to-back frontrunning wins in Race 9 (1300M Class 4) scoring by two-and-a-half lengths as the 2.5 favourite. The American bred three-year-old filly has now won two races from four runs.

Johan Victoire rode the consistent FLYING HONOR (To Honor And Serve) to a comfortable success as the 2.9 favourite in Race 4 (1700M Class 5) scoring by five-lengths after sitting just off a hot early pace.

REFLECT (Race Day) was also a five-length winner fifty minutes earlier in Race 3 (1400M Class 5) whilst RYAN BEAT (Cowboy Cal) was a winner on his second start and his first for new trainer Luigi Riccardi in Race 2 (1300M Class 6) under Kozzi Asano.

ON FRIDAY AT BUSAN SEO SEUNG-UN HAD A GOOD LOOKING BOOK OF RIDES AND DULY RODE TWO IMPRESSIVE WINNERS WITH THE FIRST OF THEM BEING ROAD TO ACE in Race 6 which was the first of two divisions of a 1400M Class 3.

Road To Ace (Musket Man) completed a hat-trick following impressive on pace 1200M victories at Class 5 and 4 level by eleven and six-lengths. He was in unknown territory stepping up to Class 3 grade for the first time as well as up to 1400M but as ever, his last furlong was his best and he ran away to score by four-lengths as the well supported 1.9 favourite. Heuimang Garam was 2nd whilst the 5.3 third market choice Wonderful Jones was 3rd. Well-backed Pluto was well back in 7^th. Road To Ace will next be seen in Class 2 company.

Seo followed up on GOLD POCKET (Indie Band) in Race 8 (1400M Class 4) who ran out a one-length winner after leading for most of the way. She was headed early in the straight by the eventual 2nd placed All The Best but fought on determinedly to make it three wins from four starts and continued the great recent form for trainer Thomas Gillespie.

Jin Kyum also rode a double with his main winner the Moon Hyeon-cheol trained DRAGON NINJA (Hansen) in Race 7 (1400M Class 3). The 3.2 favourite got up late to deny the 5.1 third pick and longtime leader Geuma Adept by a half-length. Dragon Ninja was 2nd in the Breeders’ Cup Rookie in 2024 and after resuming from a long layoff with a win in January had subsequently chased home Maengnyong and the unbeaten Ephphatha. Hey Brother, having his first run since failing in the KRA Cup Mile as one of the favourites after a previous 2nd at Listed level, was the 3.3 second choice and was four-lengths away in 3^rd, tiring late after racing on pace.

Jockey Jin’s also won Race 2 (1200M Class 6) with SEOGWI GREAT (Central Banker) who led for the majority to score by two-lengths.

Also doubling was Choi Si-dae who scored by six-lengths on SKYNEX (To Honor And Serve) in Race 1 (1400M Class 6) before WORLD FIGHTER MAN (Nitrous) came from midfield to win Race 3 (1200M Class 5) by a half-length. World Fighter Man was the 4.6 third betting elect whilst Road To Number One who attempted to lead throughout finished 3rd as the 4.1 second favourite. The 2.5 popular pick Aegis Crown lost his chance at the start rearing as the gates opened.

CC Wong crisscrossed the country over the weekend and his Friday at Busan paid off with a frontrunning victory on PORT MORE (Gemologist) in Race 5 (1600M Class 5) who ran the legs off his rivals to score by one-length. He started the 3.9 second favourite behind Take Race who was a 1.4 chance to make it two wins from two starts after a ten-length score on debut but could only manage a four-length 3rd.

For the first time in over four months there is no black type racing in Korea next weekend but there will be the following week on June 28 with the Owners’ Cup (KOR-G3) over 1600M kicking off the 2026 Korean Premier Series.