WHILE ROSHE STOLE THE SHOW ON THE SOUTH COAST ON SUNDAY, AT HIS HOME TRACK OF SEOUL THE MAIN ACTION WAS A 2000M CLASS 1 WHICH WAS WON BY PEPPER X who justified evens favouritism under Lee Hyeok (writes Luke Humphreys).

Pepper X (Speightster) loves to lead and the last time he had led was his last victory which was a strong 1800M Class 1 score in February. He was reversing form with a few reopposing rivals after being behind them at his last couple of runs and whilst it looked as if he did not have much left early in the home straight, he had enough in hand to hold off his rivals by two-lengths. East West was 2nd with Vics Go in 3rd. The latter did not have the greatest of running room over the concluding stages, but it is hard to make a case that he would have run down the winner even with a clear run. Musket Day, winner of last month’s LR Sports Chosun Trophy was 4th, whilst Satang Sonyeo did not appreciate the drop in trip from her previous 2300M victory as she certainly made rider Jeong Jeong-hee earn his fee. She finished one place ahead of her stablemate G Motion who was 6th.

Six trainers across Seoul and Busan on Sunday (more on them later in the week). Woo Chang-ku’s final career runners in THUNDER MARVEL (Hansen) and Chang Chang Socks gave him the quinella in the concluding Race 10 (1400M Class 4) and they did it in great style with both coming from the rear of the field. Thunder Marvel beat Chang Chang Socks by three-quarters of a length with a half-length back to the 2.7 favourite Young Fighter who was 3rd. Lee Dong-ha was the winning rider on Thunder Marvel as he was in Race 5 (1300M Class 5) with GEUMJEOKSAN (Concord Point) who scored by one-and-a-half lengths as the 2.9 favourite, also for retiring trainer Woo.

Kozzi Asano was on the board riding 3.1 favourite MUNHAK CHUKJE (Blame) to an easy success in Race 8 (1600M Class 4). The Park Jae-woo prepared four-year-old colt was recording his third win at his thirteenth start.

JECHUK SANJIRO (Shackleford) landed Race 3 (1400M Class 6) under Ruan Maia, drawing clear to score by one-and-a-half lengths. He had been quite green in his previous races but was the most professional he has been to date.

There were a couple of impressive juvenile winners at the start of the day and KKUMUI YEONSOK (Tale Of Silence) in Race 1 (1000M Class 4) was the first of them for Johan Victoire and Luigi Riccardi. He scored by seven-lengths in a foreign-bred juvenile race that saw eight American bred runners and three Australian bred starters. The American bred Kkumui Yeonsok was the 2.9 second favourite whilst the Aussie bred Maho was the 1.9 popular pick. However just like the second game for both countries at the FIFA World Cup a week earlier it was America that clearly came out on top. Kkumui Yeonsok was a $95,000 purchase from the OBS Two-year-olds in Training sale this March and is the first by his sire – the lesser-known full brother of Tale Of Ekati – to be imported to Korea.

ROAD TO CHAMPION (Indie Band) was the other juvenile winner at the beginning of the card in Race 2 (1200M Class 6) leading for the majority to score by three-lengths. Lee Hyeok was the winning rider and that was the first of two wins on the day for him as he followed up on Pepper X in the aforementioned second last race.

AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED AT BUSAN ON SUNDAY ROSHE ANNOUNCED HIMSELF AS THE REAL DEAL WITH A TEN-LENGTH DEMOLITION JOB OF THE G3 FEATURE HOWEVER ON THE UNDERCARD THE CONCLUDING 1200M CLASS 3 WAS THE MAIN HANDICAP AND OPEN SKY broke the Busan trend of the weekend in having to be on the speed to have any chance as he came from last to score by an extending three-lengths under Song Kyeong-yun.

Open Sky (Cowboy Cal) was recording his second win from his past three starts and overall was making it five victories from fifteen attempts. Grand More was a game 2nd after leading whilst the Masa Tanaka ridden Bart Rice prepared 1.6 favourite Bunker Buster could only manage 3rd. Bunker Buster had gone into the race on a hat-trick with the most recent of those wins being at this grade, but he was carrying 3.5kg extra compared to that day. He was not disgraced however, and his future should still be bright.

FANTASTIC EAGLE (Girolamo) was a winner on the card for Seo Seung-un and Thomas Gillespie in Race 5 (1800M Class 4), drawing clear late on to land the prize by one-and-a-quarter lengths. He has now won three races from eleven starts and it will be interesting to see how much he can progress. He was the 5.3 third market pick whilst Doctor Carry was the 2.1 popular choice and finished 4th.

Choi Eun-gyeong rode a double on the card and that began when she rode 3.7 chance BORYEONGUIKWAESOK (Uncaptured) to win Race 2 (1200M Class 5) by four-lengths over 2.9 favourite Stealth Kingman. Boryeonguikwaesok was having her first run since winning on debut in September and looks one to keep following. Choi then led throughout to win Race 4 (1400M Class 4) on MISS SNIPER (Vics) who as the 8.2 third favourite scored by three-lengths over 3.4 second choice Jeongmun Fappiano and 2.5 favourite Lampyojeonggeenie.

Gu Min Sung was the winning trainer of Boryeonguikwaesok and he had a race-to-race training double as HUIMANG LOGI (Uncaptured) followed up for his stable in Race 3 (1400M Class 5) scoring by six-lengths under CC Wong.

Race 1 (1300M Class 6) on the day saw an impressive win from PACHOUI KKUM (Medici Glory) who went one better from her debut effort with a front-running six-length victory as a short priced 1.3 favourite.

AT SEOUL ON SATURDAY THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY WAS THE RETIREMENT CEREMONY OF MOON SE-YOUNG AND THE RACE NAMED IN HIS HONOUR WAS WON BY CUPID COMMAND under Ruan Maia, who joined the rest of the jockey room after the race on the presentation stage to honour former ten-time Seoul Champion Moon.

Cupid Command (Centralcommand) was on pace throughout and proved too good by two-and-a-half lengths in what was Race 5 (1700M Class 5) on the program.

The main race of the day grading wise was Race 9 (2000M Class 2) and ZETTA MASTER (Testa Matta) was confidently supported by punters to not leave his run too late as he so often does and this time the confidence was justified as he took the lead over the concluding 100M under Seo Seung-un to score by a length at odds of 3.5. Daeseong Star, who had won two of his previous four over the course, distance, and grade and had started favourite in the LR Sports Chosun Trophy at his last start, was 2nd with Mustang Power and Traum King coming home 3rd and 4th. Taepyeong Hero, 4.7 second choice, was never in the hunt and the same can be said for Stunning Money, 5.3 third pick, whilst 2024 Derby winner Eunpa Sarang missed the start and was last throughout.

The form of the G2 Minister’s Cup, the final leg of the Korean Triple Crown from June 7, took a decent boost with the 5th and 12th placed horses from that race winning Races 7 and 8 very impressively.

Race 7 (1600M Class 3) saw GENERAL WIND (Yeonseung Daero), 12th in the Minister’s, lead throughout to score by eight-lengths under Furkan Yuksel. He was the 1.9 favourite ahead of the Luigi Riccardi prepared Master Kwaigon, 3.1, who was looking for four straight victories. However, he looked to have a challenging task on paper carrying 57.5kg, giving General Wind 5kg, and he saw his streak end with a 3rd place finish, but he was far from disgraced under topweight.

Riccardi was back on the board fifty minutes later when CLUTCH MAGIC (Uncaptured), 5th in the Minister’s, led throughout to win Race 8 (1800M Class 4) in outstanding fashion. He scored by six-lengths as the 1.2 favourite and whilst he could not match it with the big guns in the last leg of the Triple Crown three weeks earlier, he was game in defeat after setting the pace and should only continue to get better. A horse to keep following out of the race is the 2nd placed East Beach who has been much improved since Tony Castanheira put the blinkers on the Australian bred colt and had won brilliantly at his previous effort.

Jung Haback had a training double on the day with GEOLJAK CROWN (Colors Flying) winning Race 2 (1300M Class 6) before BREEDO CALEY (Revolutionary) landed Race 4 (1400M Class 5) whilst Kim Tae-hun had a riding double courtesy of KING SPICY (Cowboy Cal) in Race 3 (1400M Class 6) before ELDORADO HAENAM (Kantharos), who is worth following, got up in the last stride to win Race 10 (1400M Class 3) as the 3.4 favourite.

ROYAL HOPE K (Gaon Champ) was an impressive victor of Race 1 (1000M Class 6) for the juveniles and was the first of the two victories on the card for Seo Seung-un.

AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY A GOOD QUALITY 2000M DOMESTIC BRED CLASS 2 WAS THE MAIN EVENT OF THE DAY AS RACE 7 AND BIG MUSICAL STAR as he did at his previous start over 2200M in early May ran the legs off his rivals from the front under Choi Eun-gyeong, the only female rider based at Busan, and won brilliantly once again recording fast time.

Big Musical Star (Concord Point) had broken the 2200M course record, albeit on an extremely fast track, when winning at his previous start and the Baik Kwang-yeol prepared grey four-year-old gelding could not have been more impressive in his nine-length demolition job. And it could have been further had he not run out in the home straight as he tends to do however stewards were more patient with his manners on this occasion by only giving him a warning after he was stood down to trial for the same misdemeanour in his 2200M score. 

Big Musical Star, 6.5 third market choice, missed the course record this time, by just 0.6 seconds, but his winning time of 2:05.6 broke the class record by 0.7 seconds. Storm Fighter was 2nd whilst 2.5 favourite Ari Dragon, who was looking for five straight victories, was not disgraced in 3rd over the furthest she had raced in the hardest contest she had run in. The other popular pick was last start KNN Cup (KOR-G3) 3rd placegetter Yeosu Super Star, 3.6, who was only 5th.

Big Musical Star was by far the performance of the day from an equine perspective but riding wise it was the in-form Franco da Silva by a long way as he rode a quartet of winners.

That began when CERAPH became the first winner worldwide sired by 2021 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide in Race 1 (1000M Class 6). Ceraph was the 2.6 favourite and ran a very impressive time of 59.4 seconds to win by seven-lengths in the best performance shown by a juvenile in this country so far this season.

Da Silva then made it back-to-back-to-back throughout the middle stages of the day and that began when SHIN STAR ONE (Centralcommand) won Race 4 (1600M Class 5) in excellent fashion winning by six-lengths as he did at his previous start. He looks yet another impressive type for trainer Moon Hyeon-cheol and owners Healing Farm Union who would not know the meaning of a slow racehorse it seems.

WIND MIREU (Triple Nine) made it three wins from five starts when winning Race 5 (1300M Class 5) by five-lengths as the 4.0 favourite to make it three for Franco before the Bart Rice trained smart three-year-old filly TWIN RAINBOW (Gemologist) made it four when she ran out a strong mile to win Race 6 (1600M Class 3) by four-lengths.

CC Wong was on the board as well, riding I AM HAPPY (Musket Man) to victory in Race 3 (1400M Class 6). I Am Happy is prepared by Koo Young Jun and raced by Ha Nui Ba Ram and they completed a double when the aforementioned Wind Mireu won Race 5.

There is no Stakes action in Korea until late July but racing keeps on going, picking up again at Busan on Friday.