Day: October 8, 2026

Busan Friday: Race-By-Race Preview (October 9)

President’s Cup weekend gets underway at Busan on Friday with a 9-race card from 11:15 to 17:55. Here are the previews:

Busan Race 1: Class 6 (1000M) Special Weight A / KRW 45 Million

(7) INDIAN CATCHER is a Race Day filly with Thomas Gillespie that has trialled twice with the best of those being her most recent heat on September 17 when a finishing a one-length second and she can go close on debut under Seo Seung-un. (10) ALL OKAY is a Hansen colt with Kim Do-hyun that has also trialled twice with the most recent of those being a front-running two-and-a-half length win. He finished a head in advance of Indian Catcher when they competed in a trial on August 13, Indian Catcher gets a weight swing here, and must be respected. (9) BODY AND SOUL was fourth in a trial on August 27 whilst (8) BREATHLESS has one-and-a-half lengths to find with Indian Catcher from her one and only trial on September 17. (1) MODERN BOY is arguably the best of the quartet of raced runners going on his fifth on debut with (2) MALIKA next best.

Selections(7) Indian Catcher (10) All Okay (9) Body And Soul (8) Breathless
Next Best1, 2
Fast Start1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10

Busan Race 2: Class 6 (1200M) Special Weight A / KRW 45 Million

(2) DAESEONG SKY has trialled once and raced once for a second on each occasion and if he does not race as greenly as what he did on his debut, he can go one better with Seo Seung-un riding. (1) PEGASUS YEOWANG has also trialled once and raced once and in her case, she has finished in third on each occasion and rates as a chance. (8) PERFECT NORTHERN made up some ground in the second of her trials behind a subsequent impressive winner so should not be denied a chance with the Franco da Silva ridden Thomas Gillespie trained debutante (9) BLACK QUEENS, an Old Fashioned filly that has trialled once for a seventh, rating next over Baik Kwang-yeol prepared newcomer (7) DOCTOR SPICY, which has also trialled once for a seventh, and (5) B.K BIG AIR, who has raced once for a fifth.

Selections(2) Daeseong Sky (1) Pegasus Yeowang (8) Perfect Northern (9) Black Queens
Next Best7, 5
Fast Start1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Busan Race 3: Class 4 (1600M) Handicap / KRW 75 Million

(1) RUSH WILD bounced back to her best last start with a brilliant eight-length victory from the front following a couple of below par performances. Her confidence should be sky-high following that win and from the inside draw she is a good chance of leading throughout once more despite coming up in class. (8) DAISY TIARA remains a maiden but continues to finish close to the mark and can do so again. (3) SUN LIGHT has proven to be a non-winner to date but from a place perspective always has to be considered whilst (5) P.D SPECIAL and (9) PACHOUI KKUM finished second and fourth at feature level last time and have as good a chances as any and (2) LAMPYOJEONGGEENIE is far from hopeless in an excellent race.

Selections(1) Rush Wild (8) Daisy Tiara (3) Sun Light (5) P.D Special
Next Best9, 2
Fast Start1, 2, 5, 9

Busan Race 4: Class 6 (1600M) Special Weight A / KRW 30 Million

(6) TIGER BLUE has raced twice for a seventh and a fifth and did win a trial back in June and that form is good enough to go close in this for Franco da Silva and Bart Rice. (9) CAPTAIN WARRIOR is first-up since January when he pulled up lame in the near fore but was well fancied in a few of the races he contested in his first campaign and was a narrow runner-up in a trial at the end of August. Masa Tanaka rides (7) FLYING SKY which was second three weeks ago when having his first run for six months and on that run will likely start as the popular pick. (2) OASIS TIME is only a juvenile but has the most consistent form so is not to be denied with (1) FANTASTIC BEACH the other main runner over (3) HANGANG BRAVO.

Selections(6) Tiger Blue (9) Captain Warrior (7) Flying Sky (2) Oasis Time
Next Best1, 3
Fast Start4, 8, 9, 10, 11

Busan Race 5: Class 6 (1400M) Special Weight A / KRW 45 Million

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KOREA RACING REPORT – October 2-5

ON SUNDAY AT SEOUL A LISTED RACE TOOK PLACE IN THE RUNNING OF THE ILGAN SPORTS TROPHY OVER 1800M FOR DOMESTIC BRED HORSES WITH NO HIGHER THAN A KOREAN HANDICAP MARK OF 85 AND THE INCREDIBLY PROGRESSIVE CLUTCH MAGIC produced his best performance yet with a gutsy victory for jockey Johan Victoire and trainer Luigi Riccardi (writes Luke Humphreys).

Clutch Magic takes the Ilgan Sports (Pic: KRA)

Clutch Magic (Uncaptured) raced on the outside of the longtime leader No Problem throughout the contest before putting him to the sword at the top of the straight. However, this was when the 3.0 favourite Musket Day, who had easily won the spring equivalent of this race earlier in the year, was launched by Jang Chu-youl to challenge and looked to have the measure of the three-year-old colt. But the 3.6 second favourite was not to be denied and determinedly fought back to win the prize by a head from Musket Day whilst Yongam Sesang, who was a further neck back in third, may have beaten them both in another fifty metres.

“I knew that No Problem was going to go in front and that he was going to want to stay there” said Victoire “so even though my horse has natural speed, I did not want to go too fast so that it would help the horses behind to get into the race. So, I settled in the second spot and Clutch Magic was a little upset at first to not be in front but then he quickly relaxed. In the home straight, I saw Musket Day coming on my outside and he may have even overtaken me, but my horse was able to give another effort, he has a big heart. Right after crossing the finish line, I was not sure if I had won but I was happy after finding out that I had won. He was a little bit lost when he ran in the Minister’s Cup, but he is gaining more experience, and I too am getting to know him better. Clutch Magic is a horse I have been riding since the beginning, so it is even more meaningful, and I have lofty expectations for the rest of this year and even next year with this horse.

Of the rest Eclipse The King, 13.3, came home in fourth, with Taepyeong Hero, 9.6, in sixth ahead of No Problem, 11.5, who folded for seventh whilst Sling Star, 5.2, was eleventh of the thirteen runners.

The day was a big one for both Victoire and Riccardi as they followed up in Race 9 (1800M Class 1) with another impressive three-year-old in the shape of American-bred gelding G B VAULT (Rock Your World) who enhanced his reputation as a stayer of the future even further with a six-length win as the 4.0 second favourite. Just like Clutch Magic did seventy-five minutes earlier G B Vault raced on the outside of the leader but in his case, he could not have won any easier with 2.6 favourite Pepper X, who was having his first run since finishing down the field when fancied in the KRA Cup Classic, finishing second ahead of Black Belt in third. The other favourites included Vics Go, 5.0, Hero Fighter, 8.6, and Zetta Master 8.6, and they came home in fifth, sixth and seventh. Riccardi was actually completing a treble of wins on the day as juvenile filly G B QUEEN (Hansen), who just like G B Vault is raced by Son Byung-seok, followed up her impressive five-length trial score with success from the front in Race 1 (1000M Class 6) as the 1.4 favourite under Kim Hyo-jung.

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