THE WEEKEND’S FEATURES CAME EARLY AS BUSAN PLAYED HOST ON FRIDAY NOT ONLY TO RAON FOREST’S DOMINANT G3 GYEONGNAM GOVERNOR’S CUP VICTORY, BUT ALSO HELD ITS CLASS 1 TRIAL FOR DECEMBER’S GRAND PRIX.
That Grand Prix trial came over the track’s longest used distance in race 8 (2200M Class 1). BREEDO SOL (Hansen) saw off fellow three-year-old Doctor Chris by a nose with the odds-on favourite Prime Secret a length away in 3rd. It’s the third time that Breedo Sol has got the better of Doctor Chris, although this was by the narrowest margin yet. Seoul will hold its trial for the Grand Prix next Sunday with the big race itself, the final G1 of the year, to take place in the capital on December 6th.
Breedo Sol is trained by Moon Hyun-cheol and it was his second of three on the day. Having earlier sent out CHAMPUI SIDAE (Champ Line) to win race 5 (1600M Class 5), Moon saddled the progressive looking juvenile SUPEXNIKKE (To Honor And Serve) to lead all the way and score by four-lengths over ten older horses in the concluding race 9 (1600M Class 5) under Jung Do-yun. It was Supexnikke’s second win in three starts.
Race 1 (1200M Class 4) saw debut-making US-bred MISTER BEYOND (Idol) record an easy win over nine fellow imported maidens. The two-year-old skipped away for a nine-length score under Jin Kyum and looks to have plenty of potential for the longer distances. His sire won the Santa Anita Handicap in 2021. Jockey Jin would complete a double with a front-running effort on TWOTWO SPACE (Gemologist) in race 4 (1600M Class 6)
At 1.2, OASIS SONG (Hansen) was short enough in race 2 (1200M Class 6) and he took some time to see off a game Green Storm. See him off he did though for a maiden win at start number four under Seo Seung-un.
Franco Da Silva, who partnered Breedo Sol to his Grand Prix Trial victory got his race-to-race double underway with GEUMA PANTHER (Concord Point) in race 7 (1800M Class 4). Fellow overseas jockey Masa Tanaka was also among the winners as SHINY KOREA (Hansen-Shiny Fire) saluted in race 3 (1600M Class 6).
HAVING TRAINED HIS FIRST GROUP WINNER WITH RAON FOREST ON FRIDAY, LEE KANG-SEO STARTED KEPT HIS MOMENTUM GOING STRAIGHT AWAY AT SATURDAY AT SEOUL as he saddled favourite NIGHT THUNDER (Nitrous) to win the opening maiden race 1 (1000M Class 6). Under Kim Yong-geun, the 1.7 favourite saw off a determined effort from debut-maker Veloce by a length.
Jockey Kim quickly doubled as US import GRAND PAS CLASSIC (Kantharos) registered her maiden win in race 2 (1200M Class 4). She had previously run 2nd to promising types, South Carnival and Hope K and broke through at the third time of asking ahead of ten fellow US-bred juvenile maidens.
A locally-bred juvenile broke through in race 3 as URIRUI GIPPEUM (To Honor And Serve) scored at the fourth attempt. Jeong Jeong-hee was aboard the 5.6 chance, who had run 2nd in his previous outing a month ago.
A pair of 1.5 odds-on favourites saluted in back-to-back races. It was a touch surprising that HOLLY TIARA (Musket Man) was sent off so short for race 4 (1200M Class 5), but punters were spot on as she beat fellow three-year-old filly Crazy Champ by a length-and-a-half. Kim Hyo-jung was aboard the winner with Kim Tae-hui on the runner-up. ECLIPSE GOLDEN (Gemologist) being the same price in race 5 (1400M Class 5) was less surprising, although the only two-year-old in the race had to work hard under Ruan Maia to see off Thunder Fire by half a length. Both Holly Tiara and Eclipse Golden moved onto two wins from four starts.
In contrast, a 29.4 shot, twenty-nine-start maiden took out race 6 (1800M Class 5). Under Kim A-hyun, SHARKTEN (Elusive Bluff) gave the field the slip early and under a sensible tempo never came back to them, cruising to a four-length victory over favoured pair Winner Socks and Sinhan Ace. It was a welcome win for jockey Kim too in the Healing Farm Union colours made famous by Clean One.
Sharkten is trained by Park Jee-heon and he promptly completed a race-to-race double as 3.2 favourite USEUNG JINLI (Shackleford) obliged to the tune of four-lengths with Seo Seung-un at the controls in race 7 (1600M Class 4).
There was an even-longer priced winner than Sharkten of race 8 (1400M Class 4) although the style was similar as under a sensible pace, SMART MUSIC (The King) was always prominent and had enough in the tank to comfortably hold off Duray Show and the odds-on favourite Reverence. Cho Han-byul was aboard the four-year-old colt who was winning for the fourth time in sixteen starts.
Franco Da Silva got on the scoresheet late as the 1.8 favourite COWBOY SOCKS (Cowboy Cal) obliged in race 9 (1400M Class 4). The three-year-old filly was winning for the fourth time in eight starts and the third consecutively.
The concluding race 10 (1200M Class 2) was the highest rated of the day and jockey Jung Do-yun opted to boldly go from the outside gate to the rail on STAR TREK (Federalist), and it duly paid off as the five-year-old wasn’t caught. The 9.7 chance held of desperate late lunges by the pair at the top of the market, Hero Fighter and Raon Silence to score by a neck.
THE HIGHEST RATED RACE ON SEOUL’S SUNDAY CARD WAS RACE 9 (2000M CLASS 2) AND JD GANGJA (Power Blade) further enhanced his reputation as he stepped up to the class and the distance for the first time and secured an emphatic nine-length win under Lim Da-bin. While he was getting 5.5kg from 2nd placed Mustang Power, the 1.4 favourite JD Gangja looks class 1 bound sooner rather than later. After only beating one home in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Rookie, JD Gangja was kept off the Triple Crown trail but he has finished in the top-three in all seven of his starts as three-year-old, winning three of them, including his latest two.
Kozzi Asano is in pole position to win the Seoul Jockey Premiership, and he began Sunday by winning three of the first four races, in the process bringing up his 100th Korean winner as well as his 60th for 2026. The Japanese rider began in race 1 (1400M Class 6) on BAEKDOUI ULLIM (Old Fashioned). The 9.1 chance saw off a determined challenge from Loom Chukje to get his maiden win at start number five.
Asano made it two in race three as HOT FEVER (Old Fashioned), sent off at 6.8 in a wide-open market. swept through late to deny long-time leader Geoljak Tiara. It was the Tony Castanheira-trained filly’s second win in her last three starts, and she will probably be class four bound next time.
MAEUM HANA (Gaon Champ) was a more expected win for Asano and it was a straightforward gate-to-wire score for the three-year-old colt who began at odds of 1.6 and moved on to six wins from nine starts.
In other races, GOLD X (Shackleford) shook off a stumble on the home turn to justify starting odds of 1.6 when winning race 2 (1400M Class 6) under Kim Jeong-jun. The all-filly race 5 (1400M Class 5) saw an upset as 42.0 longshot TURBO CHARGE (Uncaptured) got the best of odds-on favourite Eclipse Sunny. Kim Tae-hyun was aboard the winner in a race where the 3rd place Triple S started at in excess of 60/1 yielding a Trifecta dividend of 3844.2.
Franco Da Silva had a mixed day, picking up a two-day ban in race 2 but winning race 6 (1200M Class 5) on YONGBI SHINHWA (Shackleford). Luis Quiroz was another overseas rider on the scoresheet as he guided 7.4 chance THUNDER A ONE (Thunder Moccasin) in the concluding race 11 (1400M) Class 3.
CUPID COMMAND (Centralcommand) won a competitive race 7 (1700M Class 4) under Cho Han-byul. The three-year-old is becoming something of a 1700M specialist with all three of his wins coming over the distance. In race 8, favourite Byeolkong could only manage 4th as 13.6 chance CHANGJOUI ACHIM (Munnings) came out on top with Woo In-cheol aboard. The five-year-old US bred was winning for just the second time in thirty-one starts. Race 10 (1200M) Class 4 saw 4.4 second-favourite ECLIPSE BOSS (Shackleford) duel all the way around with 2.1 favourite Ikkeulim with the former ultimately coming out on top by a neck with Song Jae-chul aboard.
SEO SEUNG-UN OPTING FOR YEONGCHEON OVER SEOUL ON A SUNDAY WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BUSAN WAS ALWAYS GOING TO ATTRACT ATTENTION and he duly won the opening race 1 (1200M Class 5) on the confusingly named RACE NINE (Uncaptured) for trainer Bart Rice. Seo very nearly won race 2 (1300M Class 5) as well as aboard 1.7 favourite Core Tiger, he led for every stride except the one that mattered as 6.7 chance BEOLGYO VILLAIN (Revolutionary) came up and got the best of the narrowest of photo-finishes under Lee Hyeon-jong.
Seo was to be denied on the favourite again in race 3 and by another tiny margin, this time a head as his 2.7 market-elect Charming Boss was denied by 40.8 outsider MEGA PLAY (Modern Cowboy). Masa Tanaka rode the unlikely winner to a gate-to-wire success with Seo and Charming Boss just unable to get there.
Jockey Jin Kyum rode POWERFUL MENIFEE (New Legend) was a three-length winner of race 4 (1600M Class 4) having been on pace throughout. Jockey David Breux and trainer Thomas Gillespie then combined to score with 3.2 favourite NINETEEN NINE WON (Beau Liam) in race 5.
Seo Seun-un might have expected a better return than two winners given his book, but he did at least manage to bookend the card as he made a bold move to the front from the widest gate on RONALD DUCK (Rogueish) and proceeded to lead all the way for a four-length victory over favourite Wind Mireu.
Next week, the feature race is once again on Friday at Busan with the Kookje Shinmun (1400M KOR-G3). Roshe, with six wins from six starts to date, is set to be the favourite.
