THE GRAND PRIX STAKES IS JUST OVER A MONTH AWAY AND AFTER BUSAN HELD ITS FINAL LEAD-UP RACE A WEEK AGO, IT WAS SEOUL’S TURN THIS SUNDAY and MUSKET DAY (Musket Man) franked his distance credentials by winning race 7 (2300M Class 1) in fine style under Ruan Maia.
Sent off as the 2.7 favourite in a field of ten seeking to get their rating up in order to gain entrance to the final Group 1 of the season, Musket Day was always close to the pace and took things up on the home turn before stretching away to win by seven-lengths over G Motion and East West. It should be just about enough to get him into the big race on December 6th.
Ruan Maia would go on to ride a double as he guided US-bred juvenile MIGHTY HUNKY (Happy Saver) to a seven-length maiden victory in race 7 (1400M Class 4). The colt had been beaten by the likes of Samjeong Chef and Hope K in previous starts and looks like a prospect going forward.
Kozzi Asano leads the Seoul Jockey Premiership, and he steered 47.9 outsider GUNJU MINSU (Peace Rules) to an unlikely victory in race 3 (1200M Class 6). The three-year-old had only beaten one horse home in his two previous outings, beaten by a combined margin of thirty-lengths but made a mockery of that to score by six-lengths from the front. Odds-on favourite Mighty Champ could only manage 3rd.
Asano would later complete a double as DIANA (Power Blade) returned from over five-months out to win race 10 (1200M Class 3). The Tony Castanheira-trained five-year-old shook off odds-on favourite Every Time to record a four-length win. The Sun Bulsajo, seeking a fourth consecutive victory, was one of the first beaten.
Sunday’s opening two races were for juvenile maidens. Debut-maker WINNER RISING (Mr. Crow) led from gate to wire to take out race 1 (1000M Class 6) while 15.6 chance BAEKSAN RACE (Race Day) got his maiden win at the third time of asking in race 2 (1400M Class 6). Song Jae-chul and Lim Da-bin were the winning jockeys.
Trainer Luigi Riccardi and jockey Jeong Jeong-hee teamed up successfully on Saturday and they did so again on Sunday in race 4 (1300M Class 5) as odds-on favourite SURPRISE (Colors Flying) obliged in facile fashion. He now has two wins in four starts in a career which had a ten-month interruption up until his return this October.
Jockey Jeong promptly completed a race-to-race double as BLAZING ENGINE (Triple Nine) got the best of a wide-open race 5 (1400M Class 5), scoring by a neck over Glory Joy in what was yet another huge price trifecta on a very challenging weekend for punters.
Multiple championship winning jockey Moon Se-young is gradually establishing himself as a trainer and he saddled his fourth winner on Sunday as SUN DOLPUNG (Runhappy) won race 8 (1400M Handicap) under Jo Jae-ro. It was the colt’s second win in eight starts.
The final race of the day – and of the weekend – was for fillies and mares, and race 11 (1400M Class 3) saw Johan Victoire and Kozzi Asano duel with one another in the final furlong aboard Gold Catcher and Namsan Belt, only for Andre Da Silva to cruise past both late on aboard MIGHTY SHONE (Bucchero) to win at odds of 19.8. It was the mare’s second career win at start twenty-four.
SEO SEUNG-UN WAS AT YEONGCHEON ON SUNDAY AND HE KICKED OFF THE CARD WITH A WINNER as ACE CROW (Mr. Crow) took race 1 (1300M Class 5) by a neck over Yeoun. Ace Crow was breaking through at the fourth time of asking having finished 2nd in each of her first three starts.
Seo wasn’t jockey of the day though as Song Kyeong-yun, who rode a treble at Busan on Friday (more on that later) repeated the feat, securing another as he claimed six winners for the weekend. Song got the ball rolling in race 2 (1200M Class 5) as filly GREAT POWER (Gemologist) led all the way at odds of 6.2 to get her second win in a row – and becoming the first repeat Yeongcheon winner, which will see her up to class 4 next time out.
Song immediately followed up in race 3 (1200M Class 4) as QUEEN WIND (Thunder Moccasin), who ran 2nd on her first visit to Yeongcheon in September, saluted (also at odds of 6.2) by just under two-lengths.
In the final race of the day in the South-East, which largely escaped the rain that fell in the capital, Song completed his treble as SKY JILJU (Testa Matta) ground out a two-and-a-half-length win over filly Strawberry Queen at big odds of 23.8. Sky Jilju is another who could end up a Yeongcheon specialist as he arrested a run of poor form with a 4th place on his first visit to the track in early October, before his Sunday win.
Race 4 (1800M Class 4) saw veteran EUNSEONG YEONGUNG (Colonel John) return to the winner’s circle for the first time in over four years. It was on September 25, 2022, when the then three-year-old notched his third win at start number twelve. On Sunday the now seven-year-old, making his fifty-ninth start, came to Yeongcheon for the first time and saw off a field of horses all of whom were at least two years his junior, by a length and a half. Chae Sang-yun did the steering.
In the other race on the card, (5) TAKE INDIE (Take Charge Indy), who had done very little in two previous starts but who did look good in a recent trial, took race 5 (1400M Class 4) under Masa Tanaka.
TRAINER HAN MAN-DAL SADDDLED THE FIRST WINNER OF HIS CAREER AT SEOUL ON SATURDAY. His Australian-bred colt CASTELLA (Prince Fawaz), who was lining up for the second time held on under Kim Yong-geun to see off fast finishing East Winner by a head in race 2 (1200M Class 4). It was Han’s 21st runner. It took Henry Cecil many more than that.
Race 1 (1400M Class 6) was won by SEOBU KING (Old Fashioned) who grabbed Bonbon Tiara and long-time leader Legend Monster in the closing stages, the three finishing well clear of the rest. Jo Jae-ro was aboard the winner.
Jockey Jo went on to complete an early treble with GOLDENBELL STAR (Air Force Blue) winning the juvenile maiden race 4 (1000M Class 6) and also race 5 (1400M Class 6) on SEVEN FORCE (Race Day), who started as the 2.3 favourite.
Earlier race 2 (1200M Class 6), another juvenile maiden, saw an all the way win by GHOST THUNDER (Michieviously) with Yoo Seung-wan aboard. The win came on his third start but one to watch going forward may be Many Blitz, who was slowly away and then met plenty of trouble in running but still threaded a way through for 2nd place on what was her debut.
13.4 chance TEUKGEUP GISANG (Yeonseung Daero) was a welcome winner for trainer Lee Dong-kook in race 6 (1400M Class 5), the filly leading all the way under O Su-cheol to make it two wins from three starts. NAMCHON TOWN (Shackleford) then took the very competitive race 7 (1200M Class 5) with Choi Bum-hyun aboard. Namchon Town, who registered his second career win, is a half-brother to Cheongu, the most travelled Korean-trained racehorse of all time, who ran at Ohi, Kranji and Meydan in addition to Seoul.
The popular Flutter suffered another narrow defeat in race 8 (1200M Class 4) as 7.1 shot BROWN MAMMA (Overanalyze) collared him late to strike by a neck with Cho Han-byeol aboard. Urus Sabbia, who won two races before a lengthy layoff, returned in 4th place and will be worth looking out for next time.
On a challenging day for favourite backers, there was respite in race 7 (1700M Class 4) as Andre Da Silva guided even-money BREEDO CHAMPION (Omaha Beach) to a length and a quarter victory over Upperhand. It was the American import’s maiden win, but it had been coming with a 3rd and a 2nd from his previous two appearances.
Suffering resumed for the aforementioned favourite backers in race 10 (1800M Class 3) as Korean Derby 4th placegetter King Master, sent off at 1.6 had to settle for 2nd place as Lim Da-bin guided 22.2 chance BS STORM (Revolutionary) up the inside for a three-length win. BS Storm won three races in a row this time last year but had lost his way at this class since. Perhaps when the leaves turn brown and the days shorter, is the time that he excels.
The highest rated race on the card was the concluding race 11 (1400M Class 2) and MASTER KWAIGON (Dynamic Dash), still with a class 3 rating was sent for a shy at the class 2 stumps. And it was an educated shy as with a 5kg weight drop, Jeong Jeong-hee took the four-year-old to the front at just the right time and then held off the fast finishing Remember Again by a neck. It was the Luigi Riccardi-trained Master Kwaigon’s fifth win and he will be in genuine class 2 next time.
WINNER CLEAR’S DEFEAT OF ROSHE IN THE G3 KOOKJE SHINMUN CUP wasn’t jockey Seo Seung-un’s only victory on Friday’s card at Busan. The Southern region’s champion jockey-elect also took out the concluding race 9 (1600M Class 2) on MOMENTUM (Nitrous).
Sent off at odds of 6.8 for the highest rated handicap of the day, Seo made a bold move on Momentum, taking the three-year-old filly from the widest gate directly to the front. She then comfortably saw off outsider Heuimang Garam and the better supported Seobu Vision by five-lengths. Pre-race favourite Knicks Go Won didn’t see out the mile and ended up finishing in last place.
It wasn’t a great end to the day for the Knicks Go Won connections of owners Healing Farm Union, trainer Moon Hyeon-chul and jockey Jung Do-yun as one race previously their Shin Star One saw his winning streak end at four. The 2.4 favourite was leading in the straight only to be comprehensively passed by 9.0 chance TANTAN DAERO (Mr. Crow). The Jo In-kwon ridden four-year-old was winning for just the second time in nineteen starts.
Jockey of the day wins wise was Song Kyeong-yun, who notched a treble. Song’s first came with juvenile filly GREY WIND (Race Day) in race 3 (1300M Class 6) and he followed up immediately in race 4 (1400M Class 5) with BACK TO THE DREAM (Gemologist), who saw off fellow three-year-old filly and favourite Power Devil by half a length. His third came in race 7 (1800M) Class 5) as 3.2 favourite ONE PLUS ONE (Old Fashioned) obliged with a gate-to-wire effort.
Much earlier, the opening juvenile filly maiden race 1 (1200M Class 6) was won by 6.0 debut-maker QUEEN CLEAVER (Musket Man) under Jung Do-yun, while a juvenile colt by the same sire in the shape of SUPEX MAGIC (Musket Man) took out race 2) with Jin Kyum aboard. In race 3 (1200M Class 6) jockey Masa Tanaka and trainer Bart Rice teamed up with MAX LEVEL (Courvoisier) who broke through at start number three at long odds-on.
There is no Stakes race action in Korea next week, but a full weekend of racing kicks off as usual at Busan on Friday.
