THE MUNHWA ILBO TROPHY FOR THE FOREIGN-BRED JUVENILES WAS THE FEATURE EVENT IN SEOUL ON SUNDAY BUT AN EXCELLENT 1600M CLASS 2 WAS THE MAIN HANDICAP AND NANO MASIN and Andre da Silva ran their rivals off their feet to hold on by a nose over the fast-finishing Concord Blue (writes Luke Humphreys).
Nano Masin (Goldencents) was having his fourth run at the grade and recorded his first win in nine-and-a-half months at odds of 15.3. The 3.5 second favourite Concord Blue was returning to better form after finishing well down the field at his previous start and under Franco da Silva, who was riding the three-year-old colt for the first time, just failed. Maru Janggun ran a fine race for 3rd after being wide throughout from the outside barrier whilst the 2.1 favourite Clutch Magic, who had won at Listed grade at his previous start, for Johan Victoire and Luigi Riccardi could not make it four successive wins but was not disgraced in 4th under the topweight of 58kg.
The winning trainer of Nano Masin was Kang Hwan-min and thanks to SAMJEONG SPIDER (Save The World) winning the concluding Race 11 (1200M Class 4) he had a race-to-race double at the end of the card. Samjeong Spider had won his four starts before suffering an odds-on defeat in February and had been off the scene since with an injury. He had won a trial on October 22 but regardless of that punters sent him off at juicy each-way odds of 6.6 for the win and 2.0 for the place and despite getting tired late he held on narrowly from the late closing Choegang Belt who was having just his second start and is one to follow from the Riccardi yard.
Jang Chu-youl was the winning hoop on Samjeong Spider and was also completing a double as he and POINT I (Musket Man) landed Race 7 (1700M Class 4). Point I was the 3.6 favourite to make it three wins from her last four starts and duly did so by one-length.
The consistent SEOBU CHAMP (Gyeongbudaero) recorded her first win in eleven months in Race 9 (1800M Class 3) when diving through late to score by a half-length. Seobu Champ was kept safe by punters as the 7.5 third pick and defeated another consistent type in Mujeok Hamdae into 2nd with the 2.3 favourite The Sun Story, having her first attempt at the grade following five straight victories, given every chance in front but the three-year-old filly was run down late and finished 3rd. The admirable Stunning Flatter was 4th whilst the 4.5 second favourite Daehan Power was a never nearer 5th.
Jo Jae-ro and Baek Jong-su combined for a double with 3.6 second choice HOT SUGAR MAGIC (Yeonseung Daero) leading throughout to win Race 3 (1200M Class 6) by three-lengths whilst 1.9 odds-on chance SAEROUN BISUL (Colors Flying) made it third time lucky in a one-win race when landing Race 6 (1400M Class 5) by the same margin. Hot Sugar Magic brought up Jo Jae-ro’s 300th winner as a jockey with Saeroun Bisul providing number 301.
TORRENS (Early Voting) landed Race 2 (1200M Class 4), which was a juvenile foreign bred (only American bred horses were engaged) maiden, for Kozzi Asano and Tony Castanheira. The filly as she had done in each of her two prior runs finished ahead of Storm Petrel, 5.7 second favourite, and the Furkan Yuksel ridden Luigi Riccardi trained Storm Petrel, who was 2nd, should go close when next stepping out.
The Lee Shin-woo prepared STORM WIND (Concert Tour) followed up his one and only trial, which was a three-length success, with a debut win by one-and-three-quarter lengths in Race 1 (1000M Class 6) as the 2.5 favourite. The Tony Castanheira trained and Kim Hyo-jung ridden 4.0 second favourite Shine Road, which had won his trial by six-lengths, was slow to go and flashed home for 2nd with the Kim Tae-hui ridden and Luigi Riccardi trained Teddy Blaze, which had been a ten-length heat victor, finishing 3rd after leading.
Trainer Lee completed a double when another of her juveniles in LUNA SOCKS (Musket Man) stormed clear to win Race 5 (1300M Class 5) by a margin of four-lengths as the 4.9 second favourite under Franco da Silva and in doing so was completing back-to-back successes after being a beaten favourite in her first two attempts. The 1.6 favourite Raon The Clara was a beaten 2nd and was beaten at odds-on for the third time in succession.
AT YEONGCHEON ON SUNDAY A COUPLE OF CLASS 4 EVENTS WERE THE HIGHEST RATED CONTESTS AND RUSH WILD showed her ability with an all the way victory over the 1400M as the 2.0 favourite in the concluding Race 6 for the powerful trio of Seo Seung-un, Choi Ki-hong and Choi Sang-il.
Rush Wild (Bayern) was a bit hard to catch in the initial stages of her career but bounced back to her best form two runs ago before losing no admirers when 3rd in a strong race against her own sex last start. She scored by two-and-a-half lengths over the 3.9 second choice Chats Khan, the 5.3 third pick Shackle Sun and the 9.7 fourth market choice Doctor Castle.
The first division of that 1400M Class 4 was Race 5 and JEOLDAE BOSS (Testa Matta) claimed victory in the final strides under Masa Tanaka at odds of 21.2. The Jin Kyum ridden Moon Hyeon-cheol trained 2.0 favourite Archer Heart was only 3rd after leading. The victory of Rush Wild completed a double for Seo Seung-un as earlier he guided the first of two winners on the day for Thomas Gillespie in the shape of POWERFUL WARRIOR (J P’s Gusto) which got up late on to win Race 1 (1200M Class 5) whilst Gillespie’s other victor FANTASTIC SANTA (Lion Santa) was also a narrow winner in Race 2 (1200M Class 5) however in his case he just held on. The former was the 1.5 favourite that was slow to go but the two-year-old colt was eventually able to score, and in doing so was recording his second career win after finishing down the field in the Listed Gimhae Mayor’s at his previous effort, whilst the latter was the 4.8 second favourite and the three-year-old gelding denied the 1.7 favourite Road To Number One by a nose.
MEGA PLAY (Modern Cowboy) landed Race 4 (1200M Class 4) from an on pace role by one-and-a-quarter lengths as the 3.2 second favourite under Jin Kyum whilst B.K RICH (Nitrous) ran his rivals off their feet to win Race 3 (1300M Class 5) as the 1.8 favourite and after finishing 2nd to the impressive Royal Pride, a winner on the Friday program at Busan, has now put together back-to-back wins for jockey Jo In-kwon and trainer Kang Hyoung-gon.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS EARLIER ON A GLOOMY DAY IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL MUSTANG POWER finally broke through for a victory in Race 9 (2000M Class 2), the main race on the wet afternoon.
Mustang Power (Archarcharch) after finishing in the minor placings at each of his previous seven starts won by four-lengths as the 2.7 favourite under Furkan Yuksel and in doing so beat two of the others in single digits on the Korean tote in Storm Breaker, 6.0, and Jisan Force, 4.3, into 2nd and 3rd places with Choego Game, 5.2,5th.
HWASANGWIHWAN (Freedom Child) was another horse on the program that was building up a record of being a non-winner with just one success from thirty-four starts prior to competing in Race 10 (1200M Class 3). He had strung together four consecutive minor places prior to disappointing at his previous run and punters forgot about him sending him off at 25.1 and he duly scored by a half-length under the in-form Kim Tae-hui. The 2.9 favourite was the Kozzi Asano ridden and Tony Castanheira prepared Storm Crown, but he did his chances no good with a slow start and was a never nearer 5th.
G FLEX (Gemologist) was another horse on the card to finally gain a victory after second places in each of his four previous runs. He was the 2.8 favourite in Race 9 (1400M Class 4) and scored by six-lengths over 3.6 second favourite Young Fighter whilst the 3.9 third choice Mighty Shine weakened to finish 5th. The victory of G Flex completed a double for Seo Seung-un as he earlier rode the improving JECHUK SANJIRO (Shackleford) to land Race 5 (1400M Class 4) at odds of 12.8 for trainer Lee Shin-woo over Baramgaebi and Su Bu Tai with the 2.2 favourite Tiger Bulpae only 5th.
Ham Wan-sik prepared a double with smart juvenile ECO BOLT (Revolutionary) making it back-to-back victories in Race 3 (1300M Class 5) and once again showing he is a smart front-runner with a two-and-a-half length score as the 1.3 favourite whilst 2.9 second market choice GOJU ILCHEOK (Shackleford) and Andre da Silva accounted for the Tony Castanheira trained and Kozzi Asano ridden 2.6 favourite Beongae Lewis by nine-lengths in Race 7 (1800M Class 4).
Choi Bum-hyun was the other participant to have a double riding well backed 2.9 favourite CHEONGGANG BOM (To Honor And Serve) to a three-length success in Race 2 (1300M Class 6) before sending WITH DIS KURO (With Distinction) to the lead from a wide draw in Race 6 (1800M Class 5) and absolutely destroying their rivals by twelve-lengths.
SONGDANG FIRST (Thunder Moccasin) had beaten two subsequent winners on her debut before finishing down the track in a Listed leg of the Juvenile Series last month but returned to winning ways by three-lengths as a 1.9 favourite in Race 4 (1200M Class 5) whilst Ruan Maia rode 2.1 popular pick CUPID CHEONGUNG (Concert Tour) to a one-length score in Race 1 (1200M Class 6) over 2.5 second pick Memento.
IN BUSAN ON FRIDAY THE MAIN HANDICAP WAS THE CONCLUDING RACE 10 OVER 1600M AT CLASS 2 AND DRAGON NINJA justified 2.8 favouritism to score by an extending five-lengths.
Dragon Ninja (Hansen) had chased home the likes of Ephphatha and Maengnyong back in March and February and had beaten the dual subsequent winner Hey Brother at his 1400M Class 3 success in June. He went two places better on his one and only previous try at Class 2 grade and was completing a double for jockey Jin Kyum and trainer Moon Hyeon-cheol as BREEDO GREEN (Hansen) had earlier put his best foot forward when landing Race 3 (1300M Class 6) by eight-lengths.
Breedo Green had been very disappointing in two previous starts when fancied in the market and was once again well supported starting the 3.4 second favourite and this time he did not let punters down with a victory which saw him lead for the majority of the journey.
Training honours on the card however did go to Lim Sung-sil not just thanks to the Listed victory of Seraph but also due to the victories of ROYAL PRIDE (Hansen) in Race 7 (1400M Class 5) and BEOLGYO MABEOPSA (Revolutionary) in Race 8 (1800M Class 5) to complete a race-to-race treble. Royal Pride had been an impressive front-running nine-length debut winner prior to finishing midfield in the Listed Gimhae Mayor’s Trophy last month but bounced back to winning ways as the 2.8 favourite with a further nine-length front-running success over the Franco da Silva ridden and Bart Rice trained 6.0 fourth favourite Jeongmunkeundaebag.
Jeongmunkeundaebag had won on debut and lost no admirers at his second start, with 5.1 third choice It’s Lit finishing in 3rd. 4.3 second favourite Daeseong Sky paid the price for attempting to go with Royal Pride and weakened to finish 7th. Regarding Beolgyo Mabeopsa he was a runaway four-length winner passing every single horse after settling down last in the initial stages.
Park Jae-i rode RUBY GONGJU (Hansen) to a soft come-from-behind three-length success in Race 4 (1300M Class 6), over the Seo Seung-un ridden Bart Rice prepared 2.3 favourite Green Storm, before completing a double when OASIS YOUNG (Musket Man) made what looked a competitive race on paper anything but with a six-length on pace victory in Race 9 (1800M Class 4). He looked a smart type when winning two runs prior at Yeongcheon and looked even better in this success over Queen Perfect which finished 2nd for Jo In-kwon and Kim Hye-sun with Franco da Silva and Bart Rice combining with the 3rd placed Ninety Plus. The 5.3 equal favourites were Boryeong Ultra Man and Unju Magic which could only manage 5th and 9th.
Trainer Choi Ki-hong and owner Choi Sang-il combined for a Wild double with juvenile daughters of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern in the shape of WINNING WILD in Race 1 (1000M Class 6) and WILD D’ORO (Bayern) in Race 5 (1400M Class 6). Both fillies effectively led throughout with the former scoring by four-lengths under Seo Seung-un, as the 6.2 second favourite was accounting for the 1.3 odds-on chance World Crown Cat, with the latter scoring by five-lengths under Masa Tanaka as a 1.6 favourite and clearly appreciating a drop back in grade following 3rd and 5th places in Listed legs of the Korean Juvenile Series at her previous two runs.
Franco da Silva rode 1.8 favourite PERFECT SEOGWI (Concert Tour) to an impressive eight-length score in Race 2 (1200M Class 6) and the two-year-old colt was going one place better than his debut a month earlier.
There are no Graded or Listed races next week with the main event set to be a 1400M Class 1 in Seoul which sees Magic Potion, Best Race, Super Finish and Wonpyeong Storm all entered. A 1200M Class 2 is the other main race in the nation’s capital whilst a race over the same distance and grade is the main event in the South-East on Friday in Busan where Knicks Go Won will be looking to put a last start last place finish well and truly behind her. The main races at Yeongcheon are two Class 3 events over 1800M and 1400M, respectively.
