The first race day of 2008 sees just 11 races at Seoul Race Park. The first is under orders at 11:00am and the last at 5:30pm. To celebrate the New Year, Race 6 is a big handicap worth 52Million won to the winner, an unusual prize fund for a Saturday race. It’s worth warning that as there are only 11 races, there are three hour-long gaps in the card instead of the usual two, with Jeju races being shown at 12:20pm, 1:20pm and 2:20pm. The big race is off at 2:50pm. However, after last weekend’s unbearably cold conditions, temperatures are expected to get the right side of zero and the sun should be out, which should make for a good day.
Author: allymid1
Racing Review – Sunday December 30
A bitterly cold day at Seoul Race Park with temperatures officially hovering around -6 but with a cruel wind making the conditions much worse. Still 12 races took place and it was a good day for veteran jockey Park, Tae Jong who notched up 3 winners. The most valuable race of the day was Race 11, a race over 1400 metres worth 31Million won to the winner. It was won by the favourite Good Day ridden by Jeon, Deok Young a length ahead of Ikuyasu Kurakane on Dalkane. Other odds-on favourites Gamadongja in race 6 and Baekpa in race 12 also came home in front. The longest priced winner was Chanranhanbit in race 9 returning at 15.1 in an open race on a day when class proved vital in the freezing conditions.
Australian Danny Craven experienced his first real taste of the Korean winter with some creditable rides, his best placing being a 4th behind Baekpa in the last race of the day. Overall, the final race day of 2007 was a day dominated by the cold with a lower than average turnout – many racegoaers found it too cold even to go outside to smoke. Hopefully it will warm up for next Saturday’s card – the first of 2008.
Racing Preview – December 29/30
It’s got cold again. From the balmy highs of midweek, the temperature plummeted below zero on Friday evening and is expected to remain there throughout the weekend. There are 12 races in Seoul on both Saturday and Sunday. Start time is 11am both days. Compared to the Grand Prix last week, there are no outstanding prizes but there are big competitive fields on both days. Come racing, just remember to wrap up very very warm.
Korean racing on video
Youtube has broken down all sorts of barriers, not to mention copyright laws, and thanks to a Korean posting under the name of Fallight, videos of Korean horseracing are available to an English speaking audience for the first time. Here are some of his best ones from 2007:
J.S. Hold took the Triple Crown this year. Here winning the Korean Derby the second leg of the Crown in a canter back in May and then going on to complete the full set in the Minister of Agriculture Cup in October, leaving it very late to overhaul Ganghomyeongjang in the final metres.
Back in March, Subsidy and Bally Brae did battle over ten furlongs – by the final turn the rest of the field was nowhere to be seen.
Finish of the year perhaps came from Baekgwang all the way back in February, the grey coming from the back of the field to the front in an explosive final 2 furlongs.
The season concluded with Subsidy and Bally Brae doing battle again n the Group 1 Grand Prix race. No J.S. Hold or Baekgwang, but a fine race nonetheless.
So Cheers Fallight, keep up the good work in 2008!
Racing Review – Sunday November 25
Just a brief one today as it was a day of generally unspectacular racing. On the plus side, Seoul Racecourse Park was bathed in thoroughly spectacular sunshine providing a wonderful day for the above average sized crowd. Betting was competitive all day long with punters undecided on many races. Moon Se Young returned riding three favourites but each time was beaten as sure things were hard to come by. Particularly disappointing was Easy Company in race 6 which had one 2 out of its 3 previous races but failed to stay the extra 200 metres trip. Most notable performance of the day came in race 10 as the highly fancied Jeokdaejeok added to his impressive record with a comfortable win under Yoon Dae Keun.
Racing Review – Saturday November 24
A beautiful day at Gwacheon saw bright sunshine and a welcome return to reasonable temperatures after last week’s cold. The torrential rain on Friday afternoon resulted in heavy going and a track that looked more like mud than the usual sand. This had a predictably unpredictable effect on the form and it was a day of long-shots coming in and odds-on chances getting beaten. The most surprising result of the day came perhaps in race 10 where Wontagi Gisa – a horse with W130Million of prize money from just 9 races behind it failed to feature at all in a race won by the unfancied Jeoldae Banji under Shim Seung Tae – the tote paying 60.0 on the win. Australian Danny Craven had two rides but didn’t trouble the placings.
Sunday will see another 12 races plus the return of Moon Se Young after 2 racing days off.
Racing Preview – Saturday November 24
Aussie jockey makes second appearance
There’s a 12 race card with the first at 11:00 and the last at 17:20. There are no feature races but as ever, the final three are the most valuable. It’s a card of long races with every race from 7 onwards being over 1700 metres or further. After a Friday afternoon of thunderstorms and torrential rain, the track may be a little heavy but the day is expected to be dry and much warmer than recent days with temperatures of up to 10C. Australian jockey Danny Craven will make his second Korean appearance in the fifth race. Craven debuted last week with a winner. A quick check on Virtual Form Guide shows he has a record since 2003 of 115 winners from 1316 rides based in South East Queensland although he has also ridden in the past in Mauritius. He rides in races 5 and 9 so a further update tomorrow.
Racing Review – Sunday November 18
Eventful day for Iku and it’s cold…very cold…
Winter arrived in a big way in Seoul this weekend. The early forecast of a high of 6C proved hopelessly optimistic as the temperature struggled to rise over freezing. This, coupled with a biting easterly wind, made it a bracing day at the races. On the track, the weekend’s big race was the “NACF Chairman’s Trophy Race” over 1800 metres and worth 67,000,000won to the winner. The 5 year old Pilseung Giwon, running in her fortieth race took the trophy under Ikuyasu Kurakane, a length and a half ahead of the odds-on favourite Morning Dance under Cho Kyoung Ho.
Ikuyasu had an eventful day, placing and winning in early races before falling on the final bend in Race 9 while riding the highly fancied Biroesonata. Placed fifth at the time, Biroesonata pulled out into the back of Magic Sarang (ridden by Oh Kyung Ho) and went over. Remarkably, from what looked like a bad tumble, both horse and jockey were straight up. Magic Sarang went on to cross the line first, however, a steward’s inquiry found Oh to have been responsible for Iku’s fall and the horse was disqualified. Hyo Bin, under Lee Sung Hwan, was promoted to first place. Iku went straight from the ambulance to the paddock for the big race clearly with a point to prove.
Overall a good day’s sport but the cold is here – and it’s going to be at least four months until the end is in sight!
SA site reports on Korea
Last weekend’s International Jockey Challenge received a little overseas attention with one or two English language websites carrying reports notably in South Africa. SAHorseracing.com had a story on Gerrit Schlecter’s victory as well as a link to the article the website wrote as a follow-up to its junket trip to Seoul on the KRA last year (half of which is a cut and paste from the KRA’s site).
Racing Preview – Saturday November 17
Winter is expected to get underway with a vengeance tomorrow with predicted highs of just 6C. Nevertheless there’s a 12 race card at Seoul Racecourse Park with the first under orders at 11:00 and the last at 17:20. The most valuable race is Race 11 at 16:50 – a 2000 metre handicap worth 60,000,000won. Only seven runners are declared though which means that place bets will only pay out on first and second – a rarity at Gwacheon – so the entertaining betting looks to be earlier in the day.
Horse Racing in Korea 