Author: gyongmaman

Sangseung Ilro Wins KRA Cup Mile

Filly takes first leg of Triple Crown / Hot favourite finishes third
Sangseung Ilro came through a tough stretch battle with Namdo Jeap to win the fifth running of the KRA Cup Mile and with it the first leg of the 2009 Korean Triple Crown at Busan Race Park this afternoon.

With Yeonseung Daero the odds-on favourite, Sangseung Ilro was sent off fourth in the betting and the filly, one of four in the race, was quickly into her stride as Namdo Jeap under Martin Wepner grabbed the rail and set the early pace. Geumbit Sesang settled into third and the unbeaten Impeccable into fourth as ther raced down the back straight.

Entering the long turn for home, Namdo Jeap had three lengths on the rest while Yeonseung Daero was still on the rail in the middle of the field with plenty to do to find space. Meanwhile Eiki Nishimura on Sangseung Ilro gradually closed the gap until his filly was alongside Namdo Jeap as they began the sprint.

While Kim Eu Su on Yeonseung Daero finally found his run, it would be too late to catch the leading two. For a long time in the stretch it looked as though the race could go either way. Namdo Jeap battled on strongly but Sangseung Ilro finally got her neck in front for the final time in the last furlong and opened out for a length and a half victory.

Sangseung Ilro takes her winning streak to four and while early Oaks favouritism is assured, the pressure will be on for her to go to the Derby at Seoul next month. There could be much more to come from Namdo Jeap too, as he comfortably stayed the Mile distance only to be outsprinted at the last. With Eiki Nishimura and Martin Wepner taking first and second, it was a welcome day in the spotlight for overseas jockeys while some lucky punters cashed exacta tickets at 299.4.

Previously unbeaten Impeccable stayed the distance but while well placed early on, didn’t have the speed to challenge in the later stages. Meanwhile, it was a familiar story for the two Seoul entrants. Neither featured at the business end of the race, Money Teukgeup finishing seventh and Love Cat, backed into third favourite, a very disappointing eleventh.

However, the day belonged to Sangseung Ilro and connections, owner Ryu Yong Sang, trainer Kim Yong Gwan – who also trains second placed Namdo Jeap – and jockey Eiki Nishimura. This year, the KRA is putting more emphasis on races for fillies and mares. With one leg of the Triple Crown complete, a filly is a third of the way to landing the biggest prize of all.

KRA Cup Mile (G.III) – Busan Race Park – 1600M – Apr 5, 2009

1. Sangseung Ilro F [Concept Win – Ms. Whiskey (Whiskey Wisdom)] – Eiki Nishimura – 17.7
2. Namdo Jeap [Ft. Stockton – Wandering Katie (Tejano)] – Martin Wepner – 31.7
3. Yeonseung Daero [Creek Cat – Sensationalkris (Cryptoclearance)] – Kim Eu Su – 1.5
Distances: 1.5 lengths/1.5 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Sandeomi; 5. Impeccable; 6. Sky Star; 7. Money Teukgeup; 8. Geumbit Sesang; 9. Power Boy; 10. Pangpang; 11. Love Cat; 12. Dream Wings

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Weekend Preview

It’s the first leg of the Korean Triple Crown and KRA Cup Mile Weekend gets underway at Busan Race Park on Friday afternoon with a ten race card. Seoul then takes over on Saturday before both tracks run a card on Cup Mile day on Sunday. The big race is off at 15:45 on Sunday at Busan (see full preview) and will be simulcasted to Seoul.

Busan Race Park

Friday April 3: 10 races, first post 13:00
Sunday April 5: 6 races, first post 12:40

Seoul Race Park

Saturday April 4: 12 races, first post 11:20
Sunday April 5: 11 races, first post 11:20

Jeju Race Park hosts nine races on Saturday and ten on Sunday. The weather is forecast to be warm, dry and bright. Come Racing!

Twelve Up For Triple Crown Opener

There were no last minute surprise additions and no late withdrawals as the final declarations for Sunday’s KRA Cup Mile at Busan Race Park were published on Wednesday. The unbeaten Impeccable heads the field which will go to post at 15:45.

Leading jockey Ikuyasu Kurakane will partner highly rated Sky Star and there is a first big race ride in Korea for South African jockey Martin Wepner who will take the reins on Namdo Jeap. The race will also see the first trial of Trifecta betting in Korea.

Here is the full list of runners, records and riders:

KRA Cup Mile (G.III) – Busan Race Park – 1600M – Apr 5, 2009

1. Power Boy [Lost Mountain – Keon-Gon Ch’eonggi (Pro For Sure)] C (7/2/3/1) – Lim Sung Sil
Has never gone further than seven furlongs although finished ahead of three of this field last time out – but that was back in January.
2. Geumbit Sesang [Duality – Shawnee Sunset (True Colors)] C (4/3/0/0) – Chae Gyu Jun
Won over the distance in March
3. Yeonseung Daero [Creek Cat – Sensationalkris (Cryptoclearance)] C (7/5/1/1) – Kim Eu Su
Stepped up to class 1 early and finished a creditable third behind Procyon and Ebony Storm over this distance in March. A real chance.
4. Sandeomi [Commendable – Regal Meg (Regal Classic)] C (7/4/0/1) – Jo Chan Hoon
Won over this distance in February although was well beaten by Sky Star last time out. Dropping back to a mile could suit though.
5. Sky Star [Tahamkke – Blue Lark (Ravenwood)] C (8/4/1/0) – Ikuyasu Kurakane
A winner at this distance and at class 2 level. With Busan’s top jockey on board, he’ll have plenty of supporters.
6. Namdo Jeap [Ft. Stockton – Wandering Katie (Tejano)] C (5/3/1/1) – Martin Wepner
On a run of three straight wins but has never gone further than six furlongs. If he gets the trip, this half brother of last year’s winner Rainmaker, will be in contention.
7. Money Teukgeup [Ft. Stockton – Headwork (Silveyville)] C (7/2/3/1) – Shin Hyoung Cheol
A regular placer up at Seoul but has been in weak company so far.
8. Impeccable [Distilled – Belle Breezy (Foolish Pleasure)] C (4/4/0/0) – Park Geum Man
Unbeaten and eased down every time. The one doubt is he’s never gone a mile. His times have been nothing special but they haven’t needed to be. Potentially very good.
9. Pangpang [Revere – Awishnotalark (Rio’s Lark)] F (9/2/0/1) – Choi Si Dae
Finishing out of the money last time out, it would be a surprise if the filly made much of an impact.
10. Sangseung Ilro [Concept Win – Ms. Whiskey (Whiskey Wisdom)] F (5/3/1/1) – Eiki Nishimura
Has won her last three races including one over the distance.
11. Dream Wings [Exploit – American Royalty (Alleged)] F (5/2/1/0) – Lee Seung Jae
Finished a long way behind Sangseung Ilro last time.
12. Love Cat [Creek Cat – Love Cue (Curia Regis)] F (8/5/0/2) – Choi Beom Hyun
Seoul’s top filly will have no problems getting the trip and her times suggest that if she takes to the Busan track, she could be in contention. Choi Beom Hyun goes south with her.

2008 Winner: Rainmaker [Revere – Wandering Katie (Tejano)]. Last year’s winner came into the race with two wins and three thirds from his five outings. The Cup Mile was his first attempt at anything over seven furlongs. Rainmaker went on to disappoint in the Korean Derby and suffered a knee injury in the Minister’s Cup at Seoul in October.

Namchonuijijon Set to Defend Ttukseom Cup

Namchonuijijon will look to retain the Group 3 Ttukseom Cup in Seoul’s biggest race of the season so far on Sunday April 12. Going up against him, in a surprise entry, could be stablemate and 2008 Horse of the Year, Myeongmun Gamun.

The Ttkuseom Cup is named to commemorate the old Seoul Racecourse at Ttukseom on the north bank of the River Han. Ttukseom was the sole home of Korean racing from immediately after the Korean War in 1953, until the opening of the new Seoul Race Park at its present home in Gwacheon in 1989. The race is run over seven furlongs and was formerly the first leg of the Korean Triple Crown until that honour was shifted, seemingly permanently, to Busan’s KRA Cup Mile in 2008. However, with a first prize of KRW 132 Million, the Ttukseom Cup remains one of the season’s highlights.

Last year, the then four year old Namchonuijijon held off the grey Baekgwang to record victory by a length. While Baekgwang limped away wih ligament damage that prematurely ended his season, Namchonuijijon went on to disappoint during the rest of 2008 but began his 2009 campaign with a smart victory earlier this month.

If he starts, Myeongmun Gamun will be stepping back down to seven furlongs for the first time since the 2006 running of the race when he finished fifth. Now eight years old, Myeongmun Gamun has seventeen wins from thirty one outings and has only got better with age, 2008 being his most successful season to date. However, he suffered a surprising reverse at the hands of mare Top Point in his only run so far this year. Also among the thirteen early entries are Triple Seven, Taebaek Janggun, Seven Card and Geumsuni.

Meanwhile, this coming Sunday sees the KRA Cup Mile at Busan. Final declarations will be made tomorrow. Gyongmaman will be attending the Football World Cup Qualifier between South Korea and North Korea at Sangam Stadium tomorrow evening so our preview of the big race will be up on Thursday.

Three Go Free

Bang, Moon, Jung go freelance / Park Soo Hong warned off
Three more jockeys have taken on freelance status at Seoul Race Park bringing the total number of unattached riders to twenty out of the sixty-one currently holding a license. Bang Choon Sik, Moon Jung Kyun and Jung Ki Young are the latest to go it alone.

The main benefit to being freelance is that the jockey can ride in as many races per week as he can find a mount for. Jockeys who are attached to a stable are limited to a maximum of five race rides per week. Figures released by the KRA last year showed that freelance jockeys had an average of 9.6 mounts per week whereas stable jockeys had 3.4. Average earnings for freelancers was over KRW 12 Million per month compared with KRW 5 Million per month for retained riders.

The figures do hide a disparity between the freelancers, however. The top freelance jockeys, such as Moon Se Young or Park Tae Jong, who will pick up a ride in nearly every race over a weekend – a large proportion of them well-fancied – will earn much more whereas most will earn far less.

This has particularly been true for the overseas riders who have often struggled to get mounts in their early days in Korea. All overseas riders are given freelance status and while it can work out very well, as for Toshio Uchida and now Ikuyasu Kurakane at Busan, it can take a long time to get established. With the race fee less than KRW 60,000 per ride, freelance jockeys need to consistently be getting quality rides to make ends meet.

In other jockey news, Park Soo Hong, who rode Subsidy to victory in the 2005 Owner’s Trophy and Grand Prix races, has been permanently warned off by the KRA for passing on inside information. Local media reported at the weekend that thirty four year old Park confessed to police that he accepted money for information. A groom and a trainer also found to have been involved, were handed lesser penalties.

Shock Defeat for Nice Choice

Passing on next week’s KRA Cup Mile to focus fully on May’s Korean Derby, Seoul’s 2008 Champion juvenile Nice Choice looked set to continue his stately progress towards the year’s top prize with a warm up race at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. Stepping up to class 2 for the first time but with a less than initimidating field to contend with, the Lost Mountain colt was sent off the 1.2 favourite.

Punters were in for a shock, however. Bouncing out of the gate first was Jo In Kwen on six year old Holeinonefive and they led into the first corner of the 1800 metre Derby distance race. Dream Runner slotted into second, outsider Gamunhuye third and Moon Se Young on Nice Choice into fourth.

Holeinonefive continued to lead through the back straight and there were nervous moments for backers of Nice Choice as the colt seemed to be crowded in on the rails. Moon Se Young managed to extricate them, however, and as they rounded the home turn, they were looking well placed for the sprint. They had reckoned without Holeinonefive still having the energy for a sprint and starting with a length’s advantage, the older horse matched the colt stride for stride all the way to the line.

It was Holeinonefive’s first win in nearly a year and the sixth of his career. For Nice Choice, the setback breaks a streak of four straight wins. He remains Derby favourite but, after they take care of their home track classic next Sunday, Busan’s Derby hopefuls may look north with a little less apprehension.

On what was otherwise a low key day’s racing at Seoul, the feature race went the way of Dankee’s Pal. The US bred five year old saw off a field including Yodongseong, Obaek Yechan and Saerounbisul, by two lengths.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Top Points for Hongji

Tiffanyuikkum holds on / Blue Pin, Happy Queen win
In a final furlong battle, six year old Hongji outsprinted hot favourite Top Point to take this afternoon’s feature race at Seoul Race Park. Although it was outsider Tough Energy who made the early running in the 2000 metre test, the two big hitters, Hongji and Top Point slotted straight into third and second places just a length off the leader.

Entering the home straight, it was Moon Se Young on the mare Top Point who made his move first, hitting the front as Tough Energy tired. However, Jo In Kwen got Hongji into his stride as well and the duel was on. With half a furlong to go, it looked like Top Point may hold on but Hongji had more in reserve, getting his nose in front with just thirty metres remaining and keeping it there for a half length win.

With the victory, Hongji moves onto nine career victories. Top Point, following her upset of Secret Weapon and Myeongmun Gamun in January, remains on eleven from nineteen starts

One race earlier, Australian import Tiffanyuikkum continued his recent run of good form, but only just. Park Tae Jong had the four year old in a winning position on the rails with a furlong to go but was left hanging on as Baramsan under Moon Jung Kyun launched a late challenge down the centre of the track. The line came soon enough though and Tiffanyuikkum, a late developer scored his third win from three outings so far this year.

In other races, there was a second win for improving three year old Blue Pin. The colt edged out Money Pokpung and New Kaiser in a tight finish to race 8. Blue Pin was the second of three wins for jockey Cho Kyoung Ho who took race 1 on the impressive Khanui Jeguk and then race 9 on the equally impressive filly Happy Queen.

Tomorrow, the first of eleven races comes under orders at 11:20. Busan gets underway at 12:40 and Jeju at 12:10.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

Weekend Preview

Busan will start things off with a ten race Friday card before the action moves north to Seoul on Saturday. Both tracks host a card on Sunday.

Busan Race Park

Friday March 27: 10 races, first post 13:00
Sunday March 29: 6 races, first post 12:40

Seoul Race Park

Saturday March 28: 12 races, first post 11:20
Sunday March 29: 11 races, first post 11:20

Jeju Race Park will hold its regular Saturday and Sunday cards with a first post time of 12:10 on both days. After last weekend’s summer-like weather, the peninsula has shivered its way through the week. Nevertheless it should be a dry weekend.

Nice Choice Sits Out Cup Mile

Entries for the KRA Cup Mile, the first leg of the Korean Triple Crown, are out and missing from the list is last year’s top juvenile Nice Choice. Trainer Kim Hak Soo confirmed that the Seoul based colt will not make make the trip down to Busan for the April 5 race and will instead focus solely on May’s Korean Derby at his home track.

That last year’s Seoul entrants at Busan performed so disappointingly may have played a part in only two horses shipping down for the Cup Mile. Bae Dae Sun will send Money Teukgeup [Ft. Stockton – Headwork (Silveyville)] and Kim Yang Seon will saddle the filly Love Cat [Creek Cat – Love Cue (Curia Regis)]. Both should comfortably get the Mile trip but how they will adapt to Busan remains to be seen.

Love Cat is one of four fillies entered at this stage while in the absence of Nice Choice, Peter Wolsley’s Impeccable [Distilled – Belle Breezy (Foolish Pleasure)], who remains unbeaten in four outings looks likely to be favourite despite not having gone a mile before.

After the Cup Mile last year, a number of possible reasons were put forward to explain the dominance of Busan horses including the visiting jockeys being unfamiliar with the course and Busan’s uphill back straight being very different to that at Seoul. All of these were found to be wanting when Busan horses went to Seoul and swept the placings in both the Derby and Minister’s Cup later in the season. Here is a list of the entries with race records:

KRA Cup Mile (G.III) – Busan Race Park – 1600M – Apr 5, 2009

1. Yeonseung Daero C (7/5/1/1)
2. Sangseung Ilro F (5/3/1/1)
3. Namdo Jeap C (5/3/1/1)
4. Geumbit Sesang C (4/3/0/0)
5. Dream Wings F (5/2/1/0)
6. Sandeomi C (7/4/0/1)
7. Sky Star C (8/4/1/0)
8. Power Boy C (7/2/3/1)
9. Pangpang F (9/2/0/1)
10. Impeccable C (4/4/0/0)
11. Love Cat F (8/5/0/2)
12. Money Teukgeup C (7/2/3/1)

We’ll have a full preview once the final line up is confirmed next week.

Weekend Round-Up: Gaeseon Janggun who won the final leg of last year’s Triple Crown was back in the winner’s circle at Busan yesterday, beating Derby winner Ebony Storm into third place over 2000 metres. Meanwhile, up at Seoul, Hwangnyongsaji took the feature race and there was another win for the improving Symphony Sonata.

Down on Jeju Island it was another frustrating day as, for the second time in as many months, Sunday’s entire card was called off due to fog.

Mighty Hero Lands Busan Ilbo

Second favourite Mighty Hero came away from the pack in the home straight to record a comfortable win in the Busan Ilbo Cup at Busan Race Park this afternoon. The grey led home a field of the most promising imported fillies at the Gyeongnam track.

Favourite Jilju Hara bolted out of the gate and set a frenetic pace in the early stages of the seven furlong race. Though the Japanese had won over a longer distance in the past, the pace as such that it always seemed a case of when, rather than if, she would tire.

Indeed it came as they turned into the home straight. Jo Chang Wook had kept Mighty Hero safely in the middle of the field but now he and Chae Gyu Jun on Graceful Ballerina made their move. It was Mighty Hero who proved the strongest, stretching out to a four length margin on the line. Mentor came through with a very late run to take third place.

For Mighty Hero, it was a fourth straight win since breaking her maiden in December. Meanwhile for Jilju Hara, who was found to be lame after the race, it was a third defeat from seven outings. Also disappointing was the well-backed Haste. The locally foaled filly led the field chasing Jilju Hara in the early stages of the race and also tired in the straight.

Busan Ilbo Cup – Busan Race Park – 1400M – Mar 22, 2009

1. Mighty Hero (USA) [Buddha – Pretty Pretty (Silver Deputy)] – Jo Chang Wook – 5.2
2. Graceful Ballerina (USA) [Posse – Royal Ballerina (Farma Way)] – Chae Gyu Jun – 12.1
3. Mentor (KOR) [Testa Rossa – Crystal Decanter (Encosta De Lago)] – Park Geum Man – 18.9
Distances: 4 lengths/1 length – 14 ran

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL