Author: gyongmaman

Busan Racing preview

Cards have been published for this weekend’s horse racing at Busan Race Park. As usual there are nine races on Friday with the first getting underway at 13:00. Feature race is an 1800 metre handicap off at 17:10. Among the favourites will be Widaehan Bonneung who unexpectedly beat most of its rivals over the same distance in February by an impressive 7 lengths. However, an extra two kilos from the  handicapper may let in others including the horse that finished second that day, All That Rush, Judo Ryeok (3rd) and Haengbuk Teukgeup (4th). Perfect Champ was also in that field but ran a bad race, however, he still maintains a record of 5 wins from 11 starts.

Sunday sees just five races with the first under orders at 12:40, however, the highlight is the 68Million won Busan Ilbo Cup. Eleven are declared for the 1600 metre contest which is the richest race of the year so far and are headed by Miss Ecton (2 wins from 6) and Daejui Yeosin(3/4). The race is at 15:40.

Most of the field of Friday’s big race competed against each other on February 15. Also winning that day was Miss Ecton. Click here to watch all the races from that day.

Quiet weekend at the top – Moon increases lead by one

Jockey’s Championship 2008
Moon Se Young returned from his weekend off with a winner on each day – Cho Kyoung Ho’s only success was on Jeokdaejeok on Saturday. Moon missed two chances on odds-on horses to increase his lead on Sunday afternoon. Park Tae Jong’s double on Sunday keeps him within 10 of Cho and Chun Chang Ki became the sixth jockey to make it into double figures for the year so far:

1. Moon Se Young 32

2. Cho Kyoung Ho 25

3. Park Tae Jong 16

4. Oh Kyoung Hoan 11

Natural Nine, Esteban win

Racing Review – 16 March
Natural Nine, ridden by Kim Hey Sung, took the feature race at Seoul this afternoon. Starting 4.0 second favourite, the four year old scored a three length victory over Magic Runner (Ji Ha Ju) with odds-on favourite Samdabong back in fifth. There was an impressive win for Esteban (Yoo Sang Wan), the 4.2 shot dominating the 1700 meters race 9 to win by three lengths from favourite Geumsuni (Moon Se Young). To complete a hat-trick of second-favourite victories, Seoul Teukgeup trotted up by seven lengths under Moon Jung Kyun in race 11 with odds-on favourite Cash Parade (Danny Craven) back in third.

In contrast to yesterday where almost every favourite came home, today started with a shock – the 22.1 chance Sweet Picket coming home in race 1 with the 1.6 favourite Jayudari languishing in eighth and continued throughout the day. Indeed only one odds-on chance came home all afternoon – the Moon Se Young ridden Jaemidubae in race 6. It was Moon’s only win of the afternoon, the well fancied Mild Go in race 7 going the same way as Geumsuni later on and finishing second. There were two wins for Yoo Sang Wan and another win for the in-form Lee Shin Young.

Full Results

Seoul Review – favourites dominate

Seoul Racing Review – March 15
There were no surprises today as favourites lived up to their billing on a mild spring day this afternoon. The most valuable race of the day only attracted 7 runners and it proved to be a a mismatch as Namchonuijon (Oh Kyung Hoan), starting the 1.1 favourite, hit the front at the final turn and accelerated to win by a remarkable 18 lengths from Bisul (Park Tae Jong). In the previous race the 1.3 favourite Jeokdaejeok (Cho Kyoung Ho), found things a little tougher but produced a fast finish to take he line 2 lengths ahead of Baekdujeonseol (Chun Chang Ki). There were also odds-on wins for Gangcheolgwon (Chun Chang Ki), starting at 1.7 and finishing 6 lengths in front of Devilish Speed, and also for Aragorn (Woo Chang Gu). Aragorn went off at at 1.5 but faced a tough battle with Huimang Energy (Ham Wan Sik) in the closing stages with the favourite getting the better of it by just over a length.

Finish of the day was in race 7, which punters also found the most competitive of the day. In the end, joint second favourites Rulluralla (An Byung Ki) and Happy Hero (Moon Se Young) both starting at 4.1 came home with just a nose between them as An Byung Ki picked up his second win of the afternoon, with outsider Crown Birdie (Lee Jeong Sup) just half a length back in third. With the exception of Royal Taichi (Moon Jung Kyun) picking up race 5 at 18.1, the favourites had it all their own way – Sinnui Norae (Yoon Dae Keun) coming home at 1.6 in race 2 and Hanbatanguseum (An Byung Ki) at 1.5 in race 6. With his double, An Byung Ki was the only jockey to win more than one race with the returning Moon Se Young picking up a win on Hammer Punch (2.2) in race 8. Danny Craven had five rides, the highlight being placing third on Yeonseung Melody (14.0) in race 8.

Racing is back tomorrow at Seoul Race Park with the first of eleven races starting at 11:20. There are also six races at Busan, the first at 13:00 and nine on Jeju Island with the first off at 12:20.

Full Results

Florida Native edges out Golding

Punters couldn’t decide between them and in the end there was only a nose in it as the four year old Jung Si Won ridden Florida Native held off Golding to take the feature race at Busan. With the two starting co-favourites at 2.2, Florida Native led from start to finish of the 2000 metre handicap, Golding making a late run but just failing to catch his rival, who had an 8.5 kilo weight advantage, on the line. Wonder Love finished third at 7.4.

Full Results

Golding heads Friday’s Busan card

Busan’s top money winner Golding goes in the feature race at Busan Race Park Friday. The 52Million won handicap is off at 17:10 and with a record of 14 wins from 26 previous starts, Golding will carry 7 kilos more than his nearest rival. Last time out, the six year old comfortably won an 1800 metre handicap in early February and steps up to 2000 metres tomorrow where with the weight coming into play, he’ll likely face a threat from Florida Native. The race is by far the weekend’s biggest with relatively low prizes on offer at Seoul on Saturday and Sunday and rounds off a nine race card that as usual, gets underway at 13:00.

Top horses in Korea

We’ve added a page focusing on the top ten horses currently in training in Seoul complete with videos where possible. Simply CLICK HERE.

As Baekgwang isn’t currently considered among the top ten, there was no excuse to put his video on the page – so just for the sake of it, here he is tearing the field apart in the final 2 furlongs over a year ago.

Racing Review – Sunday December 23

Bumper crowd sees Bally Brae take Grand Prix
Racing returned to Seoul Racecourse Park this week after last weekend’s unplanned hiatus and a huge crowd turned out Sunday for the 12 race card, the highlight being the Group 1 Grand Prix Race. Run over 2300 metres it’s the season’s longest race and is worth 182 Million won to the winner. The five year old Bally Brae with ten wins from 17 previous starts went off the 1.5 favourite under 2007’s top jockey Moon, Se Young, in a race that also featured old-stager Flying Cat and prolific winners Myeongmun Gamun (Chun, Chang Ki) and 2005 Horse of the Year, Subsidy (Oh, Kyung Hoan). And it proved to be these three who disputed the placings. Subsidy came round the field on the back straight to open a 5 length lead, however, as they rounded the turn, Moon asked Bally Brae to quicken up, catching Subsidy on three furlongs and then opening out into the final straight winning by a comfortable 5 lengths. Subsidy battled on for second and Chun, Chang Ki brought Myeongmun Gamun home for third. Fly Queen, (Park Tae Jong) finished fourth. The start of the race had been delayed by almost 5 minutes due to Myeongmun Gamun’s refusal to go into the stalls. It was looking like the horse was going to have to be withdrawn until a last ditch attempt – or brute force of about 10 handlers – finally got the 6 year old in. The owners owe the handlers a drink as the horse went on to win 45 million won for finishing third.

So Moon, Se Young confirms his position as Korea’s top jockey with yet another big race win. Earlier in the day he’d been in the winner’s enclosure after steering Happy Hero to victory in race 5. It’s getting to the stage where Moon’s booking on a horse is enough to bring its price down a good 2 or 3 points. He’s also beginning to get his share of groupies in the paddock…

Overall a good return to racing at Seoul – big crowd, good weather, good afternoon’s sport. More next week.