Foreigners in Korea

Pinna At The Double In Seoul

It hadn’t been the easiest of starts to riding in Korea for Nicola Pinna but things came right for the Italian jockey at Seoul Racecourse on Saturday as he rode a double, including victory in the feature race on Bichui Jeongsang who downed Asia Challenge Cup winner Choegang Schiller in a tight finish.

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Nicola Pinna (and interpreter) are interviewed after Bichui Jeongsang won Seoul’s Saturday feature

Pinna couldn’t make weight on the first of his scheduled mounts a few weeks ago and was handed an automatic two-day ban for his troubles. It meant that despite having been in the country a month, prior to today, he had only had three rides.

Today it came right though. Pinna made his breakthrough on 3/1 second favourite Hwangnyongbisang, who scored a two-length victory in race 8. However, by far the best was yet to come.

Choegang Schiller (Artie Schiller) beat Singapore’s El Padrino to win the Asia Challenge Cup in a track record time at the end of August. The three-year-old hadn’t run since then and was sent-off the hot favourite to repeat today with regular jockey Lee Chan Ho riding. Third-favourite was Bichui Jeongsang (Wildcat Heir), a four-year-old filly, who had won five of fifteen career starts and was 3rd to Esmeraldina in the Ttukseom Cup.

With Pinna in the saddle, Bichui Jeongsang wasn’t quickly away but improved around the home turn to come shoulder to shoulder with Choegang Schiller entering the home straight. That would be how they would remain for a keenly-fought tussle through the final two furlongs that went all the way to the line. It looked at one point as Choegang Schiller had it but Pinna coaxed out one last effort from his mount to get her home a neck in front.

Punters second-choice Bear Queen Trophy was a distant third but may as well have been running a different race, so dominant the first two were. The winning time was just one-tenth of a second outside the mark that Choegang Schiller set in the Asia Challenge Cup. The win could be a boost for Bichui Jeongsang’s connections ambition to race her overseas early next year.

A day can make a big difference and all of a sudden, 27-year-old Pinna now has two wins from just seven mounts and really showed his quality in that second win. He has five more rides tomorrow. Fellow Italian-licensed rider Djordje Perovic meanwhile guided home his 38th Korean winner earlier in the day and is now joint-leading jockey at Seoul for the month of November. While Perovic can do a kilo lighter, more rides like the one on Bichui Jeongsang and Nicola Pinna could well be challenging him in the near future.

 

 

Perovic Perks Up At Seoul As Foreign Jockeys & Trainers Enjoy Winning Weekend

Borelli, Tomizawa, Rice, Tanaka, Takahashi, Gillespie & Wolsley All With Winners Too

It’s been a mixed couple of months for Djordje Perovic but the “Balkan Wolf” was back smiling again having guided four winners home on what was an all-round good weekend for the foreign contingent in Korean racing.

Things hadn’t been going all Perovic’s way since losing the support of one of his main trainers after the KRA Cup Classic at the end of August. However, other trainers have continued to use him and this weekend it all came together as the “Serbian Frankie” – he has no shortage of nicknames – showed his class with a treble on Saturday and a further winner on Sunday.

Those four winners took Perovic to 28 in Korea. Meanwhile fellow Seoul rider Yuri Takahashi, whose Korean license was last week confirmed to have been extended until the end of April 2016 rode his 16th winner in the country on Saturday.

Down at Busan, Bart Rice saddled two winners on Friday, giving Masa Tanaka his 95th Korean victory and taking the Japanese rider one closer to his stated goal of 100 before his license ends. Rice also provided Italian rider Pasquale Borelli with one of his two weekend successes. Nozi Tomizawa also got home in front twice, the first of them a welcome win for trainer Thomas Gillespie.

Gillespie has still only sent out 35 runners in total but has 4 winners now and a remarkable place strike rate of 37%. Rice too takes care of his horses and doesn’t send them out for the sake of it and has a place strike rate of 31%. Peter Wolsley also sent out a winner on Friday and remains in clear 2nd place in the Trainer Championship. His place strike rate is also 37% and was bolstered by Ms. Margaux running a very good 2nd in the Governor’s Cup on Sunday.

Those foreign trained or ridden winners in full:

Djordje Perovic: 4 – Saturday Seoul Race 2 (Yeongam Arirang), Saturday Seoul Race 8 (Bulguruisinhwa), Saturday Seoul Race 13 (Sun Strong), Sunday Seoul Race 1 (Cin Cin Jjan)

Nozi Tomizawa: 2 – Friday Busan Race 9 (Professor Silver), Sunday Busan Race 1 (Green Mireu)

Bart Rice: 2 – Friday Busan Race 1 (Jangguneui Huye), Friday Busan Race 3 (King’s Rules)

Pasquale Borelli: 2 – Friday Busan Race 3 (King’s Rules), Sunday Busan Race 3 (Ganghan Namja)

Masa Tanaka: 1 – Friday Busan Race 1 (Jangguneui Huye)

Yuri Takahashi: 1 – Saturday Seoul Race 5 (Samba Festival)

Thomas Gillespie: 1 – Friday Busan Race 9 (Professor Silver)

Peter Wolsley: 1 – Friday Busan Race 5 (Dangdae Queen)

It wasn’t all good news for the foreign contingent though. Italian jockey Nicola Pinna was scheduled to debut at Seoul this past weekend but unfortunately was unable to make weight for his three mounts. Pinna’s disappointment was compounded as the first of those, Jeongsang Daegil in race 2 on Saturday, bolted up at 10/1 under replacement Lee Chan Ho. Pinna will hopefully get another chance next week when Japanese rider Makoto Okabe is expected to start at Busan.

In addition to Takahashi’s extension, the KRA also confirmed last week that Ikuyasu Kurakane (who was suspended this week) has had his jockey license extended until April 2016. Good news for punters and less so for the local jockey colony. “Good”, is the only sensible reaction to that.

Busan has undoubtedly benefited from the presence of foreign trainers and that is set to be extended to Seoul. Applications have been received over the past couple of months and the first overseas trainers to be granted licenses in the capital will be announced soon.

Iku and Jo Sung Gon Dominate At Busan

There isn’t a jockey challenge bet in Korea but if there was, yesterday at Busan it would have been a two-man race with Jo Sung Gon and Ikuyasu Kurakane dominating the Friday afternoon card.

Four winners: Ikuyasu Kurakane (Pic: Hiromi Kobayashi)

Four winners: Ikuyasu Kurakane (Pic: Hiromi Kobayashi)

Of course, punters had seen this coming. With the likes of Kim Yong Geun, Choi Si Dae and Masa Tanaka among eight Busan riders in Seoul for the President’s Cup on Sunday (Union rules say a jockey who has the temerity to go and ride in a big race at the other track isn’t allowed to ride at his or her home track on the same weekend) and You Hyun Myung on the long-term injured list, Jo and Kurakane were really the only Big Beasts of the weighing room in action.

Jo Sung Gon managed to get himself beaten on two favourites but like Kurakane, still emerged with four winners from the eleven-race card.

Highlight of Jo’s winners was perhaps a dominant victory for the young US import Doraonpogyeongseon (Kantharos) the third of his four winners which all arrived consecutively in races 5 to 8. Doraonpogyeongseon, named after a Grand Prix winning horse of the 1990’s, was getting his maiden win on his second start.

Kurakane’s winners arrived in pairs. He rode two-year-old debut-maker My Alice (Limitless Bid) to an eye-catching, albeit hard to judge how good it really was, eleven-length  triumph in race 2 but the highlight was in the final race 11 when he guided two-year-old import Gakbyeolhan (Big Brown) to win by three lengths.

Four winners: Jo Sung Gon

Four winners: Jo Sung Gon

The juvenile Gakbyeolhan was beating seven older horses over a mile on what was just his third career start and looks quite a prospect.

Had there been a jockey challenge and had it been run under Hong Kong rules, Kurakane would have come out as the winner due to riding three 2nd place finishers as well – two of them behind Jo’s winners. Contrastingly Jo, aside from his winners, only got one other into the top three.

While the eight Busan riders in the capital will be riding in the big race on Sunday afternoon, both Jo Sung Gon and Ikuyasu Kurakane have a full book of rides on Busan’s short six-race card on Sunday. It would be very surprising if either failed to add to their weekend total.

Borelli Bags A Busan Brace

It didn’t take Pasquale Borelli long to make an impact at Busan. The Italian jockey had eight rides on his first day in the saddle in Korea and two of them came home as winners.

Things started well for Borelli as he guided 19/1 chance Garak Yeowang to a creditable 4th in race 2 before partnering Bart Rice’s King’s Rules to 3rd in race 3. The breakthrough would come in race 4 as Borelli produced Useung Choego, the longest shot on the board at exactly the right time to score victory in race 4

It wouldn’t be all plain sailing for Borelli. On a day when favourite after favourite got turned over in the Busan sand, Peter Wolsley’s well-fancied Daseot Me was a disappointment in race 7 although the pair did combine earlier for a useful 2nd place with Nuri Bulpae in race 5.

Borelli’s final mount of the day came in race 10 and it was another successful one with 2-year-old US import Soul Blade, also making his debut today, romping away to a 6-length victory.

Masa Tanaka was also on target with a double in what was a good day for the foreign jockey contingent at Busan. Borelli has three more rides at Busan this coming Sunday.

Italian Jockey Pasquale Borelli Set For Busan

There is a new foreign jockey in the weighing room at Busan as Pasquale Borelli joins on an initial license that will run until the end of the year.

Pasquale Borelli is set for Busan (Pic: Supplied)

Pasquale Borelli is set for Busan (Pic: Supplied)

The 32-year-old Italian has landed over 900 wins in a professional career that began in 1999, among them victories in 20 Listed races.

Another Italian licensed jockey, Serbia’s Djordje Perovic has met with sustained success at Seoul since joining earlier this year and despite parting company with trainer Lee Shin Young at the end of August, has continued to show his class and bring in the winners.

Also at Seoul, Japanese rider Yuri Takahashi has been quietly making a name for himself. Like Perovic, it took Takahashi a while to build up some momentum following his July debut but in riding his 10th and 11th winners last weekend took him up to the extremely creditable quinella strike rate of 22%.

Borelli joins Busan where among foreign jockeys Masa Tanaka is currently top man, lying in 6th place in the Jockey Championship with 39 winners in 2015 so far. Ikuyasu Kurakane has picked up where he left off since returning to Korea in the summer while Nozi Tomizawa contines to get plenty of rides and lies in 15th place in the table. Noboyuki Oyama finished up his ten-month stint in Korea at the end of September.

KRA Is Recruiting Overseas Trainers

The Korea Racing Authority is currently seeking qualified and experienced applicants to join its professional thoroughbred Trainer ranks.

The stables at Busan

The stables at Busan

Applicants must have a minimum of three years’ experience and currently hold a valid trainer’s license in a Part 1 or Part II racing country. In addition to other criteria which will enable them to set up their business in Korea, trainers must also have a minimum 8% win or 15% quinella strike-rate or have trained more than 1000 career winners.

Click here for detailed information and here for the application form. For more information or to apply, please contact Natalia Lee at the Korea Racing Authority on: natalia@kra.co.kr

It’s a tough assignment requiring more than just training skill as Korea is by no means the easiest place to adapt to for professionals working in any field, even for those with a lot of experience. The small number of trainers currently working in the country will certainly attest to this and the challenges they have had to overcome. However, the potential rewards for those who can make a go of it, are great.

Choegang Schiller Beats El Padrino To Win The Asia Challenge Cup

Choegang Schiller strode into the history books at Seoul Racecourse this afternoon, becoming the first ever home-trained winner of the Asia Challenge Cup.

Choegang Schiller and Lee Chan Ho win the Asia Challenge Cup (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Choegang Schiller and Lee Chan Ho win the Asia Challenge Cup (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Defending champion El Padrino of Singapore put up a valiant effort but he was left with just too much to do as under jockey Lee Chan Ho, Choegang Schiller stole a march on the field entering the home straight and ran on to record a track record time for the distance, beating the Champion by two lengths.

El Padrino chased the winner home in second while Cheon Gu, who had gone all out in the early stages in the KRA Trophy at Kranji last month, this time stayed for 3rd.

SBS Asia Challenge Cup – Seoul Racecourse – 1200M – August 30, 2015

1. Choegang Schiller (USA) [Artie Schiller – Changeable (Miswaki)] – Lee Chan Ho – 3.5, 1.4
2. El Padrino (NZ) [Mr. Nancho – Crownie (Luskin Star)] – Oscar Chavez – 1.2
3. Cheon Gu (USA) [Old Fashioned – So Much Fun (Speightstown)] – Yoo Seung Wan – 3.8
Distances: 2 lengths / 1.75 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Gabo Myeongun (USA) 5. Kogyo Douglas (JPN) 6. Super Gangja (USA) 7. Wonder Bolt (USA) 8. Valevole (BRZ) 9. Taisei Legend (JPN) 10. Happy Money (AUS) 11. Geumbit Hwanhui

Plenty more pictures to follow over the coming days.

Kim Dong Soo Claims Victory In Asian Young Guns Challenge

Kim Dong Soo took the top prize in the 7th Asian Young Guns Jockey Challenge, riding winners in two of the four rounds at Seoul Racecourse on Saturday afternoon.

Kim Dong Soo atthe Asian Young Guns Ceremony (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Kim Dong Soo atthe Asian Young Guns Ceremony (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Always expected to win the first leg having drawn the plum ride on Nabom, Korean apprentice Kim added another win in round 3 on Ganginhae to take an unassailable lead going into the Singapore Turf Club Trophy. In that race, he would extend his lead by partnering Gasok Bisang to 2nd place behind Hong Kong’s Jack Wong on Yeondu.

Kim Dong Soo wins round 1 on Nabom (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Kim Dong Soo wins round 1 on Nabom (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Round 1: Class 4 / 1000M / Handicap
1. Nabom – Kim Dong Soo (Korea)
2. Muhandoma – Jack Wong (Hong Kong)
3. Strong Winner – Jye McNeil (Australia)
Distances: 6 lengths / 1.34 lengths – 10 ran

Macau’s Choi Yee Mo would take the second leg of the challenge, swooping home wide and late on Hwanggeum Sesang. It would, however, be Choi’s last mount of the day as he was stood down with exhaustion after the race.

Choi Yee Mo returns to scale having won Round 2 on Hwanggeum Sesang (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Choi Yee Mo returns to scale having won Round 2 on Hwanggeum Sesang (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Round 2: Class 4 / 1400M / Handicap
1. Hwanggeum Sesang – Choi Yee MO (Macau)
2. Giant Hold – Cho Han Byeol
3. Power Symphony – See Zhi Yong (Singapore)
Distances: 4 lengths/ 0.75 lengths – 14 ran

With Choi unfortunately retired, the challenge was Kim’s to lose and he made sure of victory with a round to spare, guiding 7/1 chance Ganginhae to a four-length triumph.

Kim Dong Soo returns victorious on Ganginhae (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Kim Dong Soo returns victorious on Ganginhae (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Round 3: Class 5 / 1200M / Handicap
1. Ganginhae – Kim Dong Soo (Korea)
2. Eutteum Wangja – Tsubasa Sasagawa (Japan)
3. Seoho Arari – Song Jae Chul
Distances: 4 lengths / Neck – 11 ran

The challenge may have bee over as a contest but there was still the most valuable race of the four to come in the shape of the Singapore Turf Club Trophy. And remarkably, the in-form Kim Dong Soo came close in that too, partnering 70/1 shot Gasok Bisang to an improbable 2nd place.

He could, however, only get within two lengths of the winner, Yeondu, who was ridden by Hong Kong’s Jack Wong.

Hong Kong's Jack Wong wins the Singapore Turf Club Trophy on Yeondu (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Hong Kong’s Jack Wong wins the Singapore Turf Club Trophy on Yeondu (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Round 4: The Singapore Turf Club Trophy / 1400M / Class Open
1. Yeondu – Jack Wong (Singapore)
2. Gasok Bisang – Kim Dong Soo (Korea)
3. Nuri Narae – Jye McNeil (Australia)
Distances: 2.5 lengths/4 lengths – 13 ran

Kim Dong Soo is presented with...something (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Kim Dong Soo is presented with…something (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Kim Dong Soo was the overall winner, ahead of Hong Kong’s Jack Wong and Australia’s Jye McNeil.

Five Overseas-Trained Horses Here For Asia Challenge Cup

Defending champion El Padrino is at Seoul Racecourse in preparation for this Sunday’s Asia Challenge Cup, the highlight of the International Racing Festival weekend.

Three Singapore-trained horses arrived at Incheon Airport last Friday (Pic: KRA)

Three Singapore-trained horses arrived at Incheon Airport last Friday (Pic: KRA)

El Padrino arrived in Korea last Friday afternoon accompanied by stablemate Happy Money and a third Singapore-trained entrant, Valevole; the latter two replacing originally nominated horses who have been pointed elsewhere. The Japanese pair of Kogyo Douglas and Taisei Legend arrived at the racecourse late last Wednesday.

Oscar Chavez will ride El Padrino this year with Danny Beasley partnering Happy Money and Barend Vorster taking the mount of Valevole. Veteran NAR rider Fumio Matoba, who won this race’s predecessor, the Korea-Japan Goodwill Cup on Tosen Archer in 2013, is back and will ride Taisei Legend while Takehiro Kashigawa will be on board Kogyo Douglas.

A total of twelve remain in the Asia Challenge Cup, which this year will be run over 1200M, ahead of Thursday’s final declarations and barrier draw:

SBS Asia Challenge Cup (KOR G3) – Seoul Racecourse – 1200M – August 30, 2015

El Padrino (NZ) [Mr. Nacho – Crownie (Luskin Star)] – Singapore
Cheon Gu (USA) [Old Fashioned – So Much Fun (Speightstown)] – Seoul
Choegang Schiller (USA) [Artie Schiller – Changeable (Miswaki)] – Seoul
Gabo Myeongun (USA) [Sharp Humor – Tingwithasting (Wild Rush)] – Busan
Super Gangja (USA) [Simon Pure – Honey Fritters (Helmsman)] – Busan
Oreuse (USA) [Smoke Glacken – Heavenly Splendor (Point Given)] – Busan
Wonder Bolt (USA) [Desert Warrior – Little Champ (Great Gladiator)] – Seoul
Geumbit Hwanhui (KOR) [Peace Rules – Sincheongchun (Silent Warrior)] – Seoul
Happy Money (AUS) [Econsul – Gem Of Gems (Peintre Celebre)] – Singapore
Taisei Legend (JPN) [King Kamehameha – Sharp Kick (Mejiro McQueen)] – Japan
Kogyo Douglas (JPN) [Amore Rose – Sterling Pegasus (Mejiro Ryan)] – Japan
Valevole (BRZ) [Our Emblem – Garland Queen (Ghadeer)] – Singapore

The weekend also sees the Asian Young Guns Jockey Challenge as well as trophy exchange races with the Singapore Turf Club, Selangor Turf Club, Turkey Jockey Club and Horse Racing Ireland.

In addition to the Asia Challenge Cup, the Korean Group 2 KRA Cup Classic will also take place on Sunday.

Asian Young Guns Jockey Challenge Set For Saturday At Seoul

The 7th Asian Young Guns Jockey Challenge will be held at Seoul Racecourse this coming Saturday August 29. Two apprentice jockeys from Korea will be joined by nine others from around Asia, Oceania and South Africa for the four-race series which is being held in Korea for the first time.

Jye McNeil will be representing Australia in the Asian Young Guns (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Jye McNeil will be representing Australia in the Asian Young Guns (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Asian Young Guns was first held in 2009 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne and has since been run in Singapore, Macau, New Zealand and South Africa. Jockeys will be arriving in Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thursday’s barrier draw where their mounts will be drawn.

The Challenge is the opening event of the International Racing Festival at Seoul Racecourse this coming weekend which also includes trophy exchange races with a number of other racing authorities and culminates in the Asia Challenge Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Two horses from Japan arrived in Korea last Wednesday and three from Singapore, including defending champion El Padrino, arrived last Friday.

The Asia Challenge Cup will be screened live by the SBS Sports Channel while another big Stakes race, the KRA Cup Classic, will also be run on Sunday to conclude an important weekend for Korean racing.

Here are this year’s Asian Young Guns Challengers with their Career Rides (1st/2nd/3rd):

Jye McNeil (Australia) 2384(201/219/245)
Jack Wong (Hong Kong) 161(9/13/9)
Fuma Matsuwaka (Japan – JRA) 1021(82/64/66)
Tsubasa Sasagawa (Japan – NAR) 2202(165/159/164)
Dong Soo Kim (Korea – Seoul) 417(30/30/36)
Hee Won Jo (Korea – Busan) 255(12/21/14)
Yee Mo Choi (Macau) 1014(77/115/86)
Wong Kam Chong (Malaysia) 271(44/37/29)
Joshua Oliver (New Zealand) 661(37/32/57)
Zhi Yong See (Singapore) 863(56/42/54)
Craig Zackey (South Africa) 1599(126/116/125)

Click here to download full profiles and Challenge information

Points will be allocated to jockeys whose horses finish in the first 8 positions, ranging from 25 points for a win to 1 point for 8th as follows – 1st: 25; 2nd: 15; 3rd 10; 4th: 7;  5th: 5; 6th: 3; 7th: 2; 8th: 1 (if a horse is scratched, the affected rider will be awarded 6 points).

The four races will be over various classes and distances and will culminate with the KRW 150 Million Singapore Turf Club Trophy.

AYGtable