The first leg of the 2016 Korean Triple Crown is at Busan Racecourse this coming Sunday, April 3rd. Twelve are set to line up for the KRA Cup Mile – The “Korean Guineas”.
Champion juvenile Power Blade will be there along with stablemate from the Kim Young Kwan barn Ottug Ottugi. Peter Wosley sends out the hughly-rated Banjiui Jewang while from Seoul, champion jockey Moon Se Young travels down to partner the capital’s best hope, Gongryong.
We’ll have a full runner by runner preview of the big race on Saturday. In the meantime, here’s the barrier draw (Name [Pedigree] (Runs/1st/2nd/3rd) Trainer – Jockey:
KRA Cup Mile (KOR G2) – Busan Racecourse – 1600M – Sunday April 3, 2016
1. Gongryong [Revere – Parisilton (Woodman)] (7/4/1/0) DS Bae – Moon Se Young 2. Ever In Ever [Sharp Humor – Habidongju (Silent Warrior)] (6/3/2/1) KY Baik – Seo Seung Un 3. Stealth [Colors Flying – Missed The Tower (Woodman)] (8/4/0/1) SY Lee – Ikuyasu Kurakane 4. Theme Deunggeuk [Menifee – Pilseung Giwon (Silent Warior)] (7/2/3/1) JK Park – Park Eul Woon 5. Smart Gentleman [Menifee – Hennesy N Lime (Limehouse)] (8/4/1/2) JS Kim – Makoto Okabe 6. Dyna’s Dream [Meiner Select – Dyna’s Gold Legend (Gold Legend)] (7/3/2/0) SB Han – Jo Chang Wook 7. Argo Flying [Colors Flying – Proper Prospector (Crafty Prospector)] (3/1/1/1) JY Heo – Kim Dong Soo 8. Banjiui Jewang [Ecton Park – Sweetoil (Broken Vow)] (5/4/1/0) PM Wolsley – Pasquale Borelli 9. Gasok Engine [Forest Camp – Cat Lea (Cat Thief)] (6/4/1/0) JS Kim – Lim Sung Sil 10.Power Blade [Menifee – Cheonmacheong (Lost Mountain)] (6/4/2/0) YK Kim- Kim Yong Geun 11. Ottug Ottugi [Forest Camp – Main Objective (Lion Heart)] (7/5/1/0) YK Kim – Choi Si Dae 12. Zettabyte [Menifee – Fight Back (Sakura Seeking)] (7/3/2/1) KM Lim – You Hyun Myung
The KRA Cup Mile is race 6 of 7 on the card at busan on Sunday and is scheduled to come under orders at 16:40.
Dean Holland has been officially licensed to ride in Korea. The Australian jockey has an initial four-month license, which became effective on March 1 and will run until the end of June. He is expected to start riding in the middle of this month.
Dean Holland (Pic: Ross Holburt)
27-year-old Holland began his apprenticeship in Adelaide before moving to Victoria at the age of 18 to work under top trainer David Hayes. It was back in South Australia though, at Morphettville Racecourse, where he recorded his biggest winner to date, partnering Tanby to victory in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup in March 2015. He also won the Group 1 Australasian Oaks on Small Minds at the same track in 2010 and has ridden in excess of 500 career winners.
Holland replaces Nicola Pinna, who finished his four months just before the Lunar New Year holiday. Pinna faced difficulties in terms of making weight and also with riding through the coldest time of year in Korea. Holland, still riding in Australia this week and not scheduled start riding until mid-March, as well as being able to do 50kg, is unlikely to have to deal with those two issues.
A number of Australians have ridden in Korea in the past, mainly at Busan. When the south coast track opened, three Australians were granted licenses; Mark Newnham, Nathan Day and Garry Baker. While the former two didn’t stay long, Baker ended up riding for an extended period and won some big races along the way. Nathan Stanley also enjoyed moderate success in 2011. As for Seoul, although Danny Craven rode full time short period in 2008, the experience of Australian riders has mostly been confined to jockey challenges and international races with Noel Callow winning two races and the overall challenge in 2013.
There are currently two other foreign jockeys riding at Seoul. Djordje Perovic is in top form at the moment and lies in 2nd place in the 2016 Jockey Championship with 15 winners, while Yuri Takahashi, who was doing very well at the end of last year, has suffered from a lack of quality mounts in recent months. Regardless, he has still managed to pick up 6 victories so far this year.
At Busan there are currently three Japanese jockeys; Ikuyasu Kurakane,Nozi Tomizawa and Makoto Okabe as well as Italian Pasquae Borelli.
Dean Holland is the son of jockey Darren Holland and is not to be confused with Briton Darryll Holland, who rode very successfully at Busan for a year between 2013 and 2014.
Because you can never have too many Deans – Busan has Dean Russell, a jockey trainer – another Australian,Brian Dean is set to become Seoul’s first foreign Trainer. While still at the moment sending out runners in Singapore, this Dean is in the process of setting up his stable, having been initially granted 18 boxes in the capital. Although there have to date been four foreign trainers active in Korea, all of them have been at Busan and Dean’s debut on a hitherto complacent capital backstretch is eagerly awaited.
*Thanks to Ross Holburt for pointing out that while Darren Hayes may or may not train some horses on his off-days, it is David Hayes who is the Melbourne Cup winning trainer. This has now been amended!
Success Story brought the Korean adventure at the Dubai World Cup Carnival to a successful conclusion with a rousing run behind California Chrome last week. A second front-running performance and gutsy finish under another flawless Tadhg O’Shea ride, meant he landed back to back 3rd place finishes, this time in one of the most widely watched races of the Carnival so far.
The decision to run in that race was not without risk. Although Success Story had won at 2000M before, he is considered to be much better at shorter distances and accordingly was also entered for a 1400M race the same night. However, with California Chrome scaring off a number of potential rivals and jockey O’Shea expressing confidence in the horse getting the trip and being competitive, the decision was made to take a chance at the greater distance. And it was a decision that paid dividends with Success Story’s front-running and then gutsy rally to get up for 3rd place earning him plenty of praise. Of course, California Chrome was much better – he finished four lengths ahead of Success Story but it could have been forty had Victor Espinoza been so inclined – putting in a performance judged to be the best in the world last week.
The wider significance is that for the second time, Success Story looked like he belonged in the race. It’s true that just as when finishing 3rd of 14 last month, he was racing against horses, Chrome aside, who are no more than solid handicappers but until last week, not many would have thought a Korean bred and trained horse could cope with even that level, let alone beat the majority of his competitors. He vindicated the decision of the Dubai handicappers to invite Korean horses and has ensured that a return trip next year – either for him or for others from here – is very much a possibility.
Success Story took to Dubai very well. He reportedly enjoyed the stables, the routine of the lengthy walk to and from trackwork each day and the dirt track itself, as well as the general environment. At the races, he looked so much better than he generally does in Korea, having been turned out beautifully. He looked like a racehorse. His groom led him up in a shirt and bow-tie and his connections – it seemed as though the whole family was there – were dressed up as if for Royal Ascot.
In Korea, the grooms tend to wear Union issued t-shirts to the parade ring; except for big Stakes races, 90% of trainers don’t wear anything different to races than they would wear around the barn and owners rarely leave their lounge (although Busan is generally much better than Seoul in this regard, especially when their horses visit the capital). Owners will from April be permitted to have their horses run in their own colours rather than those of the jockey. With the current drive by the KRA to reboot the image of racing in this country, it would be very welcome if this was accompanied by a little more sophistication in the raceday experience.
The most important thing of course is that he ran well, exceeding the expectations of the most optimistic observers. O’ Shea deserves great credit for extracting the very maximum out of him on both occasions but he was well trained and well entered too. Mainstream Korean news outlets carried reports on the two races while the California Chrome factor ensured Success Story was mentioned in global coverage of Thursday’s race.
Success Story wasn’t the only Korean-trained horse at the Carnival. Sprinter Cheongu was actually considered the more likely of the two to be competitive. His best run prior to Dubai was a 3rd place behind Choegang Schiller and El Padrino in the Asia Challenge Cup in Seoul last August and the knowledge that he would travel fine, having previously taken trips to Singapore and Japan in his stride, meant one less thing to worry about. It was not to be. On opening night, he missed the break and then lost a plate. In such circumstances, running 5th of 8 was creditable but a lackluster performance last Thursday was less easy to explain away. He’s done his bit over the past few months but this time, he just didn’t run very well.
Seven and a half years ago, I wrote an article called “What have we learned from Pick Me Up?” The answer then and for several subsequent years was “not a lot”. Pick Me Up was the first horse to go on what was a well-intentioned but ultimately counter-productive initiative to let Korean-bred horses race in the United States. It inadvertently became an incentive to ship horses that may otherwise have been spelled, to an unfamiliar trainer to participate uncompetitively in three races for which a subsidy was provided. Essentially, the wrong horses went to the wrong races at the wrong time and it was still continuing up until last year.
By contrast, the interactions with Japan, Singapore and now Dubai are much more positive. With connections being invited to target a particular race, the trainer is still responsible for training the horse, the grooms go with the horse and everybody involved is invested in the trip being successful. So “What Have We Learned from Success Story?”, the answer now might still be “Not a lot just yet” but with the caveat of “Watch this space…” The prospect of more nights like last Thursday are a huge incentive to keep trying.
Success Story will make his 2nd Dubai Carnival start at Meydan on Thursday and it couldn’t be a tougher ask for the Korea-bred and trained five-year-old as faces the Carnival’s star attraction, California Chrome, over 2000M.
Tadhg O’Shea will partner Success Story again (Pic: Dubai Racing Club)
Success Story has raced three times over 2000M in the past, struggling to get the distance in two attempts at it as a three-year-old in 2014, including a 10th place in the President’s Cup at Seoul. He managed a win in his only attempt at the distance in 2015, winning a handicap by just under three lengths at Busan last April.
The Min Jang Ki trained five-year-old horse also held an entry in a 1400M contest, however, given the strength of that race and the presence of a lot of early speed, it was decided to allow him to take his chance at the greater distance.
As it happens, California Chrome will run in the same event, race 6 on the seven-race card, using it as his warm-up race for the World Cup. While making it that much more difficult for Success Story to improve on the 3rd place that he recorded on his Dubai debut over a mile last month, the presence of the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner does enable the rest of the field, including Success Story to just carry 53Kg (although a Godolphin entrant has a jockey claiming a further 2.5kg which could be interesting).
The hope is that this, combined with the Meydan dirt being kinder to stay on than the Busan sand as well as the fact that it was well known California Chrome would be running here leading some other tough contenders to avoid this race (there are only eight runners) will allow Success Story to not only stay the distance but also be able to beat some of the others home.
Cheongu, the other Korea-trained horse at the Carnival, will also race on Thursday. He finished 5th of 8 over 1200M on opening night and will go over the same distance in race 3. Having been slowly away and losing a plate in running, he certainly had his excuses in January. He’ll be up against it once more but an improved performance is possible.
Tadhg O’Shea, who won admiration in Korea for his enterprising ride on Success Story last month, will take the mount again while Royston Ffrench will partner Cheongu.
Vicar has died, aged 20, at the KRA Jeju Stud Farm. The cause of death, as per the Korean Studbook, has been recorded as a “throat obstruction”. He passed away on January 24th.
Vicar 1996-2016
Vicar [Wild Again – Escrow Agent (El Gran Senor)] was a solid racehorse in the United States. Handled by Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger, Vicar won 4 of 17 outings including victories in what was then the Grade I Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby, both at Gulfstream Park, in 1999.
He would go on to compete in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Sprint later that year without success and wouldn’t actually win another race before retirement in mid-July of 2000 having won in excess of $800,000.
Vicar didn’t meet with a huge amount of success at Stud in the United States and was sold to the Korea Racing Authority in 2006. He would prove to be a good match for the Korean breeding program. Covering for the first time in 2007, his first foals hit the track in 2010 when he was 5th on the Leading Sire of Two-Year-Olds list. In each of the next four years, he would end up in 3rd place on the General Sire list.
In 2011, he got winners of two legs of the Triple Crown with Gwangyajeil winning the Korean Derby and Dongseo Jeongbeol the Minister’s Cup. Wonderful Namhae and the filly Joy Lucky would be his chief earners over the next two years before Gumpo Sky, 2nd in last year’s Grand Prix Stakes, took over in 2014 and 2015.
He would finish in 5th in terms of Leading Sire in 2015 and while it is very early days he already lies in 2nd place in the 2016 list after his Gumanseok returned to class 1 winning form in January.
Here is his appearance video, taken in Jeju Island shortly after his arrival in 2007:
Korea’s rating system, introduced last year, has received its first annual check-up. And after a review which began last September, a major overhaul has been administered with completely new rating bands to take effect from February.
More finishes like this, please! Actually, this was the Weight for Age Grand Prix last year (Pic: KRA)
The new bands are narrower – and lower. All horses currently racing have had their ratings adjusted accordingly. Every horse currently at class 1 has been dropped 20 points, while those in class 2 to 5 have been adjusted on a proportional scale. As before, class 6 will be for new and unrated domestic bred horses. The before and after looks like this:
Another development is that allocated weights in handicap races at Class 5 and above will include a reduction in weight for 2 year-olds and 3 year-olds as follows:
(TBC)
Additionally, fillies and mares in handicap races will receive a reduction in weight of 2kg.
All Korean-bred horses will start at class 6 and first time winners will generally be allocated a rating of 27 and placed in class 5. Horses who register more than one placed finish at class 6 and show form may also be eligible to be rated and move up to class 5.
As before, imported horses will start at class 4. They will receive an initial rating of 42.
This looks a promising development, especially if it enables horses to go down as well as up – the rarity of this being the main issue with the original system – and the figures seem more in line with most international systems but the proof, as ever, will be out on the track.
There are over 100 horses at class 1 at Seoul, with around 60 at the same level at Busan. Beolmaui Kkum is the top rated horse in Korea following his win last Sunday but his rating now is 115, compared to his previous 135. Here is the full list of class 1 horses at Seoul and at Busan.
One interesting angle to watch over the next couple of months could be any in-form fillies or mares; they’ll now get an allowance in handicaps and keeping a keen eye on them may be a prudent course of action for punters.
Plenty happening on and off the track over the past week. Doraon Hyeonpyo and Clean Up Cheonha were both impressive winners last Sunday, there has been plenty of follow-up to Success Story’s decent 3rd place in Dubai last week and Korea has been well-represented at the ongoing Asian Racing Conference in Mumbai.
Yoo Mira was 2nd in the Arabian race at Caulfield on Tuesday (Pic: Ross Holburt)
We’ll start though in Australia and rather unusually in the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race at Caulfield on Tuesday. We don’t mention You Mi Ra very often on these pages but the jockey (riding as “Mina You”) managed to finish 2nd in the race, which as won by Dutch jockey Cindy Klinkenberg. Thanks to Ross Holburt for the heads-up and the picture.
On the track in Korea last weekend, stand-out performances came from Doraon Hyeonpyo and Clean Up Cheonha, who won class 1 events at Seoul and Busan respectively. Doraon Hyeonpyo (Colors Flying) had won at class 1 for the first time at the end of December but despite carrying significantly more weight this time, was once more a dismissively comfortable winner in the Sunday’s Busan feature. It wasn’t a strong race but the manner of his victory suggests there is plenty more to come.
Clean Up Cheonha (El Corredor), at age 5, also seems to be on the up. The US import was 2nd in the KRA Cup Classic last August and 5th in the Grand Prix Stakes in December. On Sunday, carrying 60kg over 2000M, he beat his Cup Classic conqueror Chief Red Can and eight others by two lengths to record his eighth career victory.
It was a bitterly cold weekend across the peninsula with conditions at Seoul especially being extreme as temperatures dipped to -14C on Sunday morning. Jockeys have a tough job at the best of times but their fortitude on Sunday was impressive to say the least.
Speaking of jockeys, Djordje Perovic reached another landmark in his impressive sojourn in Korea. The Serbian rider guided home his 50th Seoul winner on Sunday, taking the very last race of the weekend on City Hunter for trainer Lee Shin Young. The victory moved Perovic into the top ten all-time foreign jockey list here.
Success Story’s solid 3rd place at Meydan last Thursday has finally reached the Korean mainstream media. While the racing press (and the popular tabloids) covered it at the weekend, the national broadcaster KBS put it on their national news bulletin on Monday. Video here. Success Story is likely to race again in Dubai in the second week of February although things are a little less certain for Cheongu, the other Korean horse at the carnival.
Finally, Korea is being widely represented at the Asian Racing Conference in Mumbai this week. The KRA’s Seungho Ryu (who seems to get just about everywhere these days) delivered a talk on quarantine protocols while Chief Marketing Officer Ben Heo spoke about addressing racing’s not inconsiderable image problem in Korea. Racing Director Yangtae Park probably generated the most interest though, using his presentation to formally announce the $1M Korea Cup which will be run at Seoul Racecourse in September and according to Andrew Hawkins at the South China Morning Post, is already attracting interest.
Racing returns to Korea this weekend with the first big race of the season, the Segye Ilbo Cup, at Seoul on Sunday.
There were no hard-luck stories this time. Success Story led from the gate and while passed in the closing stages, battled on for a gutsy 3rd place at the Dubai Carnival meeting at Meydan on Thursday night.
Success Story (white silks on the rail) gpes to the early lead under Tadgh O’Shea in this dodgy screen-grab of Dubai Racing TV
In what always looked a very open race, Success Story, who was sent off at 10/1 in the UK betting markets, got away to a good start and under a tremendous ride by Tadhg O’Shea, was able to set a pace to his liking.
Success Story would lead the field of fourteen into the home straight and to the furlong pole only to see 9/2 chance Top Clearance and 11/2 American Hope close strongly down his outside to best him in the closing stages.
Under the urgings of O’Shea, the five-year-old would not be beaten out of the places though and held on for a very very good 3rd. He was two and a quarter lengths behind the winner on the line and a length ahead of fourth-placed Mind That Boy.
If there was a feeling of “what-if?” after Cheongu had some bad luck at the start and then lost a shoe in running when recording a creditable enough 5th of 8 on his own Dubai debut two weeks ago, this time there can be no such thoughts.
While only 3rd in what wasn’t the strongest race there’ll ever be, the result is no doubt a special moment for those who took him there. It also vindicates the decision of the Dubai authorities who took a chance on allowing the two relatively unknown Korean horses to travel.
Watts Village won in Japan in 2013 on a night that won’t be forgotten by those who saw it. However, with all due respect, that was an invitational race on a Tuesday night at Ohi. This was Thursday at Meydan, in a race open to horses from all over the world. Furthermore, Success Story (Peace Rules) is Korean-bred as well as trained. The result should serve as an incentive for Korean racing – from the breeding shed to the racetrack – to redouble its efforts to improve. Not many owners in Korea can share a top three placing with Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and Godolphin but Lee Jong Hun just did, surely others will want to as well.
Plans for both Cheongu and Success Story are unconfirmed. Cheongu was originally set to be entered again next week but that may not happen. If Success Story comes out of the race in good condition and a suitable race can be found, he will get another chance.
All we could really have asked for before they went is for them to look like they belonged there. Success Story did that and more tonight.
Success Story is set to face fourteen rivals when he makes his Dubai World Cup Carnival debut at Meydan this Thursday evening.
The five-year-old will run in race 6 on the card, the “District One Mansions” 1600M Handicap on the dirt at 9.55pm local time (2.55am Friday in Seoul). Success Story will break from gate 4 and will be ridden by Irish jockey Tadhg O’Shea.
The race looks a very competitive event with some up and comers as well as some very experienced winners among the fifteen-strong field. Carrying 57kg, Success Story finds himself right in the middle of the handicap and faces a stern test. Click here for the racecard from the Emirates Racing Authority.
Success Story has been inconsistent in winning 10 of 18 starts to date. His jockey got a sore neck on his most recent start though:
Success Story gets a mention in Katherine Ford of Equidia’s piece on Korean racing at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. Read it here.
In other news on what has been a bitingly cold few days in Korea – the cold snap is expected to last through the weekend with temperatures down at lows of -15C which should make racing fun for all concerned – the 2016 race plan, which will take effect from February, has been published.
As expected, the rating system will be adjusted (a work that has been in progress since last September) while two new race series; a Juvenile Triple Crown and the intriguingly named “Triple Tiara” are also included as well as final details for the International Weekend which this year will take place on September 10/11 with a new Million Dollar Korea Cup the highlight. More on all this over the Lunar New Year break.
Nicola Pinna may not be racking up huge numbers of rides or winners but he is certainly getting the job done on the right horses The Italian jockey ride his third Class 1 winner on Sunday as he guided 17/1 chance Gumanseok to a narrow victory in Seoul’s feature race.
In addition to a pair of class 1 victories on Bichui Jeongsang, Pinna had also won a major Juvenile race on OS Hwadap. Gumanseok (Vicar) had shot back into form with a surprise win under Djordje Perovic a month ago and carrying plenty more weight today, punters once again allowed him to go off reasonably unfancied.
Under a strong ride from Pinna, however, Gumanseok got the best of a tight finish, seeing off Double Shining by a neck on the line. It was Gumaseok’s 1th win of a 41-race career that included success in the Sports Chosun Cup back in 2013. It took Pinna on to 6 wins in career.
At Busan, 2015 Korean Derby winner Yeongcheon Ace was denied once more in Friday’s feature. Sent off the odds-on favourite, the four-year-old just couldn’t get up as outsider Useung Chance, took her chance fully under Makoto Okabe to record an unlikely victory. It’s now been five races since the Derby without a win for Yeongcheon Ace.
Sunday’s feature on the south coast saw a return to the track following five months out for Macheon Bolt (Old Fashioned). And the Peter Wolsley trainee returned in style, cruising through the rain to score a five-length win over a mile. It was the four-year-old’s seventh win from ten starts.
Racing returns to Korea on Friday but before that, attention turns to Meydan in Dubai where, should he get into the race, Success Story is set to make his Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday. He has been entered in the 1600M race 1 on the dirt.
Cheongu made his debut on January 8th over 1200M and did ok, finishing 5th of 8, despite getting a bad start and losing a plate. Racing over a mile, it will be more difficult for Success Story, but if he is right, he can be competitive. As for Cheongu, he may go again next week.
Horse Racing in Korea 