The protagonists themselves may not know it themselves but with four weekends of racing left this year, there is a terrific four-way tussle in pogress for the title of 2011’s Leading Sire.
Dongseo Jeongbeol - Vicar's Chief Earner
Just 90 Million Korean Won (about $85,000) separates current leader Exploit from last year’s winner Creek Cat who currently sits in fourth.
Sandwiched in between these established Korean producers are the new Studs on the block, Vicar and Menifee. The latter pair only have two crops of foals (plus a handful of earlier imports) representing them while their older rivals have plenty more but it’s still anybody’s race.
Cheonnyeon Daero - keeping Creek Cat in contention
The next big prize is the Group 3 Breeders’ Cup at Seoul Race Park this coming Sunday worth $150,000 to the winner. The race will decide Korea’s champion two-year old of the year and Menifee will be represented by highly rated filly Nuriui Bit, who is coming up from Busan, as well as possibly Seoul colt Jeongsang Yechan. Vicar too has a filly in contention in the shape of Black Dia.
Neither Exploit nor Creek Cat look likely to be getting the Breeders’ Cup winner while none of the four are likely to see success in the $400,000 Grand Prix Stakes a fortnight later. However, with even the least valuable race in Korea worth a minimum of $12,000 to the winner giving an edge to Exploit, this battle could go right down to the last day of the season on December 17.
With Forest Camp an impressive leader of the First Crop sire race and with Ecton Park set to come on stream next year and Officer a year later, the next few years look very exciting indeed.
The Korea Racing Auhority (KRA) has been shopping for stallions again and this time has returned from the USA with young sire Sharp Humor in tow. The eight-year old had been standing for WinStar Farm in Kentucky.
As a racehorse, Sharp Humor [Distorted Humor-Bellona (Hansel)] ran ten times picking up four wins, three of them in Stakes races. He ran second to Barbaro in the 2006 Florida Derby but fractured a knee in the Kentucky Derby a month later. He only ran once more and was retired at the end of his three-year old season.
In his short Stud career to date, Sharp Humor has sired sixty-eight winners, including five at Stakes level, and already has a colt and a filly currently running in Korea. The colt, Baekhomujeok [Sharp Humor-Lip Gloss (Lit De Justice)] won the JRA Trophy at Seoul Race Park in May this year and currently has four wins from a total of twelve starts
The KRA has been increasing its stallion numbers recently as it seeks to boost its domestic breeding industry as well as prepare for the opening of the nation’s third thoroughbred racecourse at Yeongcheon in 2014. Recent purchases have included Delago Brom from Australia and Officer and Whywhywhy from the US.
On arrival in Korea, Sharp Humor will initially stand alongside Menifee and Vicar at the KRA’s Jeju Stud Farm
It’s been a long time coming but last week, the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) announced the export of two racehorses to Malaysia. The colts, by Vicar and Exploit (with another to follow by Commendable) are the first Korean bred horses to be sold overseas for racing.
The export marks an important milestone for the Korean breeding industry which began in earnest in 1991. Before that, the vast majority of racehorses were imported from the Southern hemisphere or bred locally from a small number of mainly Japanese sires. Now, in addition to those mentioned above, Korea is also home to the likes of Menifee, Forest Camp, Pico Central and Officer while boasting state of the art Stud Farms both in Jeolla Province and on Jeju Island and many more private farms around the country.
With prize-money so high in Korea and with strict limits on the amounts Korean buyers can pay to import a racehorse bought at an overseas sale – $20,000 for colts and $40,000 for fillies – there is not a lot of incentive to sell a promising horse overseas, regardless of whether there is a market for it or not. However, the KRA have always made clear (at least in words if not actions) that their aim is to internationalize the Korean racing industry.
Moreover, if they can create a viable export industry, it is hoped that racing’s image will improve at home. The Korean casinos are (with one exception) only open to foreigners and regularly boast about how much money they generate from overseas. Korean racing is gambled on exclusively by Koreans and therefore is seen as a social problem in many quarters – not by the government, who greatly enjoy the revenues and not by the many social and agricultural initiatives that racing funds – but it still has a bad image.
There is nothing guaranteed to boost the industry in the eyes of Korean public opinion more than having a Korean product that foreigners want to buy.
The target is for fifty horses to be exported annually by 2020. This includes not only racehorses but also potential stallions and broodmares in foal. Initially the target markets are to be the Philippines and Macau, however, long-term no secret is made of the fact that the target is China.
No doubt it will have plenty of competition, but if and when – and in whichever form – betting on racing is legalized there, given its geographical proximity, the KRA plans to become a major supplier of reasonably priced thoroughbreds. It also stands ready to sell its highly developed racing IT infrastructure and other services.
Whether any of this will happen is open to question, although the wining and dining of potential foreign buyers is already taking place. The KRA often talks big on Internationalization but finds itself unable to follow through. Many stakeholders do extremely well out of Korean racing being essentially a closed-shop, both in and out. Nevertheless, this is a milestone of which those involved in bringing it about, will no doubt be proud.
While thousands of miles away the Breeders’ Cup is occupying much of the racing world this weekend, Korea plays host to its most valuable race of the year in the shape of the President’s Cup at Seoul Racecourse Park this Sunday.
Returning: Dangdae Bulpae & Jo Sung Gon in the 2010 President's Cup Winner's Circle
While it may not be the most prestigious – the Grand Prix Stakes taking that accolade – the President’s Cup is the biggest race of the year for Korean-bred horses. This is because it is the race in which this year’s Classic winners generally face their elders for the first time.
As it is, we have just two out of four Classic winners from this year – Useung Touch and Dongseo Jeongbeol – and just one from last year, Derby winner Cheonnyeon Daero. However, with last year’s winner Dangdae Bulpae and the evergreen Yeonseung Daero making the trip up from Busan, we are guaranteed a fascinating renewal on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s a rundown of the runners with age/sex/weight to be carried (race records) and jockeys:
President’s Cup (KOR GI) – Seoul Race Park – 2000M – November 6, 2011 – 16:35
1. Dangdae Bulpae [Biwa Shinseiki-Indeed My Dear (Alydeed)] 4 C 58Kg (19/12/1/1) – Jo Sung Gon (Busan)
The defending Champion, he loves running at Seoul losing only once in the Grand Prix last year. At 2000 metres, one would think this was his for the taking. However, his last two starts at Busan have ended in two ignominious sixth places; getting into a suicidal early speed duel with Tough Win in the Metropolitan Stakes and sinking without trace in the Owners’ Trophy. He will need to be back to his best if he is to have a chance.
2. Love Cat [Creek Cat-Love Cue (Curia Regis)] 5 M 56Kg (26/10/2/4) – Moon Jung Kyun (Seoul)
Coming back from a five month lay-off and she was in very indifferent form before that. Her last win was in the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup a year ago. Something sensational would have had to have happened to her during her break if she is to have a chance here. It seems unlikely.
3. Yeonseung Daero [Creek Cat-Sensationalkris (Cryptoclearance)] 5 H 58Kg (36/15/7/5) – Choi Si Dae (Busan)
Stablemate of Cheonnyeon Daero, a top performer whose win rate would be much higher were it not for the fact that his Sportsman connections never take the safe option and always run him against foreign opposition rather than cherry-pick handicaps against inferior domestic horses. Got his reward in winning the Busan Metropolitan over Dongbanui Gangja in the summer. His career has been a joy to follow and as always, he’ll be there or thereabouts.
4. Dongseo Jeongbeol [Vicar-Rendezvous Bay (Wonderloaf)] 3 C 56Kg (11/7/1/0) – Chae Gyu Jun (Busan)
One of two of this year’s Classic winners taking part, the Minister’s Cup champion makes a quick return to Seoul. Dangdae Bulpae scored a Minister’s and President’s Cup double last year and Dongseo Jeongbeol looks perfectly capable of doing the same. However, despite it being over the same distance, he will be up against much tougher opposition on Sunday.
5. Cheot Insang [Psychobabble-Soma (Far Out East)] 5 G 56Kg (27/6/3/4) – Ji Ha Ju (Seoul)
Picked up a useful Class 1 win last month to gain his entry here but really should be outclassed in this company.
6. High Point [Silent Warrior-Fran’s Express (Expressman)] 5 H 58Kg (24/7/2/6) – Cho Kyoung Ho (Seoul)
Interesting one. He won the SBS Cup in August but was narrowly defeated by Race Terror on his only run since. At five, he’s in the best form of his career and could be one to look out for. Arguably Seoul’s best chance.
7. Money Teukgeup [Ft. Stockton-Headwork (Silveyville)] 5 H 58Kg (29/6/4/4) – Park Tae Jong (Seoul)
He hasn’t won since June 2010 and he’ll not win this.
8. Useung Touch [Menifee-Jenny Tudor (Gulch)] 3 F 54Kg (10/5/3/1) – Kim Dong Young (Busan)
The outstanding filly of 2011, she’s the Oaks winner and second in the Derby and Minister’s Cup and a genuine contender for Horse Of The Year. Can she win this? Yes, she can, but it’s a big ask. Either way she will be contesting the finish.
9. Suseong TX [Concept Win-Oktong-I (Kyoei Blossom)] 6 H 58Kg (27/7/5/4) – Moon Se Young (Seoul)
Seoul’s Champion Jockey-elect is unlikely to be winning this. Suseong TX only has one win to his name this year and it seems he has been entered to compete for the minor – but still financially lucrative – placings.
10. Cheonnyeon Daero [Creek Cat-Doneitmyway (Northern Flagship) 4 C 58Kg (26/7/13/3) – Park Geum Man (Busan)
The 2010 Korean Derby winner will be retired at the end of this season. This is likely to be his penultimate race (so long as connections accept his inevitable Grand Prix invitation). A supremely talented horse who has a very bad case of second-itis – even when he wins, he finishes second – but this could be his time. He should be favourite.
11. Khaosan [Sunday Well-Mogaung (Jade Hunter)] 6 G 58Kg (31/7/7/7) – Nathan Stanley (Busan)
The foreign interest. Aussie trainer Peter Wolsley finally got his first Stakes winner with Khaosan when Cheonnyeon Daero was disqualified in the Owners’ Cup. It was the correct decision as without the interference, the six-year old would have won. A late developer, Khaosan is a tough horse and he may well find the Seoul course, on which he is racing for the first time, to be to his liking. With Nathan Stanley on board, he is worth an outside bet.
12. Race Terror [Duality-Starship Adventure (Dare And Go)] 4 C 58Kg (22/5/5/4) – Choi Bum Hyun (Seoul)
Coming into form at the right time with his first Class 1 win at the end of September, he will need to improve a lot to win here.
13. Blooming [Future Quest-Fox Dance (Foxtrail)] 5 H 58Kg (17/7/3/0) – Oh Kyoung Hoan (Seoul)
Very much a dark-horse here, the relatively lightly raced Blooming does have qualities to recommend him. He has two recent wins over similar distances and has every chance of being competitive. If he apears on the board at long odds, he may well be worth an outside punt.
14. Real Victor [Biwa Shinseiki-Hyunmo (Real Quiet)] 4 C 58Kg (21/5/9/0) – Jo In Kwen (Seoul)
That he has only failed to money twice in twenty-one starts means that Rea Victorr must get sime respect. There are better horses than him in the race but there’s every chance of him playing a big role in the finish.
Star’s Dam Now Based On Jeju Island As Part Of Korean Breeding Program
It will be breakfast time in Korea on Sunday, President’s Cup day, when thousands of miles away at Churchill Downs, the Breeders’ Cup Classic comes under orders. However, plenty of Korean racing fans will be on the internet scouring for streams to watch the big race and the vast majority of them will be supporting Game On Dude.
Worldly Pleasure - given the typically unflattering Korean StudBook treatment
This isn’t because they’ll have had a bet on the horse who is currently sixth favourite – for the most part they won’t have as there is no legal means of doing so here – but more to do with the fact that the four year old’s dam, Worldly Pleasure, currently resides at Nokwon Farm on Jeju Island.
As a racehorse, Worldly Pleasure [Devil His Due-Fast Pleasure (Fast Play)] was a decent filly on the American cicrcuit. From 2003 to 2005, she won 8 out of 38 starts mostly running at tracks such as Laurel, Delaware Park, Pimlico and Tampa Bay Downs. On retirement, she gave birth to a colt by Smart Strike in 2006 called Wild Spirit and then in 2007 to another colt this time by Awesome Again. This colt (who would be gelded) would be Game On Dude.
In late 2009, with Game On Dude still a two-year old, Worldly Pleasure was sent through the sales ring at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and was bought by Korean interests for $15,000 and a month later, on Christmas Eve, she arrived in Korea for her new life at Nokwon Farm.
The Korean racing media has jumped on the Game On Dude bandwagon
At the time, Worldly Pleasure was in foal to Macho Uno and she gave birth to a colt on February 8, 2010. He is scheduled to reach the racetrack in just under a year. Perhaps fittingly – and maybe presciently – her first mating in Korea was with Volponi, himself a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner in 2002, and a filly was born early this year. For 2011, Nokwon Farm sent Worldly Pleasure to their own stallion, the little known Japanese import Admire Don [Timber County-Vega (Tony Bin)].
Of course, there’s no guarantee that any of these foals will even make the racetrack let alone be a shadow of their illustrious half-brother but either way, a win for Game On Dude this weekend, however unlikely it may be, will be a real shot in the arm to a Korean breeding industry which has made great strides in recent years in the quality of imported stallions and is looking to do the same with broodmares.
With the Cup Classic over breakfast and then the domestic President’s Cup in the afternoon, Sunday is set to be a big day for Korean racing.
Tuesday November 1 sees one of the biggest races of the year and as usual, the Melbourne Cup is available for Korean viewers on the Australia Network. Coverage starts at 11am Korean Time and runs through until 1:30pm. The big race is at 1pm. The Australia Network is available on most Digital Cable and Satellite packages.
For those without Digital Cable, the Australia Network can be viewed from within Korea free of charge on the English language website of the Donga-Ilbo Newspaper. Click Here to go straight to the feed.
Should make for a better than usual Tuesday morning.
Japanese jockey Eiki Nishimura is coming back to Busan this weekend on a short-term license after nearly two years away from Korean racing. The 36 year old is best remembered in Korea for winning the KRA Cup Mile – the first leg of the Korean Triple Crown – on the champion filly Sangseung Ilro in 2009.
More of the same? Eiki Nishimura wins the KRA Cup Mile on Sangseung Ilro (Pic: KRA)
In all, Eiki rode 48 winners from 392 rides in his first spell at Busan. He started slowly but made his breakthrough as the regular rider of Sangseung Ilro culminating in her Cup Mile win in April 2009. However, he was mysteriously jocked off the filly for her successful run in the Korean Derby the following month.
Although no-one went record about it (apart from Eiki himself on his Japanese blog at the time), the feeling was that local riders at Busan had been angry about a foreign jockey winning the track’s biggest race of the year. The Jockey Union at Seoul who at the time opposed any foreign involvement in Korean racing were determined this would not happen in the Derby and pressure was applied.
Eiki persevered although he found his opportunities limited before he returned to his home track of Arao in late 2009. An affable and friendly character, he invited Korean jockey Park Jae Ho across to Japan to gain some experience.
Things at Busan are a little different now. After the shockingly bad treatment another Japanese rider, Hitomi Miyahshita received at the hands of the Jockey Union in the aftermath of Park Jin Hee’s death in early 2010, the locals have had another dose of Toshio Uchida winning races and recently of Akane Yamamoto and Australian Nathan Stanley winning Stakes races. As younger Korean jockeys come through, the foreign riders are gradually becoming more accepted and Eiki’s most welcome return is at exactly the right time.
Nishimura has nine rides at Busan across this weekend starting in race 1 on Friday when he’ll be riding for American trainer Joe Murphy. Nathan Stanley has twelve rides on Friday and Sunday most for Peter Wolsley. Akane Yamamoto sits out this week to serve a two-day suspension.
Baekgwang, Korea’s Favourite Horse, Retired After Leg-Break
This time, it was obvious the story was over. At the end of the KRA Cup Classic, jockey Lee Joon Chel pulled him up and immediately dismounted and walked him into the unsaddling enclosure. The horse was limping badly. Lee, having ridden him for the first time, gave him a pat and handed him over to his groom. The vet gestured that there was no need for him to be trotted up to explain his performance. Baekgwang’s career was over.
Baekgwang (KRA)
When lists of the greatest racehorses are compiled, Baekgwang [The Groom Is Red-Grey Crest (Gold Crest)] likely won’t be on them. Not even in Korea. But there is something about a closer – a horse who can run from the back of the field to the front in the closing stages of a race to score a last gasp victory – that makes the heart beat faster. And when that horse is small in stature, a striking grey colour and when he has overcome injury to be around for the best part of six years, it is something that shines a light on the drama of a sport whose beauty is so often masked behind a game of numbers. Ask a Korean racing fan to name their favourite horse and it is likely to be Baekgwang.
Of course, while not being the greatest, Baekgwang was still a very fine racehorse. After failing to win any of his three starts as a two-year old, he finished third in the 2006 Korean Derby but went on to win the final three-year old Classic of the year, The Minister’s Cup, after picking up back-to-back Stakes wins in the Munhwa and Donga-Ilbo Cups earlier in the summer.
He continued this form into his four-year old season, winning three consecutive races before the end of April. However, it was then that injury struck for the first time in the shape of a ligament injury and he ran only once more that year. In the meantime, his younger half-sister Baekpa (Revere) has become a star in her own right, winning the 2007 Korean Oaks. A grey herself, although less striking than Baekgwang, her big brother was brought out of his recovery to pose for pictures with her after her Oaks triumph. Eventually, after treatment and a lengthy spell of recuperation in the Korean countryside, Baekgwang himself returned to Seoul Racecourse and made his comeback in the Ttukseom Cup in April 2008.
He was sent off as second favourite and, putting in his customary late run, looked to have a chance in the final furlong. However, in the final strides he was just headed by the even faster finishing Namchonuijijon (Concept Win) who, were it not for being unfortunate to have been born in the same year as the great J.S. Hold, may have become a Classic winner himself. After the race though came devastating news.
Ligaments in his knee were damaged. The stewards at Seoul instantly handed him a one-year ban under rules designed to protect injured horses. This was never likely to be a problem with Baekgwang as his career seemed over. Nevertheless, owner Lee Soo Hong decided to try something that as yet hadn’t been tried in Korean racing before. Baekgwang underwent Stem-cell treatment to repair his damaged knee with cells from his back. It would be a long lay-off. During his time out, little sister Baekpa would go on to defeat the seemingly invincible Myeongmungamun in the SBS Cup of 2008. It would be in this race a year later in July 2009 that, remarkably, Baekgwang would return once again.
Baekgwang heads to post for the final time
He ran fourth but it was a display full of promise. A month later he finished second in a handicap. Then in September, he finally made it back where he belonged; in the winner’s circle having run down a class 1 field in the home stretch to record a narrow victory. Next up was the President’s Cup and, true to form, he pushed eventual winner Nice Choice all the way, despite giving him four kilos, to finish in a brave second. He closed out 2009 on a high, skipping his way through a blizzard two days after Christmas, once more mowing down the field in the home straight.
However, 2010 would see just one appearance, a second place in February before injury took hold again. Although he race-trialed sporadically it wasn’t until August this year that he finally made it to a race, finishing fifth behind Ace Galloper. Of course, it would be behind that horse, currently Seoul’s highest rated Korean born, that he would make his final appearance. For the first and only time in his 25 races, he would not take home any prize money yet, even with his leg broken, he was only just beaten out of the fifth and final moneying place by Dongbanui Gangja, the double Grand Prix winner. He never, ever gave up.
Baekgwang’s leg was broken but happily, it was not fatal. He will return to Jeju Island, this time permanently, as perhaps it should have been last time. He will be registered as a stallion and will live out his retirement in peace. His career outlasted that of almost all his rivals such as Nice Choice and Namchonuijijon and sister Baekpa who was retired last year – Baekpa is at the same farm as the pair’s mother, Grey Crest.
Some have lamented that Baekgwang – “Korea’s Seabiscuit” as he was described by the Korean Racing Journal last weekend – will not be given a retirement ceremony. It’s not necessary. Racing fans have enough memories of Baekgwang doing what he did best – be it in that Ttukseom Cup or dancing through the snow at Christmas or on all the other occasions he produced that thrilling stretch run. Baekgwang means “White Light” and he was a horse who with a turn of his head in the paddock was acknowledged by even the most hard-bitten punter as something special. We were lucky to have him.
Baekgwang (KOR) [The Groom Is Red-Grey Crest (Gold Crest)] Foaled: March 19, 2003 Debut: September 24, 2005 Retired: October 9, 2011 25 races, 11 wins, 8 seconds, 2 thirds Career Earnings: 817,614,000 Korean Won
Last Year’s Winner Misses Out But A Double Champion, A Legend, A Nearly-Horse and Upstarts Clash in Grand Prix Trial
We had the final leg of the Triple Crown last week but the autumn Stakes action is coming thick and fast at Seoul Race Park. This weekend it’s the KRA Cup Classic, a major pointer towards the season ending Grand Prix Stakes which is now just over two months away.
One To Beat: Ace Galloper
Although last year’s winner Tough Win is a late withdrawal, there is still plenty to keep interest alive among punters and fans alike in this ten furlong handicap. Two Korean born horses, Ace Galloper and Baekgwang, take on nine imports including the double Grand Prix Champion Dongbanui Gangja.
Ace Galloper is currently the top ranked domestic bred horse at Seoul and is the one they all have to beat here while the great grey Baekgwang is one of the best-loved.
Jumong
Dongbanui Gangja heads the weights but has only won once since kicking his habit of running wide in the home straight that almost saw him retired a year ago. Jumong, the half-brother of another great name from Korean racing history, Subsidy, is both in form and has a weight advantage as does the returning Bulpae Gisang. Then there are the three-year old unknowns. Could one of them pull off an upset? We’ll find out on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s a full run down of the field (Name [Pedigree] Age, Sex, Weight (Races/1/2/3) – Jockey):
KRA Cup Classic – Seoul Race Park – 2000M October 8, 2011, 16:35
1. Bulpae Gisang (USA) [Lightnin N Thunder-Neat Trick (Clever Trick)] 5 H 57Kg (21/10/4/1) – Won Jung Il
Spent nearly a year on the sidelines but showed a glimpse of the form that took him to victory in the Busan Metropolitan and second place in the Grand Prix as a three-year old in 2009 when winning his last outing in August. Reasonably well handicapped, he could challenge the placings.
2. Ace Galloper (KOR) [Chapel Royal-Explicitly (Exploit)] 4 C 60Kg (20/14/3/1) – Park Tae Jong
Regular jockey Cho Kyoung Ho was engaged to ride Tough Win and even though last year’s winner now won’t run, Park Tae Jong keeps the mount. Park has won on him before and Ace Galloper comes into the race on a run of four straight wins. The weight shouldn’t be a problem but this is the first time he’s faced foreign bred opposition. If he’s on top form, he has a very good chance.
3. Celebrate Tonight (USA) [Songandaprayer-My Place Tonight (Out Of Place)] (USA) 3 C 54Kg (9/4/2/1) – Moon Se Young
Beaten by Sing Sing Cat in his class 1 debut last time out, it’s tough to make a case for him here. However, he has a significant weight advantage over the more established older horses.
4. Dongbanui Gangja (USA) [Broken Vow-Maremaid (Storm Bird)] 6 H 61Kg (31/18/6/2) – Choi Bum Hyun
With his unruly five-year old season behind, we’ve seen something of the old Dongbanui Gangja of late and, given a different ride may have won the Busan Metropolitan back in July. The double Grand Prix winner is to be respected but at top weight, he’s going to have his work cut out.
5. Baekgwang (KOR) [The Groom Is Red-Grey Crest (Gold Crest)] 8 H 56Kg (24/11/8/3) – Lee Joon Chel
One of the most popular horses in recent Korean racing history, the grey Baekgwang has on three occasions taken a year out through injury. He’s always come back though and in his 24 races spread over the past 6 years he has, remarkably, never finished out of the money. Like Ace Galloper, he too is facing foreign horses for the first time and this could be his toughest test.
6. Sing Sing Cat (USA) [D’Wildcat-Freddy Fenter (Fenter)] 3 C 55Kg (11/5/2/0) – Oh Kyoung Hoan
Getting better he’s one four of his last five. Still relatively unexposed, he has a big weight advantage over a number of his rivals and could spring a surprise.
7. Captain Cugat (AUS) [King Cugat-Shiva Angel (Marauding)] 7 G 52Kg (33/5/5/0) – Kim Ok Sung
The old Aussie stager who found his way here via New Zealand doesn’t win much and there’s no reason why he should here. A second place behind hotshot filly Kkakjaengi over this distance two starts ago sees him take his chance here but even with a light weight and a decent jockey, he’ll struggle to trouble the placings.
8. Florida Sox (USA) [Woke Up Dreamin-Chordette (Dixieland Band)] 4 F 52Kg (9/4/0/2) – Boo Min Ho
A Stakes winner at age 3, this filly – the only one in he field – needs a lot of time off between races. Her last start ended in a disappointing 13th in the Owners’ Trophy but that was so long ago, it means little. Reunited with jockey Boo Min Ho with whom she’s enjoyed most success.
9. Jumong (USA) [Johar-Foreign Aid (Danzig)] 4 C 57Kg (23/8/4/3) – Jo In Kwen
Along with Ace Galloper the most in-form horse in the race. Was beaten by Dongbanui Gangja in June but he was giving a lot of weight that day. The roles are reversed here and the finishing order may be too.
10. Ppoppai (USA) [Rockport Harbor-Fair And Lively (Lively One)] 3 C 53Kg (10/5/0/2) – Ham Wan Sik
His first start at class 1 comes in a very tough race. Like the other three-year olds, he has the weight in his favour but will be an outsider.
11. Cheonjidolpung (USA) [Tactical Cat-Luminate (A.P.Indy)] 6 G 52Kg (30/5/0/4) – Mai Beppu
Finished a very creditable 4th in the Busan Metropolitan but well beaten by Sing Sing Cat and Celebrate Tonight last time.
Lee Shin Young & Kim Hae Sun Score Historic Double
Last week we talked about Australian trainer Peter Wolsley and jockey Nathan Stanley who are currently the in-form partnership at Busan. Up at Seoul there is another pair who are less than conventional in Korean terms making headlines. On September 24, trainer Lee Shin Young and Kim Hae Sun became the first female trainer/jockey combination to win two races on the same card.
Winning on the track: Kim Hae Sun
Lee Shin Young was only the third Korean woman to qualify as a jockey and in the July this year became the first ever female trainer. She’s had a remarkable start to her career in the barn. Out of 23 runners from her fourteen-strong string, she’s recorded 6 wins already.
Winning in the barn: Lee Shin Young (Picture: KRA)
She still holds the record for most thoroughbred wins by a female jockey in Korea at 90, however, her record seems almost certain to be eclipsed by the young Kim Hae Sun. Kim qualified in 2009 and has made the most of the opportunities afforded to her to rack up 37 winners already – 28 of them coming in the last year and 4 in the past two weeks.
It’s a record that is better than the two other jockeys in her graduating class, Park Sang Woo and Lee Gi Woong.
On that Saturday a week and a half ago, Lee and Kim combined with debut making US two-year old Belong To John (Belong To Me) at odds of 23/1 and then in the final race of the day on 8/1 Blue Charming (On Fire). Certainly punters will be closely examining any such generous odds on the pair in future.
Horse Racing in Korea 