With less than a week to go until the Herald Business Cup, the KRA has amended the English spelling of the name of one of the two favourites for the race. At last, we can now refer to the Seoul Race Park five-furlong track record holder as “Northern Ace”. It seems there was a slight mistake when it was first entered into the Studbook which rendered his name for his first two races as “Nothern Ace”.
Northern Ace [Didyme – Telegraph Road (Royal Academy)] is two-for-two but hasn’t raced since the last weekend of August. He will be up against fellow unbeaten juvenile Seonbongbulpae [Newsprint – Jeseok (Lost Mountain)] over six furlongs this coming Sunday afternoon.
Two year old filly Wonerful Sun remains un-spell-checked despite being rendered as “Wonderful” in Korean script. However, as her performance on Saturday was anything but wonerful or wonderful, there is perhaps less danger with her of the KRA seeing any of their marquee races being won by a typo.
Nice Choice and Yeonseung Daero-shaped holes
Let’s first get who’s not going to be there out of the way, so that when we have the final preview next week, we can focus on those who will be taking part in the race that traditionally brings the curtain down (for a few days anyway) on the Korean racing season.
Racing fans had their vote and the KRA sent out the invitations accordingly but, in the year that the inclusion of Busan horses makes the Grand Prix truly the test to find the peninsula’s top horse, a number of those who should be there won’t be.
Nice Choice was second in the poll, but he won’t be there. Neither will Areumdaun Jilju, Yeonseung Daero or Sangseung Ilro from Busan. The former two will run in the Busan Owner’s Cup on December 6, while Sangseung Ilro’s legs are not up to the rigours of 2300 metres around Seoul in winter.
Yeonseung Daero’s absence may be felt the most. Sent off favourite in the KRA Cup Mile and highly fancied for the Derby, he missed out both times but there are strong suspicions that he may be on the verge of producing something special – many punters felt that he had Choi Beom Hyun been riding him, rather than Bulpae Gisang in the Busan Metropolitan last month, the result would have been different.
Those who will skip the event may be forgiven, however. Dongbanui Gangja has been in imperious form this year. Six runs, six wins. He’s a closer rather than a front-runner and that usually leads to butterflies but he has swatted away all comers this year in dismissive fashion. Stepping back up to 2300 metres is unliklely to faze him and it is difficult to see him being beaten.
Bally Brae is back to try. A winner once and second twice, he landed a couple of win earlier in the year but has suffered recently. There was speculation that he might be given a long break but the lure of the Grand Prix has proved too much for his connections. As ever, he will give his all and if he pulls it off, there won;t be a dry eye in the house (…maybe). Of the Seoul contingent though, Dongbanui Gangja’s stablemate, Bulpae Gisang, Busan Metropolitan winner, may be his greatest danger.
From Busan, Gaeseon Janggun, winner of the 2008 Minister’s Cup will fly the flag for Korea while Crafty Louis and King Kephalos are both solid performers. Haengbok Dream has potential while Rolling On Strong is set to be the only filly or mare in the race.
Here’s the full list of confirmed entries so far (Name/Pedigree/Sex/Age/Record):
Seoul
Yaho TS (USA) [Roar Of The Tiger – Propeller (Lear Fan)] C – 3 (15/4/1/1) Bally Brae (USA) [Yarrow Brae – Political Bluff (Unaccounted For)] G – 7 (31/15/10/1) Ugildongja (KOR) [Dixie Dot Com – May Roses (Incinderator)] H – 5 (32/10/5/1) Dongbanui Gangja (USA) [Broken Vow – Maremaid (Storm Bird)] C – 4 (21/14/4/2) Bulpae Gisang (USA) [Lightnin N Thunder – Neat Trick (Clever Trick)] C – 3 (12/7/2/0)
Busan
Haengbok Dream (JPN) [Lammtarra – Sister Slew (Slew The Dragon)] C – 3 (11/4/4/2) King Kephalos (JPN) [King Glorious – Western Edge (Woodman)] G – 4 (19/8/3/3) Gaeseon Janggun (KOR) [Duality – Diamond Star (Dixieland Band)] C – 4 (18/9/4/1) Rolling On Strong (USA) [Werblin – Gracie Gale (Opening Verse)] F – 3 (12/4/1/3) Crafty Louis (USA) [Louis Quatorze – Crafty Atlantic (Crafty Prospector)] G – 6 (34/13/4/2)
Here’s Dongbanui Gangja winning last year from Bally Brae in second and Myeongmun Gamun in third:
Jeju Stud Farm hosted its November Yearling sale last week. Of the 90 lots offered, just 35 sold at an average price of 45 Million won ($39,000).
Topping the sale was was a colt by Vicar out of the Australian bred mare Hurricane Havoc [Jade Robbery – Hurricane Bay (Palace Music)] who fetched 100 Million won. Second highest was a colt by Revere out of Mina De Oro (USA) [Afleet – Alas De Oro (Ack Ack)] at 85 Million won. The Vicar colt was bought by Kim Chul, who currently has nine horses in training at Seoul while Busan owner Kwak Jung Su took the Revere colt.
The highest drawing filly was by Creek Cat and out of the Korean bred Tamna Jeilbong [Lost Mountain – Scotty’s Love (First Draft Choice)], fetching 56 Million won from Seung Myoung Ho. Prominent Seoul owner Ku Ja Sun (Dongbanui Gangja) was also in action, taking home colts by Creek Cat and Exploit for a combined total of just shy of 100 Million won.
Top five lots (Sex/Pedigree/Seller/Buyer/Price in units of 10,000 won):
1. Colt [Vicar – Hurricane Havoc (Jade Robbery)] Lim Sang Yun / Kim Chul – 10,000
2. Colt [Revere – Mina De Oro (Afleet)] Lim Sang Yun / Kwak Jung Su – 8,500
3. Colt [Menifee – Angel Be Great (Notebook)] Oh Gong Hak / Choi Cheol Yi – 8,000
4. Colt [Volponi – Regal Meg (Regal Classic)] Kang Seok Ho / Lee Jong Hun – 7,500
5. Colt* [Wando – Luv Meadow (Meadowlake)] Oh Gong Hak / Daemyoung Co. – 7,400
* Luv Meadow was in foal to Wando when imported to Korea in January 2008.
At the beginning of November, just as it does every year, the KRA conducted an online poll of Korean racing fans, asking them which horses they would like to see run in the season ending Grand Prix race at Seoul on December 13.
Voting results were made public this week and 2008 winner Dongbanui Gangja heads the list of those horses the racing “Netizens” would most like to see take part in the season-ending Grand Prix race at Seoul Race Park on December 13.
The top eight vote-getters from Seoul and top 6 from Busan – whose horses are taking part in the Grand Prix for the first time ever – have received automatic invitations to the race. However, it is far from certain that all will take them up.
We’ll go over the final list next Monday but for now, here is the full list of the fourteen horses voted in:
Seoul
Of the Busan contingent, Areumdaun Jilju and Yeonseung Daero both entered in the Busan Owners’ Cup Sprint on December 6, connections seemingly have a big decision to make. Meanwhile, there remain question marks over the delicate legs of Sangseung Ilro, winner of the first two legs of the Triple Crown and the only filly voted in.
As for the Seoul horses, Hwangnyongsaji is in action this weekend in an all domestic race. It’s unlilely we’ll see him line-up for the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, 2006 Horse of The Year and 2007 Grand Prix winner Bally Brae still remains popular with punters, polling fourth. However, after two disappointing recent runs, his trainer has indicated a long spell of rest and recuperation is on the cards for the much-loved gelding.
Apart from winning the 2007 edition, Bally Brae was second in both 2006 and 2008. Here is his commanding victory over long-time rival Subsidy from two years ago:
When Moon Se Young was violently thrown from two-year old filly Raipai back at the end of August, his hopes of retaining his 2008 title were over. Still sidelined, Moon remains on 72 winners leaving a tight three-way battle for the Championship with a month to go.
On Saturday, Cho Kyoung Ho became just the third rider in Korean racing history to reach the 100 winners in a season mark. Meanwhile Park Tae Jong moved onto 99 to go one ahead of Choi Beom Hyun on 98.
Cho was fourth in 2007 and second last year but it has been a golden autumn for the 33-year-old with victories on Nice Choice in the President’s Cup and Lucky Mountain in the NACF Chairman’s Race and, in Moon Se Young’s continued absence, will most likely take the mount on hot 2-year-old Nothern Ace in the Herald Business on December 6.
For Choi Beom Hyun, while he’s an outside chance to make up the five winner deficit he has on Cho, a second consecutive Grand Prix on Dongbanui Gangja awaits. Park Tae Jong, who heads the all-time winners list, looks likely to land his second biggest ever haul in his twenty year career.
Current Standings:
1. Cho Kyoung Ho – 103
2. Park Tae Jong – 99
3. Choi Beom Hyun – 98
4. Moon Se Young – 72
5. Ham Wan Sik – 39
Visitors to the “Foreigner lounge” on the fourth floor of the Luckyville grandstand at Seoul Race Park are provided with an English language race card. Though very basic in the information it provides, it is invaluable for first-time racegoers or for those who cannot read Korean and therefore find it difficult to navigate the regular racecards.
For many years, on a Saturday, when two or three races are simulcasted from Jeju Island, the cards for these races have been included in the English race card. On a Sunday, however, that has not been the case for the races simulcasted from Busan. This has led to Gyongmaman watching (with some amusement, he is ashamed to admit) scores of first time visitors betting on what they think is the next race at Seoul but is in fact the next race from Busan. All this changed this past weekend though as the entire Busan card was attached to the usual Seoul listings.
We touched a couple of weeks ago on the prospect of an English language betting machine being introduced. Gyongmaman – always a terrible groveller when faced with officialdom, especially if they’re wearing a KRA badge – gave it his blessing and accordingly the English-speaking machine, made its debut on November 7, taking pride of place in the middle of the lounge. It lasted a full four races before malfunctioning and being taken away on a trolley. It hasn’t been seen since.
All mockery aside, the KRA is to be commended on their efforts. The vast majority of regulars in the Foreigner lounge are ethnic Koreans who have passports from other countries and therefore can read Korean. That the KRA provides an English and Japanese service and provides reserved seating for overseas visitors – a demographic that generally bets tiny amounts – all for free, is much to its credit.
Also on English affairs, recently the KRA revamped its website. It is pretty sexy. However, one by-product of this was that it became impossible to access the English language section of the site from the homepage. While this is a sorry state of affairs, Korearacing understands that a brand new English language homepage is in the works and is scheduled to be launched in the New Year. This site will indeed supposedly have what everyone has been waiting for: English langauge racecards and results.
This coming Sunday at Seoul Race Park, Baekgwang will seek to complete what was thought to be an impossible comeback when he lines up alongside the track’s top Korean bred horses in the President’s Cup. During his career, the six-year-old has spent a total of two years on the sidelines. He finally returned to the winner’s circle last month in his third race since returning from successful stem-cell treatment.
Now he will take on a strong field including three-year olds Nice Choice and Khanui Jeguk as well as old foe Baengnokjeong. Natural Nine,Triple Seven, Mighty Runner and Wontagui Gisa are also among the proven winners that will contest the Group 1 race over 2000 metres.
A week later another long overdue return will take place. And this time it’s Baekgwang’s little sister Baekpa, back in town following her summer in the United States, who heads the line-up in the Nonghyup Bank Cup. Korean racing fans were pained to see Baekpa in the US, running her heart out but being left behind by fields that could hardly be considered world-beating. How she recovers from that ordeal will become clear on Sunday 22 as she makes her first start back on Korean sand.
Currently thirteen other fillies and mares are entered for the Nonghyup race. An in-form Baekpa should have the beating of them all with the one interesting contender being the three-year old Love Cat.
Is she the same horse she was when she left? Can her brother beat the three-year olds a week earlier? Either way, racing fans here are just delighted to see the grey siblings back home racing where they belong.
Here’s Baekgwang in pre-injury days in 2007:
And Baekpa taking the Korean Oaks in the same year:
It’s been two weeks since it was revealed that a Seoul based jockey was under investigation for allegedly passing insider information to illegal betting operations. The case involving the jockey – who, although his identity was initially made public, can now only be identified by his initial “L” or “L-Mo” in Korean, could not have come at a worse time as the KRA battles to portray racing in a positive light in the face of an increasingly puritanical regulator.
Support – or at least indifference – from the majority of lawmakers is essential in resisting the recommendations of the National Gaming Control Commission, an organization that makes little secret of its aim to eliminate any form of gambling and has already succeeded in having the KRA close down its “KNetz” Internet betting service which ceased operations in July.
While the NGCC may not be able to grasp the concept, most lawmakers currently accept that the more restrictions there are placed upon legalized gambling, the more the many illegal ones thrive. To keep this support, however, the KRA has to be able to demonstrate that racing is clean. Bent jockeys will always pop up from time to time, but, however this case proceeds, its timing is terrible and has prompted speculation over the likely success of the next recommendations from the NGCC as outlined over the weekend by Korea Racing Journal editor Kim Mun Young.
The Electronic ID Card scheme raised its head again. Under this scheme, when trying to place a bet, a punter would be asked to produce an ID card that they have previously had to apply for and been issued. The card will have a chip that records all his gambling activity. While punters mutter darkly about essentially being put in the same category as sex-offenders by having to be on a register, it would also eliminate racing as an activity for all but those “on the register”.
On a summer’s day, the Seoul Race Park infield and track apron is packed with picnicking families and dating couples. If, in future they’re going to need to be on the government’s list of registered gamblers if they fancy a stroll to the windows to put 500 won each-way on the favourite, it’s likely they’ll spend their weekends elsewhere.
Of course, there was a very easy way of tracking punters’ expenditure. It was called KNetz and it was closed down this July. The ID card scheme, however, is a real possibility – not least because of the lucrative contracts that would need to be dished out for running it
Less likely is a reduction in the maximum bet amount although this is another NGCC proposal. Instead of the current 100,000 won per bet limit, a daily limit of the same amount be imposed. This would of course essentially close racing down and most observers agree that outside of the NGCC, there is little appetite for that due to the huge revenues it generates in both taxes and in support of agriculture.
Meanwhile, one grocery store chain is currently giving away national lottery tickets with all purchases over 10,000 won and the “Sports Toto” – where players predict the results of European football matches – can be gambled on from almost every convenience store on the peninsula. Racing feels picked upon but “Elmo” hasn’t helped its cause.
There’s a rare treat for Korea based racing fans on Tuesday as the Australia Network Cable Channel will be broadcasting live coverage of the Melbourne Cup from Flemington.
The programme runs from 11:10am to 2pm Korean time and features three races, including the Cup itself at 1pm. The Australia Network can be found on most Digital Cable platforms across Korea but for those without the right package or for those who will be tied to their office desks, it can also be viewed here.
It will be the first live racing to be shown on television in Korea since coverage of domestic cards was banned in July this year. The ban came in to try to stop illegal gaming houses from moving into the gap in the market created by the outlawing of online betting and enforced shutdown of the KRA’s “KNetz” betting platform.
The YTN News Channel managed to get away with broadcasting their own sponsored race (The “YTN Cup”) live during a news bulletin back in August but racing has been absent from screens since then.
Head over to Foolish Pleasure for a full preview of one of the greatest occasions in world racing.
Reverses for Secret Weapon, Bally Brae / Aoki shines in Jockeys Vs Punters
Secret Weapon is Seoul’s top rated Korean bred horse but he suffered a shock defeat on Saturday as SBS Cup winner Hallyu Star bested him over 1900 metres. Secret Weapon is one of the “Po-In-Ma Troika” – “Po-In-Ma” referring to horses foaled in Korea by mares who were pregnant when imported. They are therefore classed as Korean bred but are ineligible for the Triple Crown races as well as some other big races which are restricted to Korean breds, such as this month’s President’s Cup.
The other two members of the “Troika” are Gi Ra Seong and the mare Top Point, ranked third and fourth respectively in the Korean bred rankings. With all three absent from the President’s Cup, the prospect of the great grey Baekgwang completing a remarkable comeback is a real one. Early entries have been announced and Baekgwang heads them along with Seoul’s top three year old Nice Choice. We’ll start the build-up to the race later this week. The winner of the President’s Cup will almost certainly go on to the Grand Prix in December where the “Troika” will most likely all be present.
Looking increasingly doubtful to be present in the Grand Prix is 2007 winner Bally Brae. The seven year old struggled when returning from a three month lay off in September but came back to be sent off odds-on favourite over the Grand Prix distance of 2300 metres on Sunday with a return to the winners’ circle looking on the cards. It wasn’t to be. Park Tae Jong’s saddle slipped as they rounded the first corner and the former champion jockey was left with little control for the rest of the race. That Bally Brae still finished in touch with the field was testament to both horse and rider. Angus Empire took advantage to land the victory.
Bally Brae still has talent and if he was to get into the Grand Prix, a race where he wouldn’t be handicapped out of contention, anything could happen. However, with Myeongmun Gamun and Subsidy now retired and Bally Brae in the twilight of his career, a new generation are likely to be the ones challenging Dongbanui Gangja in December. Unless of course, Baekgwang can pull off somthing very special.
* It was the ninth annual Jockeys Vs Punters Sports Day in the Seoul Race Park infield last week. No idea who won – although Yoo Mi Ra was given the “MVP” award. In any case, as the “sports” included skipping and dodgeball, it probably doesn’t matter. The Chulgigi blog was there and he has some pictures as well as a video.
Watch out for new Japanese jockey Yoshi Aoki who first introduces himself and then procedes to interrupt an interview with Seoul Jockeys’ Union President Kim Dong Kyun. Sadly Aoki doesn’t ask Kim for his organization’s views on foreign jockeys coming to Seoul. Nevertheless, it seems as though everyone enjoyed themselves. The jury is still out on Aoki but he’s had a good start and he certainly seems an interesting – and English speaking – addition to the ranks.
Horse Racing in Korea 