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Baekgwang Set for SBS Cup Return

Former Champion battled back from likely career-ending injury
It didn’t seem possible but the “White Light” could be just days away from returning to racing. Champion three year old of 2006, Baekgwang, is amongst the early entries for the SBS Cup which will be run at Seoul Race Park on Sunday July 19.

It took Baekgwang [The Groom is Red – Grey Crest (Gold Crest)] three races to break his maiden and after showing promise in the early part of his three year old season, he was beaten into third place in the 2006 Korean Derby by 85/1 outsider Baengnokjeong . Following this, he embarked on a golden late summer and autumn, landing the Munhwa Ilbo and Donga Ilbo Cups in quick succession before going to claim the Minister’s Cup, the final leg of the Triple Crown, in October that year.

His form would continue into 2007 in which he won his first four outings. With his distinctive light grey coat and his come from behind running style, which made for some thrilling finishes, he was a firm favourite of the racing public – even if his tendency to lay-in in the home straight was maddening for some punters. With J.S. Hold dominating the three year old ranks that year a likely season ending showdown between the two in the 2007 Grand Prix, looked set to be Korean racing’s most hotly anticipated race in history.

Neither of them would make it there. An already less than fully fit J.S. Hold would suffer a career ending injury in the process of making history in the Minister’s Cup by winning Korea’s first Triple Crown. Meanwhile Baekgwang suffered an injury in September that would keep him off the track until April of 2008. His return came in the Ttukseom Cup. Coming through late as ever, he hit the front with 150 metres left to run only for Namchonuijijon, a contemporary of J.S. Hold, to come through even later to pip him him on the line. After the race, it emerged Baekgwang had suffered ligament damage to his right foreleg. Automatically stood down by the stewards for a minimum one year, it seemed his career was over.

Sent to Jeju Island for recuperation, Baekgwang underwent a series of reportedly pioneering operations and, to the surprise of many, returned to his box at Seoul Race Park earlier this year. He began working out in May and, on June 12, breezed through an official race trial over five furlongs and was given the all clear to race again. Baekgwang now finds himself entered in the SBS Cup, a race won by his little sister Baekpa last year.

If he makes it to the starting gate, he is once again likely to find himself once again alongside Namchonuijijon as well as Natural Nine and Sports Chosun winner Wangson. For race fans, whether he wins or loses, seeing a fit Baekgwang once again is going to raise smiles and bring back memories. All will hope he comes back to the barn safely this time. We’ll have a full preview of the SBS Cup – with or without Baekgwang – on Thursday next week. In the meantime, here is Baekgwang’s biggest victory, the 2006 Minister’s Cup:

Rare Racing Mention in the KT

Just as in most countries these days, racing in Korea doesn’t get a lot of mentions in the traditional media. While YTN News carried a twenty five second report of Park Tae Jong reaching 1500 career winners last week, generally it is only the slightly trashier “Sports” editions of the newspapers that cover goings-on at the track, in between photographs of the local schoolgirls getting wet.

Coverage is even less common in the English langauge media, so it was surprising to see yesterday’s racing on Haeundae beach at Busan featured in the Photo-News section of the Korea Times today.

Korea Times, July 2, 2009

Korea Times, July 2, 2009

The racing was held as part of Haeundae Beach’s “Opening Ceremony”. Korea has an official beach going season and that began on July 1. That means that while the last month may have seen better beach weather, now it is the official thing to do, this coming weekend is sure to see everybody heading there and it will probably look something like this.

It won’t be pleasant, so come racing instead!

Fillies Set for Oaks Trial – Sports Seoul Preview

Ten fillies will line up when the Sports Seoul Cup, Seoul Race Park’s main Korean Oaks trial race goes to post on Sunday afternoon. Whether any of the ten will eventually travel down to Busan in August to potentially face double classic winner Sangseung Ilro at her home track is another matter but in any case, the Sports Seoul looks an entertaining race in its own right.

The most experienced filly in the race is Love Cat. Sent to Busan to race the colts (and of course, one other filly) in the KRA Cup Mile in April, she wasn’t able to do herself justice. Off the track since, she will still have plenty of backers.

She’ll be up against a number of fillies who have impressed at sprint distances but have yet to appear over anything approaching the 1700 metres this race will be contested at. Isanghwa, Good Leader, Morning Rush and Ganghan Speed fall into this category as do the lightly raced Tummim and Jeongsang Cheonji. Abigail is the only other filly with form over this distance.

The Sports Seoul is one of Korea’s longest established races with its first running in 1986. It only became restricted to female horses in 2004 and to three year olds in 2006. Baekpa won the race in 2007 before going on to land the Oaks later in the year, however, last year’s winner Samsimnyeonsarang has since failed to live up to her promise.

Full list of runners, pedigree, race records and riders:

Sports Seoul – Seoul Race Park – 1700M – June 27, 2009

1. Love Cat [Creek Cat – Love Cue (Curia Regis)] – (9/5/0/2) – Choi Beom Hyun
Hasn’t run since her disappointing eleventh in the KRA Cup Mile at Busan. Before that she won twice over this distance. Currently races several classes above anything else in this race.
2. Ganghan Speed [Lethal Instrument – Devil’s Mama (Devil’s Bag)] – (8/3/1/1) – Yoo Sang Wan
Has beaten some useful horses at shorter distances.
3. Good Leader [War Zone – Kkummaeul (Curia Regis)] – (8/3/0/0) – Moon Jung Kyun
Returned to form last time out after some poor efforts during the Spring.
4. Victor Hunter [Social Charter – Angel’s Walk (Commemorate)] – (8/0/2/3) – Kim Ok Sung
The only maiden in the race and little to suggest that she’s going to break it here.
5. Tummim [Lost Mountain – Skip The Trial (Skip Trial)] – (4/2/1/1) – Moon Se Young
Won impressively last time out and is an interesting prospect if she makes the step up in distance.
6. Rose Cat [Creek Cat – Rose Bouton (Somethingdifferent)] – (8/2/2/1) – Park Tae Jong
The other “Cat” in the race, she took on the foreign horses last time out in the STC Trophy race but finished a well beaten 10th.
7. Morning Rush [Al Naba – Ireun Achim (Psychobabble)] – (4/2/0/0) – Shin Hyoung Cheol
A smart winner last time out, she’s never gone more than six furlongs.
8. Abigail [Exploit – La Finale (Dunbeath)] – (6/1/3/1) – Oh Kyoung Hoan
A rare Korean bred winner of a race open to foreign horses in April bumped her up in class, she finished third behind the unbeaten gelding Holy Dreamer over this distance.
9. Isanghwa [Didyme – Sugar Lips (Miswaki)] – (6/3/1/0) – Ham Wan Sik
Has won three of her last four and must be considered.
10. Jeongsang Cheonji [Didyme – Gypsy Fire (Best Western)] – Jun Deok Young
She’s only run three times and won two of them. Has been off the track since early April when she breezed to a seven length victory over decent opposition.

Park Tae Jong Rides into History

After spending the last two weeks inching closer, Park Tae Jong today became the first Korean jockey to reach 1500 career winners. It was only just after midday at Seoul Race Park when, in torrential rain, Park guided three year old filly J Stern to a hard fought victory in race 3.

While the race was as low key as it is possible to get – a class 6 maiden in which six of the twelve runners were odds of well over 100/1 – the final furlong duel between J Stern and Ever Clever, who had led from the gate, was a furious one, Park getting his mount ahead with fifty metres to go and holding on by a length.

As the rain worsened Park would go on to add three more winners later in the afternoon. There was Boeun Gaduk in race 5 and then Symphony Sonata in race 9. The much hyped four year old relentlessly chased down long time leader Sajaseong in the home straight. Next up came Tiffanyuikkum, the Australian filly securing her fifth win.

Things didn’t go Park’s way in the feature race but he still managed to take outsider Daehyo to an unlikely third place behind Top Point and Gayasanseong.

Tomorrow, Park Tae Jong will partner Beakjeonmupae in the Seoul Owners’ Association Trophy. Dongbanui Gangja will be the overwhelming favourite but if anyone can stop him, it is Baekjeonmupae. Park won this race last year on Saerounbisul – over his twenty two years in the saddle he has won every race, most more than once. Today in the rain, Seoul Race Park honoured one of Korea’s greatest sportsmen. Tomorrow, he’ll be out on the track doing it again.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

Dongbanui Gangja Heads Trophy Field

Seoul’s top foreign bred horses will go to post Sunday for one of their biggest events of the year, the Group 3 Seoul Owners’ Association Trophy race. Dongbanui Gangja, winner of last season’s Grand Prix and currently ranked number one horse in Korea, heads the field and will carry the top weight of the thirteen runners.

Apart from last year’s winner Saerounbisul, who has been sidelined since March, the only other big name missing is Bally Brae. The seven year old’s connections opting, as they have in the past, not to subject the former Horse of the Year to the high weight he would likely have been allocated. Bally Brae’s old rival, Subsidy, will line up though. The nine year old may be past his prime but he still finishes in the money more often than not.

Also going and likely to be around at the business end of the race are Vicar Love, Baekjeonmupae and Angus Empire. While Dongbanui Gangja is likely to be favourite, outsiders have won this race in each of the last three years. Here’s a complete look at the runners and riders:

Owners Association Trophy (G.III) – Seoul Race Park – 2000M (Hdcp) – June 21, 2009

1. Seongpacheonha (AUS) [Agnes World – House Of Chimes (Bellotto)] G 4 (24/4/2/5) 52kg – Lee Dong Kuk
A creditable fifth in the Grand Prix last December but unlikely to have more than a place chance.
2. Cash In Your Chips (USA) [Storm Boot – Le Privee (Private Account)] H 5 (17/4/5/2) 52kg – Moon Jung Kyun
Has been beaten by most of this field on various occasions so far this year.
3. Vicar Love (USA) [Vicar – Canberra (Silver Hawk)] C 4 (15/8/1/3) 54kg – Oh Kyoung Hoan
Looked set to be the top imported three year old last year until Dongbanui Gangja intervened. He’s won once this year but has since twice finished behind Baekjeonmupae.
4. Saegisang (AUS) [Commands – Constant in Opal (Lake Coniston)] C 4 (16/5/0/1) 53kg- Ham Wan Sik
His first attempt in the top tier of Korean racing – he has talent but will be hard pushed to feature here.
5. Fly Queen (USA) [Exploit – Fully Approved (With Approval)] M 6 (32/7/6/9) 52kg – Kim Young Jin
Won the KRA Classic and finished fourth in the Grand Prix last year. Second to Angus Empire last time out.
6. Subsidy (USA) [Mr. Prospector – Foreign Aid (Danzig)] G 9 (36/18/5/2) 54kg – Moon Se Young
The legendary Subsidy is reunited with Moon Se Young. It would be a fairytale ending to his career if he could do it but it is unlikely. Nevertheless, expect him to be near a money finish.
7. Angus Empire (USA) [Lion Cavern – Clever Dorothy (Clever Trick)] H 5 (29/9/7/2) 55kg – Yang Hee Jin
Has been in good form lately and will appreciate carrying less weight than usual. A big run will be required to defeat Dongbanui Gangja but he is capable of it.
8. Baekjeonmupae (NZ) [Traditionally – Star Sixty Seven (Phone Trick)] G 4 (22/8/6/1) 55.5kg – Park Tae Jong
Always there or thereabouts, he’s a threat and on a weekend when Park Tae Jong should secure his 1500th winner, he could supply the vetrean jockey with another big race win.
9. Obaek Yechan (AUS) [High Yield – Kanaka Creek (Thunder Gulch)] G 5 (33/5/5/6) 53kg – Kim Ok Sung
Well beaten over the same distance by a number of this field so far this year.
10. Free Hugs (AUS) [Fantastic Light – Woodie (Woodman)] G 4 (22/4/4/3) 53kg – Cho Kyoung Ho
The surprise winner of the JRA Trophy on Derby Day last month, it will be interesting to see how he copes with the big step up in both class and distance.
11. Dongbanui Gangja (USA) [Broken Vow – Maremaid (Storm Bird)] C 4 (18/11/4/2) 58kg – Choi Beom Hyun
The favourite. Unbeaten this year, and usually carried even more weight than this, last year’s Grand Prix winner should be this year’s Owners’ Trophy winner.
12. Seungyu Sinhwa (USA) [Commendable – Backroom Blues (Dixieland Band)] H 7 (35/12/5/2) 53kg – Shim Seung Tae
Winner of a lot of races in his career – but not recently. Ran second to Dongbanui Gangja in April.
13. Afternoon Dove (USA) [Afternoon Deelites – Flying Dove (Dove Hunt)] G 4 (19/4/3/2) 52kg – Yoo Sang Wan
Third in the JRA Trophy last month, he looks to be out of his depth here.

If you’re going to pretend to gamble….

…you can now only pretend to do it for ten hours a day…Not racing related but there have been some regulatory developments in the gambling sector. In the absence of legalized gambling all sorts of alternatives go on in Korea, most of them online. One of the most popular is “virtual gambling” where players take each other on at various games over the internet – Korean Poker or “Go-Stop” being one of the most popular. No money changes hands in these games.

In these games, players are given a certain amount of “virtual money” each day to play with how they choose. There’s no charge for this but when they run out, they have the opportunity to purchase more. Leftover money cannot be redeemed for real money so no actual “gambling” of any consequence takes place – in theory anyway. As with many online games in Korea, a market has sprung up for in-game items. In this case, there are reportedly instances of players selling their credit to other players in pre-arranged games where the “loser” deliberately loses all their game credit in exchange for real money.

Now the Korea Times reports that new regulations are coming in designed to limit players to ten hours each day. No doubt new ways to circumvent these rules will appear – most likely involving the exchange of even more “real” money. In Korea, only foreigners are allowed to legally lose all their money in casinos so Koreans have turned to all manner of different enterprises to get their gambling fix – indoor fishing being a particularly ingenious example before the Supreme Court got wind of it.

Baekpa Soundly Beaten at Delaware Park

In the end it wasn’t too bad – one other horse got tailed off too. However, in the slop at Delaware Park late yesterday, Baekpa finished last on her US racing debut. For any masochistic Korean racing fans, here’s the video:

Providing she came through yesterday’s experience intact, Baekpa is likely to run twice more before returning to Korea. Thanks to fpop for the video.

Jung Ki Yong Second in Malaysia

Korean rider Jung Ki Yong landed second place in the Kenilworth Cup International Jockey Invitational Race at the Selangor Turf Club in Malaysia this afternoon. Partnering four year old gelding Harlequin, Jung led home the field eight lengths behind the winner, the unbeaten three year old Perfect Pins. Full results from the Singapore Turf Club.

Jung and fellow Seoul Race Park jockey Ham Wan Sik are in Malaysia for the weekend as part of a jockey exchange. Ham’s mount in the Kenilworth Cup was scratched and he failed to trouble the placings with his other two rides. Jung also had two other rides, the best of which was finishing sixth of sixteen in race 3.

On board the Australian bred Perfect Pins was local jockey Rio Burnett, who rode at Seoul on Internatonal weekend last month. It may be noted that while Ham and Jung are both set to receive six rides over the weekend (Ham down to five after the scratching), Burnett was only given two mounts when he came to Seoul.

* Meanwhile, back in Korea, Seungundaeseung landed he afternoon’s feature event at Seoul Race Park, with a comfortable win over Huimang Energy and Free Woody over 2000 metres. Earlier, Park Tae Jong moved one closer to to his 1500th winner, taking race 7 on Happy Rider to move onto 1498. Park has four rides on Sunday.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

Baekpa Set to go at Delaware Park

After nearly three months of preparation, 2007 Korean Oaks winner Baekpa is set to make her US racing debut at Delaware Park this Saturday. The five year old is entered in race 8, an allowance race for fillies and mares over a mile.

Baekpa [Revere – Grey Crest (Gold Crest)] is among six entries and will have jockey Christopher Van Hassel up. The other five contenders have won 18 races between them so Baekpa is going to have a tough job on her hands when they go to post at 4:24 local time. Here’s a full list of the runners, race records (Runs/1st/2nd/3rd) and riders:

Allowance Race – Delaware Park – June 13, 2009, 1 M, 70 Y – 4:24pm

1. Tammy’s Victress – (21/4/5/6) – J C Caraballo
2. Populist – (8/3/1/1) – T. Maragh
3. Ma. Rainey – (10/4/1/0) – C L Potts
4. High Hill – (15/4/0/2) – J Rocco, Jr.
5. Baekpa (KOR) – (22/8/5/2) – C VanHassel
6. Picker – (11/3/3/2) – L Garcia

Baekpa hasn’t run since her fifth placed finish in the Grand Prix last December. Although workouts have been promising, expectations are modest and after the chastening experience of Pick Me Up in the US last year, simply being in touch with the field at the end will be considered an achievement.

Namdo Jeap Heads Strong KNN Cup Field

Although Areumdaun Jilju, arguably Busan Race Park’s most formidable horse in 2008 won’t be there, this year’s running of the KNN Cup, which takes place at the Gyeongnam Province track this coming Sunday, still has the makings of an intriguing race.

Last year’s Derby winner, Ebony Storm goes as does this year’s best colt, Namdo Jeap. While Sangseung Ilro, the filly who defeated him in both Triple Crown legs to date won’t be there as she takes a different route to the Oaks, among those who will be lining up are Sandeomi, Mirae Cheonsa, Yeongung Manse and Sinheung Gangja.

The race is open to Korean bred horses and is the first opportunity for three year olds to take on more experienced horses for a big prize. The form guide can be downloaded here (Korean). Here’s the run-down of the runners and riders with race records (Runs/1st/2nd/3rd):

KNN Cup – Busan Race Park – 1600M – June 14, 2009, 15:35

1. Ebony Storm [Buster’s Daydream – Sorority Jazz (Dixieland Band)] – (20/6/4/4) – Park Geum Man
The longest shot on the board when he won the Derby, he’s pushed on to be a solid performer and won last time out.
2. Raon King [Psychobabble – Geum Seul (Roughcast)] – (15/5/0/3) – Kim Do Hyun
Graduated to the top tier of Korean racing earlier this year but has been at his best over shorter distances.
3. Wellbeing Sidae [Psychobabble – Winning Design (Beau’s Eagle)] – (34/5/3/4) – E. Nishimura
In good form this year, the experienced mare could spring a surprise.
4. Namdo Jeap [Ft. Stockton – Wandering Katie (Tejano)] – (7/3/3/1) – Chae Gyu Jun
But for one filly, he would be a double classic winner by now. Only Sangseung Ilro has beaten him this year.
5. Yeoin Cheonguk [Creek Cat – Ze No Evil (Pentelicus)] – (37/6/3/7) – Jung Si Won
Another experienced mare, she won last time out after a disappointing 2008.
6. Yeongung Manse [Sharp Appeal – Saratogasplash (Wild Again)] – (14/7/3/2) – Jo Chang Wook
Has never been out of the money in his 14 starts. Landed four straight victories last autumn and won over the distance in March.
7. Mirae Cheonsa [Millennium Wind – Harboring (Boston Harbor)] – (27/11/4/1/3) – Kim Tae Kyung
She was dominant as a three year old, winning eight straight races in 2006 and 2007. After a difficult 2008 she’s been winning again this year and is always liable to be in the mix in the home straight.
8. Sandeomi [Commendable – Regal Meg (Regal Classic)] – (10/5/1/1) – Yoo Hyun Myoung
The highest placed finisher in the KRA Cup Mile not to try for the Derby, Sandeomi is faster than Namdo Jeap over 1600 metres and must be considered.
9. Sinheung Gangja [Archer City Slew – Recondite (Silver Deputy)] – (22/5/3/6) – Han Sang Gyu
Disappointed when sent to Seoul for the Minister’s Cup last October but has two class 1 wins to his name. Hasn’t been showing his best form since beating Ebony Storm in January.