News

Hitomi Goes Full-Time

Miyashita to make history at Busan
She won the International Lady Jockey Invitation race at Busan Race Park in August and clearly Japanese jockey Hitomi Miyashita took a liking to the southern track. On Friday, Miyashita will make her debut as a licensed freelance jockey at Busan and in doing so, becomes the first foreign female jockey to ride full-time in Korea.

Hitomi shared the Japanese National Association of Racing (NAR) Grand Prix award for best female jockey of 2008 and has been based recently at the Aichi racecourse.

Miyashita has secured a competitive set of rides for the upcoming weekend. She will debut in race 6 on Friday when she partners Chowolgeum – likely to be an outsider in a seven furlong contest. She’ll follow that up with three more rides, including taking the mount on Yongdu Baram in the feature race. On Sunday, she will partner Viva Galileo in Busan’s big race of the weekend, the Gyeongnam Shinmun Cup.

Hitomi Miyashita (centre) with Laura Cheshire and Chiaki Iwanaga at Busan

Hitomi Miyashita (centre) with Laura Cheshire and Chiaki Iwanaga at Busan

Enjoy racing has has more on Hitomi – including pictures of her putting her time in eating something re-assuringly Korean looking back in August.

Here she is winning the International Lady Jockey Invitational on Ima Firecracker:

Five Days To Go…

Posting has been light recently but Gyongmaman is back in the saddle after a scarcely earned break over the Thanksgiving weekend. And it’s almost time for the Minister’s Cup.

Four of the eight Busan contenders, including Oaks Winner Pangpang have already arrived in the capital with the rest, including KRA Cup Mile and Derby winner – and therefore Triple Crown hopeful – Sangseung Ilro will be up shortly.

The big race is off at 5pm on Sunday afternoon and it will crown a big weekend of racing on the peninsula which includes the Gyeongnam Shinmum Cup at Busan as well as a likely appearance at Seoul on Saturday by the track’s number one horse, Dongbanui Gangja. Final declarations will be made on Thursday and we’ll be back with a full preview of all the action.

In the meantime, here’s the great J.S. Hold taking the inaugural Triple Crown by winning the Minister’s Cup in 2007:

In the race, he just got up to beat Ganghomyeongjang in the final few strides with the luckless Namchonuijijon in third. Namchonuijijon would go on to finally have his day in the Ttukseom Cup the following year but for J.S. Hold, there would be no more races. After the race he was discovered to have re-aggravated a previous injury and ultimately was retired.

Eleven Entered For Minister’s Cup

Tough task for Sangseung Ilro to complete Triple Crown
There’s no racing in Korea this coming weekend as the nation shuts down for the “Chuseok” (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday which falls on Saturday. The following week, however, it’s the big one. Sangseung Ilro will attempt to emulate J.S. Hold two years ago and complete the Triple Crown when she travels up from Busan to Seoul to run for the Minister’s Cup.

Entires were published today and at this stage there are eleven horses set to go. There are seven colts and four fillies while a remarkable eight of the entrants are from Busan, Here’s the provisional line up with their race records (Runs/Wins/2nd/3rd). All are Korean bred:

1. Nice Choice [Lost Mountain – Betty’s Rhapsody (Don’t Hesitate)] Colt, Seoul (10/7/2/0)
2. Love Cat [Creek Cat – Love Cue (Curia Regis)] Filly, Seoul (11/6/1/2)
3. Khanui Jeguk [Sunday Well – Lucky Dip (Didyme)] Colt, Seoul (11/5/2/1)
4. Sangseung Ilro [Concept Win – Ms. Whiskey (Whiskey Wisdom)] Filly, Busan (8/5/2/1)
5. Namdo Jeap [Ft. Stockton – Wandering Katie (Tejano)] Colt, Busan (12/4/3/3)
6. Pangpang [Revere – Awishnotalark (Rio’s Lark)] Filly, Busan (17/4/1/1)
7. Isidae Gangja [Lost Mountain – Angel (Land Rush)] Filly, Busan (11/3/3/2)
8. Yeonseung Daero [Creek Cat – Sensationalkris (Cryptoclearance)] Colt, Busan (14/8/1/2)
9. Tamna Hero [Creek Cat – The Big C (Deputed Testamony)] Filly, Busan (10/4/3/0)
10. Conqueror [Revere – Model Actress (Stage Colony)] Colt, Busan (13/4/3/0)
11. Sky Star [Tahamkke – Blue Lark (Ravenwood)] Colt, Busan (15/5/3/1)

Over the next few days, we’ll look at the race in a little bit more detail before final declarations are made next Thursday.

CEO Talks Up Riding to Save Racing

Meanwhile Government wants visitors to borrow to gamble
The Korea Herald reports today on a press conference given by KRA Chairman & CEO Kim Kwang Won to mark the end of his first year in the job. Gone was the talk of raising revenue and lobbying to get the KRW 100,000 maximum bet limit removed. Instead the focus was on preservation in the face a wildly unpredictable regulator.

To this end, Kim focused on the KRA’s charity work and and the expansion of its community activities. He made particular mention of his plan to promote horse riding as a leisure activity by improving equestrian facilities across the country and making it affordable for more people to actually be around horses. At the same time, Kim hopes to establish a “horse academic institution” and improve veterinarian facilities.

Kim’s comments were in line with moves by the KRA to fend off the National Gaming Control Commission – some of whose members appear determined to hand total control of the gaming market to the criminal fraternity.

The strategy has already involved sponsoring the Korean Table Tennis and Judo teams (the latter of which picked up several Olympic medals in Beijing last year) as well as the utilitzation of off track betting plazas for community activities on non-race days. Meanwhile the “KRA Angels” are becoming one of the more visible charitable organizations in Korea.

On the same day that the KRA Chairman talks of the measures his organization is having to take to distance itself from the gambling which so threatens Korean society, it comes as little surprise to hear that the government plans to wring every last bit of currency out of foreign gamers.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced Wednesday that foreigners will now be able to use credit cards to buy gambling chips in the country’s casinos. The highlight of the article in the Korea Times is the following passage:

“Currently foreign tourists are able to buy chips only with cash…Government officials said this has discouraged non-Koreans from gambling here adding if visitors were allowed to purchase chips with plastic, they would spend more money”.

Korea Wins International Jockey Invitational

Tetsuya Kobayashi wins feature race but Ham Wan Sik overall winner
Ham Wan Sik won individual honours as Korea held onto to their overnight lead to clinch the 5th KRA International Jockey Invitational series at Seoul Race Park this afternoon.

With a deficit of over 60 points to make up in today’s two races, the odds were heavily stacked against the Rest Of The World team. Nevertheless, they can claim to have won day 2. In the first of two seven furlong races, Pat Shanahan got up to rescue a dead heat on Woljeongsa when it looked as though Ham Wan Sik had the race won on Gwacheonnyeoje.

Although Choi Beom Hyun’s third place on Urim meant that the home team had won the challenge, the ROTW team came out fighting in the fourth and final race – also the most valuable of the series. In what was a very open betting race, Japanese rider Tetsuya Kobayashi came out on top, bringing second favourite Fundahigh through late for a length and a half win. The contest ended with the Koreans on top by 126 points to 81.

With one win and one dead heat, Ham Wan Sik took the Individual contest and is $20,000 richer this evening. Cho Kyoung Ho took the $10,000 runner-up prize, while Pat Shanahan will return to Ireland with $5,000 for finishing third.

Big Lead For Home Team in Invitational

Korea lead ROTW 82-20 at the end of Day 1
Korea will head into the second day of the 5th KRA International Jockey Invitational with what should be an unassailable lead after home riders dominated the first two races of the contest at Seoul Race Park this afternoon.

After the jockeys had been presented to the crowd in heavy rain, the skies cleared and Cho Kyoung Ho landed the the first race of the event. The in-form rider brought six year old gelding Sintaepung home for a seven length win in the seven furlong class 3 race with Choi Beom Hyun leading the rest home on Jeoksita. Richard Fourie of South Africa was a fast finishing third on Princess Ruby to give the Rest Of The World team their first points, just ahead of the USA’s Luis Garcia on Arabian Bird.

Ham Wan Sik, Yang Hee Jin and Jim Byrne took the remaining minor points which gave the Koreans a big lead of 37-14. It was important therefore for the ROTW team to come out strong for the second race of the contest, this time a class 2 over nine and a half furlongs. However, with the Koreans getting the better of the draw, this was going to be a tough ask.

So it proved to be. Spectacularly. All six home riders finished ahead of the first visitor home. Outsiders made up the first two with Ham Was Sik coaxing 33/1 shot Badauibyeol home for a wire to wire win, half a length ahead of Bang Choon Sik on Beautiful Sky with favourite Jangjagang third for Yang Hee Jin.

Richard Fourie was the only ROTW rider to place

Richard Fourie was the only ROTW rider to place

Korea therefore go in to tomorrow’s two races leading the contest by a massive 82 points to 20.

* Aside from Ricard Fourie’s third place, one other visitor made it into the placings today. In a non-contest race, Australian Jim Byrne took outsider Soul Warrior into an early lead and stayed on for a battling second place to Cho Kyoung Ho on Daeseungippeum.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

Gaeseon Janggun, Areumdaun Jilju Meet At Last

Oaks Winner Pangpang Joins Governor’s Cup Showdown
While the International Jockey Invitational tops the bill at Seoul this coming weekend, Busan plays host to one of its biggest races of the season on Sunday in the form of the Group 3 Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup.

Unusually for Korea – and especially for a big race – only five horses will go to post at 3:45 on Sunday afternoon. Indeed, while the minimum allowable field size was reduced to five earlier this year, this is the first race to draw such a small number.

The five that will go, however, are well worth having the stage to themselves as Gaeseon Janggun and Areumdaun Jilju, rated the top two Korean bred horses at Busan meet for the very first time. It’s a long awaited contest between the lightly raced duo as injury to one of the other has kept them apart so far. Gaeseon Janggun won the Minister’s Cup last season while Areumdaun Jilju became the top horse at the track last season, routinely beating both Korean and Overseas bred runners. Both are unbeaten in their few appearances this season.

They will be joined by Oaks winner Pangpang, who stunned KRA Cup Mile and Derby winner Sangseung Ilro in the filllies’ Classic last month. Three year old improver Conqueror and prolific four year old Yeongung Manse flesh out the field.

Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup (G.III) – Busan Race Park – 1800M – Sep 13, 2009: 15:45

1. Gaeseon Janggun (KOR) [Duality – Diamond Star (Dixieland Band)] – C 4 – (15/8/3/1) – Jo Sung Gon
Second in the first two legs of the 2008 Triple Crown before winning the final jewel, the Minister’s Cup at Seoul. On his return to Busan he suffered his only setback, finishing out of the money in the Owner’s Trophy. Lightly raced since then, he’s won all four of his 2009 outings.
2. Conqueror (KOR) [Revere – Model Actress (Stage Colony)] – C 3 – (12/4/3/0) – Park Geum Man
A slow starter, the three year old took five races to break his maiden and missed out on this year’s classics. Recently graduated to class 1, but yet to be tested at this level.
3. Pangpang (KOR) [Revere – Awishnotalark (Rio’s Lark)] – F 3 – (16/4/1/1) – Han Sang Gyu
Fourth in the Derby marked her down as the only credible challenger to Sangseung Ilro in the Oaks. She duly obliged, chasing down and overtaking the hot favourite to pull off a major upset and establish herself as one of the top stars of Korean racing. Was it a one-off? We’ll find out on Sunday.
4. Yeongung Manse (KOR) [Sharp Appeal – Saratogasplash (Wild Again) – C 4 – (16/8/3/2) – Jo Chang Wook
Has never been out of the money in his sixteen starts. He’s quick and has three top class wins to his name.
5. Areumdaun Jilju (KOR) [Didyme – Chills Of Nepal (Nepal)] – (20/14/3/0) – H 5 – Lim Sung Sil
The five year old made his debut over three years ago but has only raced twenty times. SInce turning three, he’s won ten of his tweve races including both of his outings this year.

Korea Vs Rest Of The World in 5th Challenge

The 5th KRA International Jockey Invitational takes place at Seoul Race Park this coming weekend and six overseas jocks will be in town as Korea takes on the Rest Of The World. Ireland’s Pat Shanahan and Australia’s Jim Byrne head up the Rest Of The World team with Park Tae Jong captaining the Koreans.

The Rest Of The World

Jim Byrne (Australia) – Gold Coast based Byrne has been champion jockey at Brisbane four times and is well on his way to 1500 winners.
Richard Fourie (South Africa) – Thought of as one of the most promising young South African jockeys, the 24 year old Fourie last month decided to move from his KwaZulu-Natal base to Singapore where he will join trainer Basil Marcus later this year.
Luis Garcia (USA) – Maryland based and most frequently working the circuit of Laurel, Pimlico, Colonial Downs and Delaware Park, Garcia turned 25 last week and has over 1000 career victories to his name.
Tetsuya Kobayashi (Japan) – The only Japanese rider this year, Kobayashi debuted in 1993 and, while not a prolific winner with the JRA, has secured some prestigious wins throughout his career.
Pat Shanahan (Ireland) – One of Ireland’s most experienced jockeys, Pat Shanahan came to prominence winning the 1984 Irish Oaks on Princess Pati. In 1996 he won the Irish Derby in 1996 on Dermot Weld’s Zagreb. He continues to ride for Weld, guiding Rare ransom to fourth place in this year’s Irish 1000 Guineas.
Gokhan Yildiz (Turkey) – An up and coming riding from Turkey, Yildiz is the youngest member of the ROTW team. In his six year career to date, he has amassed 326 winners.

The Koreans

Korea puts out an experienced team. Although champion jockey Moon Se Young is out for the rest of the season, the home side will still fancy their chances. Last year’s winner Park Tae Jong again captains.

Park Tae Jong – The only person in Korean racing to enjoy name recognition outside the sport, Park has won everything there is to win and has won twice as many races as any other Korean rider in history. Mention horse racing to a Korean and they will tell you two things. First they will tell you gambling is bad. Secondly they will tell you Park Tae Jong always wins.
Bang Choon Sik – Another veteran, Bang rides sparingly these days but in his time has won most of Korea’s biggest races.
Yang Hee Jin – Debuting in 1996, Yang hasn’t quite made it to the top echelon of Korean racing although if he was to go freelance, he may get an opportunity to show what he can do. A safe pair of hands who is held in high regard by punters.
Cho Kyoung Ho – A late starter, not riding in his first race until age 25, Cho Kyoung Ho is currently the man in form. Taking over leadership of the 2009 Championship last weekend, Cho has a remarkable quinella strike rate of 37% this year.
Choi Beom Hyun – Over the past year, Choi has become known as the big race jockey His partnership with Dongbanui Gangja is fast becoming one of the most enduring and successful in Korean racing history.
Ham Wan Sik – Going freelance earlier this year, Ham Wan Sik is recognised as one of Seoul’s most capable riders.

The Contest

Four races make up the contest, two on Saturday and two on Sunday:

Saturday: Race 8 – Class 3 Foreign bred, 1400M, post time 15:40
Saturday: Race 11 – Class 2 Foreign bred, 1900M Handicap, post time 17:10
Sunday: Race 7 – Class 4 Korean bred, 1400M, post time 15:10
Sunday: Race 9 – Class 3 Korean bred, 1400M Handicap, post time 17:10

Each jockey will have a ride in each race so the mininmum field size for each event will be twelve. Points are awarded in the following manner:

1st: 20, 2nd: 10, 3rd: 6, 4th: 4, 5th: 3, 6th: 2, 7th: 1

The jockey with the most points at the end of the two days will take home a bonus of $20,000, second will secure $10,000 and third will receive $5,000. In addition, each member of the winning team will be awarded a $1,000 bonus.

The rides for each race will be drawn later this week and after the draw, we’ll take a closer look at who’s likely to be leaving Korea a little richer.

Champion Moon Se Young’s Season Is Over

The KRA has confirmed that Moon Se Young, 2008 Champion jockey and current leading rider this year, will miss the rest of the season following his horror fall at Seoul Race Park last Saturday. Moon, 29, was thrown into the rails by two year old Raipai as she veered wildly coming out of the stalls on her racing debut. The jockey escaped what initially looked a very serious situation with severely ruptured knee ligaments which, following surgery, will require six months of recuperation.

Moon Se Young (leading) will be out for 6 months

Moon Se Young (leading) will be out for 6 months

Last year, Moon Se Young became only the second Korean rider to land over one hundred winners in a calender year as he stormed to a record breaking 128 winners. This year, despite a number of suspensions – as well as a wedding to track announcer Kim Ryeo Jin and subsequent honeymoon – keeping him off the track on more occasions than he would have liked, Moon remains at the top of the Jockey standings with 72 winners.

Unlike last year, however, his closest rivals are much closer. Park Tae Jong, the rider with the most wins in Korean racing history lies in second just three behind and, following a remarkable eight wins over the weekend, Cho Kyoung Ho has joined the veteran on 69. Just one behind those two is Choi Beom Hyun on 68. It will now be a straight three way fight for the title.

Photo: letsbook

One Month After The Ban: Where are the Punters?

It’s now been over a month since the KRA’s online “KNetz” betting platform was closed down at the insistence of the National Gaming Contol Commission (NGCC). KNetz had 40,000 customers and accounted for approximately 4% of total handle on any given weekend. So where have these punters gone? Have they seen the error of their ways and decided to spend their weekends doing more socially productive activities? Probably not.

Average handle in August was down on July – but it is every year due to the holiday season. It was up on last year. Track attendance was also up on last year, but only slightly and again this is part of a wider trend. In Korea at least, the number of people going racing is growing.

What’s also growing is the number of illegal bookmakers. Last weekend the Korea Racing Journal cited anecdotal evidence of a rising number of private gaming houses offering betting on the races. They’ve always been there. With betting tax a wallet-busting 27% on the most popular bets and an upper stake limit of 100,000 won, the attraction of betting on something other than the pari-mutuel isn’t a new one and with the online ban, it was always going to get stronger.

Even the NGCC recognized this and they tried to stifle it. Televised racing was banned at the same time as Knetz and the KRA has been restricted in the amount of information it could provide prior to races. Naturally, as the Journal notes again citing anecdotal evidence, the criminal fraternity has proved far more effective in disseminating information than the authority ever was.

While it appears to be easy to bet on a horse illegally, for those punters who don’t fancy either it or indoor fishing, there are now mobile slot machines to help them get their illicit fix. These rather ridiculous contraptions are apparently touring the country offering punters the opportunity to put their unwanted money into a box – and that’s presumably that. A more miserable way of losing is hard to imagine.

Of course, with internet gambling on horse racing banned, anyone who wants a legal punt can’t do it anymore unless they live near the track or one of the few KRA Plaza off-track betting sites. Now that the NGCC has cleared the market for the criminals to move into, mobile slots will probably be the tacky tip of a very depressing iceberg.

On a semi-related subject, the English language version of the Korean daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo recently ran a reasonably interesting article on the Korean casino indiustry. It looks at the history of the Paradise Casino group as well as the more recent Seven Luck chain.

The article highlights the contradictory policy of barring Korean citizens from entering casinos while encouraging foreign visitors to do so – to the extent that the operator of Seven Luck is an offshoot of the Korea National Tourist Organization. Sadly it doesn’t manage to answer the question as to whether it is the case that Korean lawmakers don’t trust their own people – or don’t respect foreigners. Or both.