Pick Me Up ran in the $55,000 Overnight Stakes at Delaware Park on Wednesday. Racing on turf over a mile and a half, the six year old was unplaced in a field of eight on his US track debut.
UPDATED: The video of the race can now be seen at Youtube. Click Here. Hat-tip to fpop for the upload and the tip-off!
In a big step for the Korea Racing Authority, stewards’ reports for all races run at Busan Race Park are now being made available in English as well as in Korean.
The move is one of the more tangible ones in the KRA’s plans for the internationalization of Korean racing which includes the annual International Jockey Challenge and the sending of locally bred horse Pick Me Up to the United States to race. It is anticipated that Seoul Race Park will be issuing similar English reports within the next few months.
Currently the reports can only be accessed via the Korean language version of the KRA’s official website, not the English version. Until this happens, the English language reports can be downloaded straight from the Busan Latest Results page of Horse Racing in Korea.
Deryl Daniels landed a winner on his first day’s racing at Busan Race Park this afternoon. The South African jockey guided four year old Nagase to victory in race 5.
The 31 year old Daniels had earlier scored a third place finish in race 3 on 79.2 outsider High Honor. On Nagase, Daniels kept the 3.7 second favourite well placed as they turned and hit the front in the final furlong, running on for a half length win.
The win means that Daniels has matched Danny Craven and Chris Taylor who also scored winners on their debuts.
The KRA has announced the arrival of a new overseas jockey to be based at Busan Race Park. South African Deryl Daniels will make his debut this coming Friday. Daniels is 31 years old and has been riding for 16 years first in South Africa, where he was top apprentice in 1997, and then stints in Singapore, Macau, Dubai, Kuwait and Mauritius. He has 560 career wins and his record over the last three years is 826 rides with 54 winners.
Daniels replaces Australian Danny Craven who completed his contract early this month after spending 10 months riding first at Seoul before making a short extension to his contract in Busan. Craven finished up with figures of 151 rides with 10 wins.
Daniels becomes the second South African jockey to debut this year although Chris Taylor’s Korean career has come to a premature end with his decision to end his contract after less than two months. Taylor debuted at Seoul Race Park on July 5 with a win, but that was to be his only success in 17 rides.
Daniels arrives on a six month contract which will take him up to February 2009 and will line up for the first time on unraced two year old Magic Play in race 1 on Friday.
Pick Me Up’s US debut has been delayed for the second week running as the KRA can’t find a suitable race to run him in. The six year old has been in Maryland for over a month now to take part in the KRA’s first experiment of racing domestic bred horses overseas. However, races he was entered in at Laurel Park last week did not go ahead and likewise he was withdrawn from races at Delaware Park and Philadelphia Park over the weekend. His next entry is at Penn National in a $29,000 allowance race on September 3.
The KRA’s first experiment at sending domestic horses overseas is underway, with six year old Pick Me Up currently at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. The Busan based horse flew out last month and is scheduled to train and race in the US until December.
Pick Me Up [Time Star – Skiptamaloo (Northern State)] debuted in 2005 and has raced at Busan 40 times with a record of 7 wins, 12 seconds and 9 thirds with KRW 477Million in prize money won. The last of those wins came over a year ago, although he has placed in all his 2008 outings.
A full field of fourteen will contest the Korean Oaks which will be run Sunday at Busan Race Park. Only two Seoul based horses have made the journey to South Gyeongsang province with the capital’s hopes resting on Baram Queen and Gate Way to break Busan’s stranglehold on this year’s classics.
They will have their work cut out, however, with the likes of Jeolho Chance and Gaya Gongju having already proved themselves over the distance and against older horses. In addition to being run at Busan for the first time, this year’s Oaks has seen an almost doubling of prize money with the winner taking home KRW 228Million.
The Oaks is race 5 of a 6 race card on Sunday August 10 with a post time of 15:45. Full list of runners and riders:
Korean Oaks (G II) 1800M – Busan Race Park – Aug.10, 15:45
1. Arch Racer – (9/2/2/1) – Toshio Uchida
Won over 1200 metres last time and has been improving with every race. Uchida’s booking will ensure she has some support.
2. Gate Way – (13/3/3/0) – Lim Sung Shil
One of the two Seoul entrants, Gate Way has had a good early summer winning two from her last three and, albeit against lesser opposition.
3. Gaya Gongju – (10/4/3/1) – Kim Eu Su
One of only two in the field to have achieved category 1 status already, Gaya Gongju finished eigth in the KRA Cup Mile, winning and running second in a handicap since.
4. Jakjunmyeongnyeong – (9/2/2/1) – Chae Kyu Jun
Her two wins have come in sprints and she has struggled in all three outings greater than 1200 metres.
5. Teukgeuphaegyeolsa – (11/3/1/2) – Gu Young Jun
Finished 11th of 12 in her only category 2 outing last time but had shown steady improvement up until then.
6. Myeongpumjilju – (11/1/4/3) – Choi Si Dae
A consistent placer if not winner, led a category 2 handicap last time until being overtaken by two older colts in the final 100 metres.
7. Galsaek Geotap – (7/3/1/0) – Jo Chang Wook
Struggled in her only race at a distance over 1200 metres so far, but beat Myeongpumjilju last time the pair met when the latter started hot favourite.
8. Useung Party – (4/3/0/0) – Yoo Hyun Myoung
Won her first three races before stepping up in class and being found wanting over 1600 metres, finishing sixth.
9. Jeolho Chance (11/5/1/1) – Jo Chan Hoon
A third place finish in the KRA Cup mile caused her to start the Derby as second favourite. She finished ninth but back in Busan scored a wire to wire five length win in a category 1 handicap over 2000 metres. Finished 4th in a similar race last time and is the one to beat.
10. Sunpunge Dotdanbae – (10/3/1/2) – Kim Tae Kyung
A steady performer with 2 of her 3 wins coming against decent opposition.
11. Baram Queen – (11/2/3/2) – Nozomu Tomizawa
Seoul’s other entrant, her last run was an impressive 3rd in the Sports Seoul Cup behind two fillies who don’t make the journey down, Samsinyeonsarand and Daehyo. Nozomu Tomizawa has ridden her in every race and will take the ride in Busan too.
12. Daehan Dolpung – (13/2/4/3) – Kim Tae Jun
Landed a smart win over a tough field just two weeks ago over 1800 metres and has been very consistent in 2008.
13. Achim Noeul – (7/3/0/0) – Kim Myoung Shin
Has run once a month in 2008 and has alternated brilliance with mediocrity.
14. Bugyeong Sarang – (11/2/2/2) – Jo Seung Gon
Her two wins were over 1200 metres and she had a hard time in her last race against category 2 horses.
This year’s two most exciting three year old imports to Seoul are both entered in the YTN Cup to be run over 1900 metres at Seoul Race Park on Sunday August 17. Shaving Points and Playing Politics both have three runs with three wins to their names and their eventual meeting is one of the most anticipated in Korean racing.
Shaving Points, son of Pure Precision, hasn’t run since the end of May when he cantered to an easy win over 1700 metres. He was initially entered in the Owner’s Association Trophy but was withdrawn. Playing Politics, son of Outflanker and a half brother of Bally Brae (through their dam, Political Bluff), only debuted the day before Shaving Points’ last outing and broke the track record over 1300 metres before going on to secure a similarly easy 1700 metre win.
There are 15 entries at this stage and also on the list are three year olds Cheonjidolpung (Tactical Cat) with four wins from eight, Noubeau Riche (Beau Genius) with five from eight and Vicar Love (Vicar) who has four from seven. Full preview next Thursday.
Despite yet another weekend on the sidelines through suspension, it is hard to imagine Moon Se Young being caught at the top of the jockey’s table. He holds a lead of 13 over nearest rival Cho Kyoung Ho and is just 43 short of Park Tae Jong’s record of 120 in a single year. Park still maintains a clear third place while four winners on Sunday takes Choi Beom Hyun into fourth ahead of Ikuyasu Kurakane:
1. Moon Se Young 77
2. Cho Kyoung Ho 64
3. Park Tae Jong 47
4. Choi Beom Hyun 32
5. Ikuyasu Kurakane 30
Six KRA Jockey school graduates debuted over the weekend, all having two rides with the exception of Kim Cheol Ho who picked up a third as a late replacement. Kim was the only one of the newcomers to place over the weekend. Thanks to the reader who pointed out that Yu Mi Ra’s first ride on Saturday was on the filly “Charming Girl”, finishing sixth. Of last year’s graduates, Yoo Seung Wan has been the most successful with 22 winners to date
With less than a fortnight to go until the 2008 Korean Oaks, there are fourteen entries for the fillies classic which this year will be held at Busan Race Park for the first time. So far, only two Seoul based horses are slated to make the trip south for the third classic of the year, with both the KRA Cup Mile and Korean Derby having been dominated by Busan horses.
Jeolho Chance (10 runs/5wins), third in the Cup Mile, and Gaya Gongju (10/4) are the top rated entries. Jeolho Chance went off second favourite in the Korean Derby in May and despite finishing well back, recovered to take a 2000 metre category 1 handicap back on home ground at Busan last month. Gaya Gongju most recently finished second over the distance in a category 2 handicap. Also in the field is Useung Party (4/3), a horse who comfortably won her first three races before failing to stay 1600 metres last time.
Seoul’s two entries are the improving Gate Way (13/3) and Baram Queen (11/2) who ran third in the Sports Seoul Cup last time out. Seoul’s poor performance so far this year has been subject to various theories. These have included the Busan track being tougher and therefore providing a better training ground, the unfamiliarity of Seoul jockeys with Busan in the Cup Mile (Busan runners in the Derby were ridden by Seoul jockeys) and simply Busan owners having bought more wisely. Either way, it is hard to see the domination being broken just yet.
The Oaks is race 5 of a 6 race card on Sunday August 10 and is off at 15:35. It is over 1800 metres with first place prize money of KRW 228Million, an increase of nearly KRW 100 Million from last year when Baekpa scored a five length win. We’ll have a full preview and detailed run down of the field next Wednesday.
Horse Racing in Korea 