So cherry blossom season has been and gone and Seoul Racecourse returns to the man business of racing! Saturday sees 11 races from 10:45 to 18:00. English racecards can be found here. Notes on races to be simulcast overseas can be found after this rather fetching picture:
They are nice, aren’t they?
Race 5: Class 4 (1000M) Handicap / KRW 60 Million
1. SEONGBULOREUM – Holds a class and distance win but just dropped off of late. 9th behind Aema Bisang latest start.
2. TODAY WINNER – Class and distance winner in February. Sent up to 1300M for his reappearance but it didn’t work. Much better chance today.
3. V KHAN – Started very greenly but has figured out what to do in his latest two. Looks not far from a maiden win. It could come here. (more…)
There are 10 Good Friday races at Busan from 11:30 to 18:00. English race cards can be found here. Notes on every runner in the simulcast races below:
Race 1: Class 6 (1000M) Allowance / KRW 22 Million
1. ARAGAYA SINGSING – 4th in all three outings last year. First start since November. Trialled up ok and from a top stable.
2. SWAG – Hasn’t earned much swag since a 4th on debut last year. Only beat one home latest but may improve stepped back to 1000M today.
3. STAR GOLD – Top jockey booking but seems to have gone backwards since debut.
4. HAROLD – Never likely to be a star with a name like that and he’s beaten few in three goes so far. Top jockey on and stablemate of Swag.
5. DALKOMHAN INSAENG – Has come close a few times with a best of 3rd. 4th of 9 last start and should be a factor here.
6. THE WONDERFUL – 3rd on debut last month, beating Haedong Yeogeol. Big chance today.
7. HANEULUI TTEUT – Raced once last autumn, impressing few. Trialled up indifferently in March and hard to back first-up.
8. JANGHAN JILJU – A pair of 5ths and a 4th in three races so far. Can go better today.
9. URIDEULUI YEONGUNG – Drops back in distance following a 2nd and 3rd place in his last two and this looks very winnable.
10. HAEDONG YEOGEOL – Much improved 4th on her most recent start, beaten by The Wonderful, and can match that today.
11. MANSUN – Been sent off at three-figure odds for all outings to date and probably should be here as well.
Verdict: 3rd on debut six weeks ago, (6) THE WONDERFUL is set to be sent off the strong favourite here. He quickened well and was only a head shy of 2nd. (9) URIDEULUI YEONGUNG has shown signs of figuring things out with a 2nd and 3rd from his latest two. With Darryll Holland on board, he’ll be well backed. Also figuring things out is (8) JANGHAN JILJU, who ran a solid 4th last start at 1200M and with a good start, can go well here. The returning 4th place specialist (1) ARAGAYA SINGSING looks a good bet for 4th while improvement from (2) SWAG is not impossible.
Selections (6) The Wonderful (9) Urideului Yeongung (8) Janghan Jilju (1) Aragaya Singsing Next Best 2, 3 Fast Start 1, 5, 8, 9
Race 2: Class 6 (1000M) Allowance / KRW 22 Million
1. NAMYANG YEOGEOL – Showed significant improvement last start to run 5th of 12 over this distance. Still more to find.
2. JUMARUI MYEONGHWA – Not beaten many in recent starts. (more…)
It’s that time of year again. All 10 races at Busan will be beamed to Australia on Good Friday. We’ll have a runner-by-runner guide to every race on Thursday but in the meantime, just as last year, here are some general things to be aware of about racing at Busan.
For part of the day, Busan will be the only thoroughbred meeting
The Track: The track surface is sand. There is often a lot of kickback and as a result, horses tend to wear plenty of headgear, usually pacifiers and jockeys give one another plenty of room. Due to the nature of the surface, when it is wet, it usually runs faster. There is an inner and outer track as well as chutes for races over five furlongs and a mile. 1800M races start on the inner track and move to the outer track for the finish.
Races: There are six race classes at Busan. Class 6 is for maidens and uses set weights. Classes 1-5 are separated by rating and are handicaps. Classes 5 & 6 are exclusively for Korean-bred horses, imports must start at class 4.
Tab number and barrier number are the same and jockeys wear a cap that corresponds with their number (number 1 always wears a white cap, number 2 yellow, number 3 red etc.)
Again, due to the track surface, a lot of horses like to run on or very close to the pace so starts can be quick with a lot of jockeys trying to get a prominent early position. They are not allowed to shift inwards until 100M after the start which can sometimes (but not always) be a hindrance for wide draws at sprint distances.
Jockeys and Trainers: The top 10 in the 2017 Jockey and Trainer Premierships (starting on January 1st) currently look like this:
As in many jurisdictions, there can be a big gap in ability between jockeys. Foreign jockeys at tend to do well. There are currently five foreign jockeys at Busan and four of them are in the top 10 in the Premiership. Former Cypriot Champion Marios Mina is currently among the most in-form at the track. Among the top ten jockeys, Francisco Da Silva and Ham Wan Sik are suspended on Friday.
Australian Peter Wolsley leads the Trainers’ Premiership. The Bendigo native is in his 10th year in Korea and is currently two winners ahead of perennial champion trainer Kim Young Kwan. South African Bart Rice and Ireland’s Thomas Gillespie also maintain strong strike rates and are in the top ten. A fourth foreign trainer, Kiwi David Miller, is just becoming established at Busan and has started to get results in the past couple of months.
Favourites: Although there have been upsets of late, favourites do oblige on a regular basis. When looking at the Korean odds, it is important to remember that in Korea, punters overwhelmingly favour exotic bets with the quinella and the trio being the most popular. The regular win and place pools are comparatively small so while those pools will generally be accurate in terms of who is favourite or 2nd favourite, they may not tell the whole story the further down the board you go.
General: In Korea, the betting pools close 30 seconds prior to the advertised start time and the loading process begins then. As a result, races usually jump exactly on time.
Full preview of all 10 Friday races to follow in the next 24 hours.
The blossoms are finally out! More importantly there are big cards of racing at both Seoul and Busan. In the capital there are 11 races from 10:45 to 18:00 while down south, it’s 6 from 12:40 to 17:05.
Cherry Blossom festival got underway at Seoul Racecourse on Saturday night (Pic: Let’s Run Park Seoul Instagram)
There are 11 races at Seoul on Saturday with the first at 10:45 and the last at 18:00. English race cards can be found here. Notes on races 5-11 are below:
Race 5: Class 5 (1300M) Handicap / KRW 40 Million
1. SEOUL BOLT – Up in class following her maiden win at this distance at the end of February. Every chance of a repeat.
2. EVA ROAD – Her solitary win came at this distance last summer and she comes in following a creditable 5th of 12 last time out.
3. SHINE QUEEN – Struggled a little last time on a sloppy track but is competitive at this level and can look for the places. (more…)
Busan was the scene of Indian King’s surprise win in the KRA Cup Mile, the first leg of the 2017 Korean Triple Crown, last Sunday and it’s Busan where this week’s action gets underway on Friday with a card of 10 races from 11:30 to 18:00.
Indian King & Darryll Holland win the KRA Cup Mile (Pic: KRA)
English language race cards are here. While the Cup Mile itself isn’t being simulcast overseas, three of the late races at Seoul are. Form comments for those are below:
Race 9: Class 1 (1200M) Handicap / KRW 150 Million
1. WONDER BOLT – Last win was his last try at this distance in the corresponding race last year. Has a hard time in handicaps due to high weight but better chance today. (more…)
The 2017 Korean Triple Crown gets underway on Sunday as eleven three-year-olds line up for the first jewel; the KRA Cup Mile at Busan.
Final Boss beat Daeho Sidae and Muhan Yeoljeong to become Champion Juvenile (Pic: KRA)
The race, sometimes known as the “Korean Guineas” is over 1600M and will come under orders at 4.20pm at Busan Racecourse. A total of 11 runners will take part, 8 from Busan and 3 from Seoul. 7 of them took part in Korea’s top juvenile race, the “Breeders’ Cup” at Seoul in December, including Final Boss and Daeho Sidae, who came home 1st and 2nd and are likely to head the betting.
1. Muhan Yeoljeong [Officer – Ridemetothemoon (Malibu Moon)] 8(3/1/2) (An Woo Sung)- Yonekura Satoshi
A fast finishing 3rd in the Breeders’ Cup, he’s won two of three starts since, all of them over this distance. A five-length winner last time, he is tactically versatile but given the draw is more likely to look to get on pace early today. He has a chance.
2. Daeho Sidae [Simon Pure – Ara Mireu (Didyme)] 6(4/2/0) (Baik Kwang Yeol) – Choi Si Dae
2nd to Final Boss in the Breeders’ Cup he’s gone on to win two from three since then including at a mile which has him up to class 2 already. Likely to be on or close to the early pace here and given home track advantage, it is very possible he will start as favourite. His dam won 3 of 24 starts at Busan. Daeho Sidae is her third foal while all have won, he looks the best.
3. Taeyangui Jeonseol [J.S. Hold – I’m Legend (Smoke Glacken)] 5(3/0/0) (Yu Jae Gil) – Lee Hyeok
Sire a Korean Triple Crown winner, he comes in following three consecutive wins, two of them at 1700M, making all last time. Another likely front-runner, he should stick to task well but whether he has the late speed to challenge is another matter.
4. Illyu Star [Officer – Run For Little Bit (Tactical Advantage)] 8(4/0/1) (An Woo Sung) – Jo In Kwen
He beat Indian King when winning over 1400M three weeks ago, a performance that saw him promoted to class 3 level. His previous attempt at a mile was unsuccessful though which means he probably won’t be among the favourites here. Not expected to try to lead but he won’t be too far away early on.
5. Wonder Wall [Chapel Royal – No Bull Baby (Indian Charlie)] 9(3/4/1) (Kim Young Kwan – Ham Wan Sik
Shunsuke Yoshida owned half-brother to Main Stay, who was a winner over 1200M at the Dubai World Cup Carnival this year. Wonder Wall was 4th in the Breeders’ Cup but has won two from three this year including one over this distance ahead of Indian King. Last time he was 2nd to Mujeok Vicar, a horse who also beat Daeho Sidae in January, over 1800M. From Kim Young Kwan’s stable, he will be backed as all of that trainer’s horses are, but he won’t be among the top line of favourites. Will proabbly compete for the lead early.
6. Ice Marine [Officer – Runkerry Point (Giant’s Causeway)] 9(5/2/0) (Choi Ki Hong) – Song Keong Yun
The only filly in the race, she did nothing in the Breeders Cup but finished 2nd to American Power in a valuable race at the end of December. She’s won both her outings so far in 2017, including a six-length triumph in what was basically an early Oaks trial over 1400M a month ago. That confirms her as the leading filly but doesn’t mean a whole lot here. She is likely to settle in midfield and she should be competitive but a win would be a surprise.
7. Indian King [Biwa Shinseiki – Indian Diamond (Indian Charlie)] 8(2/2/2) (Mun Je Bok) – Darryll Holland
His two wins both came last autumn and he went on to run 6th in the Breeders’ Cup. He has two 3rds and a 2nd from three outings this year and has been beaten by both Wonder Wall and Illyu Star in the process. Top jockey booking but a lot of form to overturn here. He’s likely to break in midfield. Indian King’s dam ran in Korea, winning three times and she also produced the sprinter Indian Star, winner of Jeju Governor’s Cup last year.
8. Lion Rock [Ecton Park – A Little Poke (Pleasant Tap)] 3(3/0/0) (Lee Shin Young – Moon Se Young
Full brother to Triple Nine and three other winners, he is the only one who enters with a 100% record to defend. Seoul’s champion jockey Moon Se Young comes down to ride him which will tempt some. He was a seven-length winner over 1700M in February but that was at class 5. Plenty of raw ability but possibly a bit behind some of the others in terms of development with the Derby and Minister’s Cup more serious targets but could still go well.
9. American Power [Ecton Park – White Angelica (Quiet American)] 4(3/1/0) (Kim Young Kwan) – Francisco Da Silva
he beat Ice Marine and Illyu Star when comfortably winning a valuable race at the end of December but was unexpectedly beaten on his only outing so far this year. That was at a mile on February 19th. He finished off well though and he was only beaten half a length by an older horse. A stablemate of Wonder Wall, he is likely to settle towards the rear of the field and he can’t be ruled out.
10. Final Boss [Menifee – Sinsok Dolpa (Lindo Shaver)] 8(6/1/0) (Ji Yong Cheol) – Choi Bum Hyun
The Champion Juvenile of 2016 having beaten six of these in the Breeders’ Cup race in Seoul in December. He’s raced twice this year, both of them relatively facile victories at 1700M and 1800M. Likely to be contesting favourite status with Daeho Sidae, he has a contrasting style, coming from off the pace. If he gets into gear into the home straight, the prize could be heading back to the capital.
11. Royal Ruby [Chapel Royal – Red Ruby (Yehudi)] 7(4/1/1) (Peter Wolsley) – Jo Sung Gon
He has progressed a little bit under the radar narrowly winning all three of his 2017 starts so far and actually beat Lion Rock’s older sister Black Sapphire by a nice over 1800M a month ago. From Peter Wolsley’s stable, he certainly has potential and is the most likely to settle towards the rear of the field. Interesting outsider.
Triple Crown season is upon us! The first Classic of the season, the KRA Cup Mile, takes place at Busan on Sunday. We’ll have a full preview of the big race over the next couple of days but in the meantime, there is a Friday card to get stuck into. 10 races at Busan from 11:30 to 18:00.
Pinot Noir just loves this time of year and she loves this race too. The 7-year-old mare was in fine form as she claimed victory in the Group 3 “Spring Stakes” (planned to be the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup) at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.
This race was intended to be the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup but due to the impending Presidential election, that had to be dropped with the Governor himself still potentially a candidate and therefore conflict of interest rules coming into play. Pinot Noir won the race in 2014, was 2nd in 2015 and then won again in 2016. She went cold towards the tail-end of last year but came back into form by running 2nd to Meni Money in the Donga Ilbo Cup – a prep for this race – a month ago.
This time around, with the race being over an extra furlong and at level weights, punters found it hard to split Meni Money and Pinot Noir, ultimately sending the former off as the very slight favourite. Outsider Gold Wave, one of just two in the race who didn’t take part in the Donga Ilbo, took the initiative while Moon Se Young opted for a steady start on the favourite. Meanwhile Park Hyun Woo on Pinot Noir used the same tactics as always on the mare; drop right to the back at the start before coming wide around the field in the back-straight.
The field was nicely bunched together in the home straight and once it became apparent Gold Wave wasn’t going anywhere, things started to get interesting. Meni Money just couldn’t hit top gear leaving it to Pinot Noir to tackle her inside the final furlong and run on to win by an ever increasing margin.
In total it was Pinot Noir’s 8th win on her 32nd start and the 5th to arrive in Stakes races. She may very well not win again this year but if she’s still racing this time next, it wouldn’t be hugely surprising to see her back here again.
Spring Stakes (KOR G3) – Seoul Racecourse – 2000M – March 26, 2017
1. Pinot Noir (KOR) [Capital Spending – Neungnyeokchungman (Pacificbounty)] – Park Hyun Woo – 2.4, 1.1 2. Gold Wave (KOR) [Volponi – Geumbit Yuhok (Exploit)] – Kim Yong Geun – 3.2 3. Meni Money (KOR) [Menifee – Pocketful Of Money (Running Stag)] Moon Se Young – 1.1 Distances: 1 length / 0.75 lengths Also Ran: 4. The Queen Silver 5. Argo Champ 6. Namsan Chukje 7. Lakshmi 8. Simsin Jiryeo
At Busan, Sunday’s feature saw Perdido Pomeroy (Pomeroy) fall to defeat. The four-year-old who last year won the Korea v Japan race at Seoul, had returned to the winner’s circle in January but turned in a flat performance this time over 1400M as Doraonpogyeongseon (Kantharos), two starts into a comeback from a lengthy absence, took the honours.
This coming week it’s Triple Crown time!. The first jewel in the crown, the KRA Cup Mile (Korean Guineas) will be run at Busan on Sunday April 2nd.
Horse Racing in Korea 