Friday September 21
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 11:50 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:45 to 17:40
Saturday September 22
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:00 to 17:40
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:20 to 17:15
Sunday September 23
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:00 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:15 to 16:35
The Ilgan Sports Cup at Seoul on Sunday highlights another busy weekend of racing on the peninsula. Here’s what’s happening when and where:
Friday September 14
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 12:50 to 19:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 14:30 to 18:35
Saturday September 15
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:00 to 17:40
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:35
Sunday September 16
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:00 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:15 to 16:35
Dangdae Bulpae at Busan, Jigeum I Sungan at Seoul while Game On Dude’s little brother debuts
It’s a big weekend on the south coast as Metropolitan City Stakes winner Dangdae Bulpae heads the field for a competitive renewal of the Busan Owners’ Cup.
Dangdae Bulpae will most likely be back in the winners’ circle this Sunday
Dangdae Bulpae (Biwa Shinseiki) is a two-time President’s Cup winner and beat both Smarty Moonhak and Tough Win to claim the Metropolitan in July. He should be a strong favourite to take his sixth Stakes win but that doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily have it all his own way.
KRA Cup Mile winner Gyeongbudaero (Menifee), who was third in the Korean Derby, takes his chance as does another three-year old with a good set of wins to his name, Himchan Jilju (Kwaedo Nanma). The evergreen Yeonseung Daero (Creek Cat) is there while Peter Wolsley’s tough Khaosan (Sunday Well), winner of this race last year after the disgqualification of Cheonnyeondaero, is always due respect.
The big race is off at 15:50 on Sunday afternoon and is immediately followed by another Stakes race, the Gold Circle Trophy.
Up at Seoul, Korean Derby winner Jigeum I Sungan (Ingrandire) heads Sunday’s feature race in what will be only his second start since claiming the Classic in May. He was second in the Munhwa Ilbo Cup in July and is the only three-year old in a ten furlong test.
Back at Busan, there is a notable debut on Sunday as two-year old gelding My Key (Macho Uno-Worldly Pleasure), a half-brother of US Champion Game On Dude, makes his racecourse debut over five furlongs in race 1.
Here’s what’s happening when and where:
Friday September 7
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 12:50 to 19:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 14:30 to 18:35
Saturday September 8
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:00 to 17:40
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:20 to 17:15
Sunday September 9
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:00 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:15 to 16:45
Grand Prix Champion Back at Seoul
In December last year, Tough Win crossed the finishing line of the Grand Prix Stakes just ahead of the previous year’s winner Mister Park and the two-year old phenom, Smarty Moonhak.
Tough Win – back at Seoul
Racing fans looked forward to a year when “The Troika” would do battle against each other for the biggest prizes the peninsula has to offer.
Fast forward eight months and Tough Win is the only one left. Mister Park lost his life after a race in June and then less tragically last month, Smarty Moonhak was diagnosed with tendinitis following his defeat in the Busan Metropolitan Stakes.
Tough Win has not been without his problems though,. Suffering a bleeding attach in June, he was a long way of his best as he ran fourth in that same Busan Metropolitan but this Sunday, he’s back on home sand in the feature event at Seoul Race Park.
If he’s at anywhere near his best, he will win although the ever dangerous Jumong is likely to give him a good race while it will be very interesting to see what young US import Haedongcheorwang (West Acre), with 6 wins from his 8 starts including 2 at the elite level already, can do with a big weight advantage against a really top class horse. It should be a fascinating race.
Busan has a pair of class 1 feature races on Sunday while all three south-coast based foreign jockeys; Gerrit Schlechter, Narazaki Kosuke and Joe Fujii all have plenty of decent looking rides over the weekend.
Here’s what’s happening when and where on what looks set to be a very wet weekend:
Friday August 31
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:40 to 17:30
Saturday September 1
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 11:00 to 17:20
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:20 to 17:20
Sunday September 2
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:00 to 17:50
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:15 to 16:35
Korean Oaks and GCTC Trophy At Busan
The Korean Oaks headlines a big weekend of racing on the peninsula. Fourteen fillies face off at Busan race Park on Sunday afternoon – click here for a full list of runners and riders.
The wildly inconsistent Cheoneun – can she hit top form in the Korean Oaks?
Also on Sunday the GCTC Trophy provides a second helping of Stakes action at Busan with imported fillies and mares getting a crack at a big race win.
After four weeks of night racing, the action returns to the daytime this weekend, here’s what’s happening when and where:
Friday August 24
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:40 to 17:30
Saturday August 25
Seoul Race Park: 12 races frm 11:00 to 17:20
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:20 to 17:20
Sunday August 26
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:00 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:15 to 16:45 including the Korean Oaks at 15:50
A full field of 14 will line up for the Korean Oaks at Busan Race Park this coming Sunday. Six fillies have travelled down from Seoul to meet eight of the home track’s best. We’ll have a full preview of the race over the next couple of days but in the meantime, here’s a full list of all the runners and riders with pedigree and race records:
Korean Oaks (KOR.GII) – Busan Race Park – 1800M – Aug 26, 2012 – 15:50
1. Naryusya (KOR) [Menifee – New Tan Saeng (Pre Catalan)] – (6/1/0/1) Kim Hae Sun – (Seoul)
2. Rising Glory (KOR) [Menifee – Straight Cash (Straight Man)] – (8/3/3/1) – Jo Sung Gon (Busan)
3. Dolpung Jilju (KOR) [Didyme – Alder Gulch (Gulch)] – (12/3/3/1) – Ham Wan Sik (Seoul)
4. Cheoneun (KOR) [Forest Camp – Naha (Silver Buck)] – (13/6/1/1) – Oh Kyoung Hoan (Seoul)
5. Choego Yeosin (KOR) [Ingrandire – Western Heroine (Western Borders)] – (6/3/0/0) – Lee Sang Hyeok (Seoul)
6. Powerful Miss G (KOR) [Revere – Miss Geology (Jade Hunter)] – (9/2/3/1) – Shin Hyoung Chul (Seoul)
7. Joiner Peace (KOR) [Menifee – Premiered (Unbridled’s Song)] – (9/3/3/1) – Kim Yong Geun (Busan)
8. Gumpo Yeowang (KOR) [Menifee – Lady Forza (Fuji Kiseki)] – (6/2/1/3) – Chae Gyu Jun (Busan)
9. Grand Teukgeup (KOR) [Menifee – Sarartoga Campaign (Mt. Livermore)] – (10/5/1/0) – Gerrit Schlechter (Busan)
10. Nuriui Bit (KOR) [Menifee – Altria (Maria’s Mon)] – (8/3/2/1) – Joe Fujii (Busan)
11. Over Power (KOR) [Ft. Stockton – Roan All Over (Fight Over)] – (11/4/0/3) – Narazaki Kosuke (Busan)
12. Last Love [Volponi – White Aloa (White Muzzle)] (KOR) – (7/1/3/1) – Choi Won Joon (Seoul)
13. Sing A (KOR) [Fortitude – Seollimwon (Wheaton)] – (13/2/3/2) – Choi Si Dae (Busan)
14. Money Queen (KOR) [Psychobabble – Ta Wee Tee Pee (Cherokee Run)] – (7/3/0/1) – Jo Chan Hoon (Busan)
Night racing draws to an end this weekend as Seoul, Busan and Jeju all play host to their final twilight cards of the year.
Evening racing at Seoul is for everyone!
There’s no Stakes racing this week but still plenty to keep us occupied. Feature races at both Seoul and Busan are on Sunday. In the capital, Prime Galloper (Strodes Creek) is on a four-race winning streak and will be favourite as he faces nine class 1 rivals, headed by Singgeureounachim (Exploit) over 1900 metres.
Meanwhile at Busan, it’s imported horses who take part in the big race. Smoking Gun (Hat Trick) did well to finish fifth behind Dangdae Bulpae and Smarty Moonhak in the Buan Metropolitan City Mayor’s Stakes last month and has every chance of getting back to winning ways in a competitive race over 2000 metres.
Here’s what’s happening when and where:
Friday August 17
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 15:00 to 21:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 16:40 to 21:00
Saturday August 18
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 14:20 to 20:50
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 16:20 to 21:00
Sunday August 19
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 14:20 to 21:10
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 16:25 to 20:45
The Seoul International Jockey Challenge 2012 is the highlight of the weekend’s action on the peninsula as six visiting riders take on six of the capital’s best in the annual four-race challenge.
Clockwise from top right: Ben Curtis, Karis Teetan, Ozcan Yildirim, Hayato Yoshida, Soo Khoon Beng, Manoel Nunes DaSilva
The jockeys will compete against each other in four races, two on Saturday and two on Sunday, culminating in the YTN Cup Stakes. In addition to the team prize, the leading jockey overall will take home an additional $20,000 prize.
Neither the United States nor Australia have sent riders this year so instead, the visitors hail from countries that the Korea Racing Authority has been forging close links with in recent years. Ireland and South Africa send young up and comers, while Macau, Turkey, Singapore and Japan’s entrants are all more experienced.
The Korean team is about as strong as it could possibly be with champion jockey Moon Se Young captaining. Kim Hae Sun becomes the first female rider to represent Korea in the challenge. Here is a full run down on the entrants. The draw for mounts was conducted on Thursday and appears to have thrown up a reasonably fair spread of chances:
International
Ben Curtis (Ireland) – 1840 rides / 122 wins – Former champion Irish apprentice, the 23-year-old is an American citizen and has also ridden in the USA, and UK.
Manoel Nunes D’Silva (Brazil) – 7831/1269 – Representing Macau in the challenge, the Brazilian learned his trade in Sao Paolo but has been riding in Asia for almost a decade. He’s won numerous Stakes races in Macau and has also ridden in Hong Kong and Dubai.
Soo Khoon Beng (Singapore) – 4139/519 – The 2005 Singapore Champion jockey spent a short but uneventful time riding at Busan in 2008. He’s won a number of Stakes races in his homeland.
Karis Teetan (South African) – 3581/445 – Born in Mauritius, he rides mainly in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. He won the Cape Derby on Jackson earlier this year.
Ozcan Yildirim (Turkey) – 7481/744 – He has 28 Graded Stakes victories in Turkey and 72 winners in the past year.
Hayato Yoshida (Japan) – 5781/443) – Ninth in the JRA standings this year with 41 winners, Yoshida is Japan’s only representative this year.
Riding for the Koreans are: Moon Se Young, Cho Kyoung Ho, Park Tae Jong, Jo In Kwen, Ham Wan Sik and Kim Hae Sun.
The four races involved in the challenge are as follows:
Saturday August 11
Race 9: 19:20, Domestic Class 3 Handicap, 1400 metres
Race 10: 19:50, Domestic Class 2 Handicap, 1900 metres
Sunday August 12
Race 6: 16:50, Domestic Class 3 Handicap, 1400 metres
Race 9: 19:35, Foreign Class 2 Handicap for fillies & mares, YTN Cup Stakes Listed, 1900 metres
Scoring: 1st: 20 points, 2nd: 10 points, 3rd: 6 points, 4th: 4 points, 5th: 3 points, 6th: 2 points, 7th-: 1 point.
There’s plenty more going on up and down the peninsula over the weekend. Here’s what’s happening when and where:
Friday August 10
Busan Race Park: 11 races from 15:00 to 21:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 16:40 to 21:00
Saturday August 11
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 14:20 to 20:50
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 16:20 to 21:00
Sunday August 12
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 14:20 to 21:15
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 16:35 to 20:50
Seoul plows a lone furrow as the only Korean track hosting live racing this weekend, with Busan and Jeju taking a week’s break.
Twilight at Seoul
And for the first time in about ten years, there is racing in the capital on Friday in order to make up for the card that was lost to monsoon rain earlier this month.
That Friday card sees a pair of class 1 contests while Saturday also has some high-class action. However, the pick of the action is on Sunday evening in the shape of the Seoul Economic Daily News Stakes.
Ace Galloper (Chapel Royal) heads a strong field of domestic bred horses going over 1400 metres in the non-Stakes feature race and should be favourite to overcome 10 rivals, including former champion mare Love Cat (Volponi).
Here’s what’s happening:
Friday July 27
Seoul Race Park: 10 races from 16:00 to 21:00
Saturday July 28
Seoul Race Park: 10 races from 16:00 to 21:00
Sunday July 29
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 15:00 to 21:00
Evening racing is upon us! Here’s what’s happening when and where for the rest of the weekend:
Night-time at Seoul
Saturday July 21
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 14:20 to 20:50
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 16:20 to 21:00
Sunday July 22
Seoul Race Park: 10 races from 14:20 to 21:00 including the SBS Cup at 19:10
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 16:05 to 20:30 including the Busan Metropolitan City Mayor’s Cup at 19:40
Horse Racing in Korea 