It’s July! And it’s been wet this week. Things seem to have improved a little over the last couple of days and we may even get some racing in the dry this weekend.

Derby winner Gwangyajeil reappears at Seoul this Sunday

Things get underway at Busan imminently although the pick of the action both there and in the capital is on Sunday. Korean Derby winner Gwangyajeil makes his first appearance since his victory in the big one as he heads the field for a class 2 event at Seoul on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s what’s happening when and where:

Friday July 1

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday July 2

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday July 3

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00

Follow all three days live on twitter. Normal blogging will resume shortly.

Kim Hae Sun’s Lucky Day / Seungniuihamseong Favourite To Claim Sports Seoul

Saturday at Seoul saw Kim Hae Sun add to her reputation as one of Korea’s most promising young jockeys as she rode a pair of winners in the monsoon rain. Having partnered favourite Nice Active to victory in race 7, she then scored in the first of co-feature races on three-year old colt I’d Rather B Lucky (Gibson County).

Double: Kim Hae Sun

Kim, who debuted two years ago, has now ridden 26 winners from 450 rides. There was also a rare winner for Kim’s fellow female rider Lee Ae Li, who claimed the last on 9/1 shot Victory Camp.

In other races, there were victories for last year’s Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup winner Magic Party (Artie Schiller) and also for Sun Best (Woke Up Dreamin), who saw off Derby also rans Yeongung Icheon and Geuma Champ in race 9. Meanwhile, much earlier in the day, New Zealand bred two-year old Mister Captain (Captain Rio) recorded his second win in his second outing as he comfrotabel defeated dubut-making Smarty Jones colt Smarty Moonhak in race 4.

Sunday at Seoul sees the Sports Seoul Stakes. It’s one of the biggest trial races for the Korean Oaks which will be run at Busan in August. Ten fillies will line up for the race which will be run over 1700 metres. Here’s a run down of all of them all with race records and jockey – all are Korean bred:

Sports Seoul Stakes – Seoul Race Park – 1700M – Sunday June 26, 16:35

1. Seungniuihamseong [Vicar] (7/3/2/0) – Choi Won Joon
Has won three out of her last four including last time out over the Oaks distance of 1800 metres. She will be the clear favourite.

2. Gieongnal Geunal [Menifee] (4/1/0/1) – Yoon Tae Hyoug
Well beaten behind Event Queen last time out and will be an outsider here.

3. Saebyeokcheonsa [Vicar] (5/2/0/1) – Park Byeong Yun
Another outsider, she won well last time out.

4. Allegrissimo [Bon Vivant] (7/2/3/0) – Moon Se Young
Came close to Seungniuihamseong last time and is likely to be one of her main rivals here.

5. Firenze [Yankee Victor] (10/3/1/0) – Oh Kyoung Hoan
Showed promise earlier this year but struggled over this distance in her last race.

6. Hwaryeohansesang [Perfect Vision II] (2/2/0/0) – Park Tae Jong
The unknown quantity in the race. Her two wins have been at five and six furlongs but if she gets the trip, she could be a factor.

7. Mustang Queen [Concept Win] (6/3/2/0) – Cho Kyoung Ho
Possibly the biggest danger to the favourite. She knows how to win and ran well over 1700 metres in her last race.

8. Sen Girl [Strodes Creek] (10/2/2/3) – Kim Ok Sung
Could the last crop of Strodes Creek include a Stakes winner? He’s got three in this race Sen Girl is the most useful of them and while she is without a win in three, they have been against good horses. Also has no problems getting the distance.

9. Event Queen [Strodes Creek] (7/1/4/0) – Ham Wan Sik
Broke her maiden last time out over six furlongs after repeated second place finishes. While improving, there should be better fillies here.

10. Cheonupilseung (7/2/2/0) – Choi Bum Hyun
Won well last time out but as yet hasn’t beaten a lot. An outside chance of a place.

* And here’s what’s happening when and where:

Sunday June 26

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:05
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:05

Sports Seoul Cup Headlines Monsoon Weekend

There are many great things about living in Korea – the people, the food, the natural beauty, the technology, the er..music, to name just a few. The weather is not on that list. The snow of January may now be a distant memory but instead, we have monsoon season!

Expect this to be a frequent sight over the next few weeks

This year’s downpours began on Wednesday and quite spectacular they have been too. The rain is forecast to continue throughout the weekend at all three tracks with perhaps the odd thunderstorm too to liven things up. Racing continues of course with the headline event being the Sports Seoul Cup at Seoul Race Park on Sunday. The race, for Korean bred three-year old fillies, is one of the main trials for the Korean Oaks which will be run at Busan in August.

While the track isn’t necessarily the greatest place to be during a monsoon downpour – home generally is – it’s no reason to stay away. At Seoul, ,there is plenty of non-smoking outside covered seating on the second and third floors of the Happyville Grandstand. Here’s what’s happening when and where.

Friday June 24

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday June 25

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday June 26

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:05 including the Sports Seoul Cup at 16:35
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00

* Blogging has been unavoidably light recently but normal service will be resumed shortly and if possible, we’ll aim to have a full run-down of the Sports Seoul line-up on Saturday evening.

Mister Park runs at Busan, Japanese jockey Maokoto Noda debuts at Seoul and it’s the Jeju Ilbo Stakes on Jeju Island. Here’s what’s happening when and where this weekend:

Friday June 17

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday June 18

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:50 including the Jeju Ilbo Stakes at 16:05

Sunday June 19

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:05

Grand Prix Champion Mister Park runs at Busan on Sunday

KNN Cup at Busan / Owners’ Trophy at Seoul

It’s set to be a Super Stakes Sunday as the KNN Cup at Busan and the Seoul Racehorse Owners’ Association (SROA) Trophy headline a busy weekend of action on the peninsula.

Yeonseung Daero and Choi Si Dae will go for the KNN Cup

Down south, the KNN brings together a pair of Derby Winners in Cheonnyeon Daero and Ebony Storm as well as President’s Cup Champion Dangdae Bulpae and Governor’s Cup winner Yeonseung Daero.

Classic placed Triple Sinhwa and prolific winner Lucky Dancer also join a star-studded line-up who will race over a mile in one of the most eagerly anticipated contests of the year (see blow for a full list of runners and riders).

Up at Seoul, it’s the Owners’ Trophy which is one of the biggest races of the year for foreign bred fillies and mares. Having said that, plenty of Korean bred fillies will be taking their chance including well-known names such as Love Cat, Cheonun and recent Stakes winner Raon Glory. We’ll have a full preview of the race – in which young jockey Kim Hae Sun will get her first Stakes ride – on the blog on Saturday.

Mai Beppu returns this weekend

Also this weekend sees a welcome return to action for jockey Mai Beppu.

The Japanese rider suffered an injury exiting the starting gate on just her second day of racing in Korea back in March after just five rides. She has several chances this weekend.

Here’s what’s happening when and where:

Friday June 10

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday June 11

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday June 12

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:10 including the SROA Trophy at 16:45
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:15 including the KNN Cup at 16:15

* And here is a full run-down of the field for the KNN Cup – all are Korean bred and the race is a handicap:
(Name (Pedigree) – Age, Sex, Weight to Carry – Races/1sts/2nds/3rds) – Jockey

KNN Cup – Busan Race Park – 1600M – Sunday June 12, 16:15

1. Annika Queen (Ft. Stockton) – 7,M,50Kg (46/6/7/0) – Hwang Jong Woo
2. Super Chocolate (Silent Warrior) – 4,G,50Kg (24/4/2/3) – Kim Tae Kyung
3. Pick Me Up (Time Star) – 9,H,50Kg (71/8/13/9) – Jo Chang Wook
4. Ebony Storm (Buster’s Daydream) – 6,G,54.5Kg – (32/8/5/5) – You Hyun Myung
5. Dangdae Bulpae (Biwa Shinseiki) – 4,C,58.5Kg – (16/11/1/1) – Jo Sung Gon
6. Triple Sinwha (Capital Spending) – 4,C,55.5Kg – (16/6/6/0) – Chae Gyu Jun
7. Lucky Dancer (Fiercely) – 6,H,56.5Kg – (28/11/3/3) – Toshio Uchida
8. Cheonnyeon Daero (Creek Cat) – 4,C,57.5Kg – (21/7/8/3) – Park Geum Man
9. Crown Flag (Volponi) – 4,F,50Kg – (22/2/3/7) – Kim Myoung Sin
10. Coming Through (Bon Vivant) – 4,C,50Kg – (16/3/6/1) – Jo Chan Hoon
11. Yeonseung Daero (Creek Cat) – 5,H,58.5Kg – (32/14/6/5) – Choi Si Dae
12. Gangjaui Beopchik (Fortitude) – 6,G,50Kg – (33/6/3/4) – Kim Do Hyun

Three Horse Of The Year Winners Clash at Seoul on Saturday

The first races of June get underway imminently at Busan and after last week’s low-key cards, there’s plenty to keep us occupied racing wise on the peninsula this weekend. There are no Stakes races – we have to wait until next week’s Owners’ Trophy for that – for big name value, Saturday’s feature race at Seoul is hard to beat.

It's Dongbanui Gangja vs Tough Win again

We have the double Grand Prix Champion and one time Horse of the Year, Dongbanui Gangja. Difficult to control as he gets older, he hasn’t won for over a year. However, a change of jockey and carrying significantly less weight (this race not being a handicap) than usual means that if he runs in a straight line, he cannot be discounted. However, that’s a big “if.” Then there’s Tough Win. He dethroned Dongbanui Gangja in the Busan Metropolitan last year and has won eleven of his thirteen starts. He’ll be favourite.

Also going in the same race is another past Grand Prix champion and Horse of the Year, Bally Brae. The nine-year old is in good form and renews his competition with Jumong, half-brother of his erstwhile rival Subsidy. The four top stars will be joined by six others in the nine and a half furlong race which is off at 17:00 on Saturday.

Here’s what’s happening when and where this holiday weekend:

Friday June 3

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday June 4

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday June 5

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00

It’s been a busy week and we’re a long way behind – there’s jockey news, stallion news, and (joy of joys) regulatory news all to catch up on. We’ll do that over the next few days, meanwhile, the weekend’s racing gets underway in just a few minutes. There’s no Stakes action but still plenty to keep us occupied. Here’s what’s happening when and where:

Friday May 27

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday May 28

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday May 29

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00

Just a week after Gwangyajeil’s triumph in the Korean Derby, the Stakes race Winner’s Circle at Seoul Race Park will be back in use again this weekend for the 22nd running of the Sports Chosun Cup.

Luxury Jewang in last year's Sports Chosun Winner's Circle

It’s one of Korea’s longest running sponsored Stakes races and a full field of fourteen will contest the event, run over the Derby distance of nine furlongs, on Sunday afternoon.

The race is open to class 2 Korean bred horses aged 4 and upwards so therefore, while there won’t be any stars on show, it makes for one of the most open betting races of the year. All are proven winners without having made the big step up to class 1. One of the fourteen will do that on Sunday. See below for a full list of runners and riders.

Away from the Sports Chosun, a number of big names will be in action over the weekend. Triple Seven headlines Seoul’s feature race on Saturday while 2008 Derby winner Ebony Storm goes in Busan’s Sunday main event.

The forecast is unfortunately for rain for most of the weekend, however, it was today too and that never materialised so fingers crossed for a fine weekend of punting! Here’s what’s happening when and where:

Friday May 20

Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30

Saturday May 21

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday May 22

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:05
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00

* Here’s the full line-up for Sunday’s 22nd Sports Chosun Cup at Seoul (Name / Sire / (Runs/1st/2nd/3rd) / Jockey:

Sports Chosun Cup – Seoul Race Park – 1800M – May 22, 2011 – 16:35

1. Forest Wind [Capital Spending] (13/4/0/2) – Won Jung Il
2. Suseong Equus [Exploit] (25/3/6/3) – Park Byeong Yun
3. Tamnaseontaek [War Zone] (15/4/2/3) – Oh Kyoung Hoan
4. Saebyeogi [Archer City Slew] (18/3/6/3) – Park Tae Jong
5. Namchonuichukje [Volponi] (10/4/2/3) – Jung Ki Yong
6. Super Rich [Osumi Jet] (14/4/2/3) – Moon Se Young
7. Jeumeundeungi [War Zone] (13/4/2/1) – Moon Jung Kyun
8. The Almighty [Capital Spending] (16/5/3/0) – Ham Wan Sik
9. Yeongtap [Sunday Well] (14/4/3/0) – Yoo Sang Wan
10. D. Day Plus [Osumi Jet] (21/4/3/1) – Choi Bum Hyun
11. Jangbi Sarang [Distilled] (21/4/3/1) – Cho Kyoung Ho
12. Yodongjewang [Field Asuka] (11/3/4/1) – Jo In Kwen
13. Anseong Chukje [Exploit] (13/4/1/3) – Boo Min Ho
14. Badasin [War Zone] (27/4/4/4) – Kim Ok Sung

* Gyongmaman’s pick: 6. Super Rich

This could turn out to be a very Japanese weekend. This afternoon at Busan Race Park, jockey Toshio Uchida was victorious in five of the nine races on the card, including a seven-length triumph in the feature race on Mupae Star.

Toshio Uchida - Five Timer today

On Sunday, Uchida will be at Seoul to ride Soseuldaemun in the Korean Derby. Soseuldaemun, by the Japanese sire Meisei Opera, won the KRA Cup Mile, the first leg of the Triple Crown at Busan last month and, while the Derby will be a very different prospect, few would fancy betting against Uchida to pull it off.

While the Derby is on Sunday, Saturday has its own feature in the form of the twentieth running of the Japan Racing Association (JRA) Trophy at Seoul Race Park.

Open to class 2 foreign-bred horses, the race attracts a mixture of young up and comers as well as those who have never quite made it to the big time. There’s no Japanese bred runners in the race – there’s not that many in Korea in fact – but it is nevertheless an intriguing race.

It’s the younger ones who’ll be fancied. Such is life. Celebrate Tonight has won three of his six starts and should find the six furlongs perfect. Baekhomujeok, Ppoppai, Mass Media’s Tea and Magic Party are also three-year olds with impressive strike rates. Of the older horses, Fortunata may have the best shot. Here is a full list of the runners with pedigree, sex, age, race records and riders:

JRA Trophy – Seoul Race Park – 1200M – May 14, 2011 – 16:30

1. Fortunata (USA) [Eurosilver] F 4 (15/2/1/3) – Cho Kyoung Ho
2. Celebrate Tonight (USA) [Songandaprayer] C 3 (6/3/1/1) – Oh Kyoung Hoan
3. Es Four (USA) [Smarty Jones] C 3 (6/3/0/0) – Jung Ki Yong
4. Baekhomujeok (USA) [Sharp Humor] C 3 (5/3/1/0) – Choi Bum Hyun
5. Bichui Jeonsa (USA) [Thunder Gulch] H 5 (29/1/1/6) – Jun Duck Yong
6. Magic Party (KOR) [Artie Schiller] F 3 (8/5/1/0) – Jang Chu Youl
7. Imperial Girl (USA) [Imperialism] F 3 (10/2/0/3) – Jo In Kwen
8. Dream Heart (USA) [Dream Run] G 5 (35/0/4/7) – Lee Keum Joo
9. Kkochyeol (USA) [Essence Of Dubai] F 3 (8/1/5/0) – Jung Pyeong Soo
10. Mass Media’s Tea (USA) [Mass Media] C 3 (6/3/1/0) – Moon Se Young
11. Ppoppai (USA) [Rockport Harbor] C 3 (7/4/0/1) – Park Tae Jong

We’ll be back tomorrow with a review of the JRA and a final look forward to Sunday’s Korean Derby.

It’s set to be a beautiful weekend in Seoul. Come Racing!

Saturday May 14

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17: 40 (JRA Trophy at 16:30)
Jeju Race Park: 10 races from 12:30 to 18:00

Sunday May 15

Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:05 (Korean Derby at 16:35)
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00