Natural Nine vs Baekpa vs Myeongmun Gamun / Saerounbisul goes on Saturday
Sunday sees ten line up for the SBS Cup at Seoul Race Park. Second in the Derby in 2007 and winner of this year’s Sports Chosun Cup, four year-old Natural Nine (13 runs/6 wins) heads the field but faces two big name threats in Baekpa (18/7) and Myeongmun Gamun (25/14). The dominant filly of 2007 and the only female horse here, Baekpa was back to winning ways last time out, defeating Namchonuijijon while the seven year old Myeongmun Gamun has won more prize money than any other horse currently racing in Korea despite a fear of the starting stalls. Also lining up is Dashing Champ (29/7), the gelding who set a track record over this 1900 metre distance only last month and 2006 Derby winner Baengnokjeong (19/7). The race is off at 17:00.

Saturday’s highlight is a 2000 metre handicap for foreign bred horses in which Saerounbisul (17/6) will make his first appearance since winning the Owner’s Trophy last month. The four year old will start the marginal top-weight over Seoul Teukgeup (11/4). Racing gets underway on both Saturday and Sunday at 11:20.

KRA Cup winner and subsequent disappointment Rainmaker is back in action at Busan Race Park on Friday, lining up for a 1600 metre handicap against a host of well known domestically bred horses. Heading the weights is Procyon (15 runs/9 wins), the gelding suffering his first defeat of 2008 last time out in the KNN Cup a race won by Annika Queen (17/6) who also goes here. The first of nine races at Busan on Friday gets underway at 13:00. Sunday sees its usual six races with the first off at 12:40, the highlight being a foreign-bred handicap with Bugyeong Choegang (14/6) topping the weights.

Golding looking for form at Busan / Gamadongja, Top Point and Playing Politics go at Seoul
The weekend’s racing gets underway at Busan Race Park on Friday afternoon with a nine race card starting at 13:00. There’s a double feature with seperate handicaps for foreign and domestic bred horses. The foreign one is up first where Golding (29 runs/14 wins) seeks to return to winning ways after three consecutive second placed finishes. The six year old is going to have it all to do, however, as at 61.5 kilos, he’ll be carrying seven kilos more than the rest of the field. In the domestic handicap, Sinjin Gangja (18/8 ) heads the field along with Boryeong Bulbit (16/7). There will also be six further races at Busan on Sunday with the first off at 12:40.

Seoul Race Park has cards on both Saturday and Sunday with the start time 11:20 both days. Saturday sees a small field contest the feature race of twelve, a category 1 handicap for foreign bred horses with Gamadongja (10/5) heading the weights. On Sunday there’s eleven races with a similarly small field contesting the feature where Top Point (13/8 ) is the biggest name on show. Earlier in the day the three year old hot property, New Zealand bred Playing Politics (2/2) will make his third outing, stepping up to 1700 metres in race 6, three weeks after breaking the track record over 1300 metres. Jeju also has racing on Saturday and Sunday starting at 12:20.

The second weekend of July is usually the start of evening racing at Seoul Race Park when, to avoid the worst of the heat, racing would start in the middle of the afternoon and continue until late into the evening. This year, however, for the first time since racing moved to Gwacheon twenty years ago, the KRA has decided not to hold night racing, citing the need to save energy as its reason. Post time for the first race will therefore continue to be 11:20am

Racing gets underway at 11:20 at Seoul Race Park on both Saturday and Sunday with twelve races on Saturday and eleven on Sunday.  Highlight of the weekend is the Sports Seoul Cup, one of the year’s biggest races for three year old fillies which is race 9 on Sunday.  Also on Sunday, Ttukseom Cup winner Namchonuijijon makes his first appearance since his surprise defeat at the hands of Baekpa last month.  There’s racing at Busan on Sunday starting at 12:40 and Jeju will be hoping for a better weekend after last week’s cancellation with cards underway on both Saturday and Sunday at 12:20.

The first card of the second half of 2008 gets underway at Busan Race Park at 13:00 on Friday. Highlight of the nine race card is an 1800 metre handicap for domestic-bred horses with the weights co-headed by Widaehan Bonneung (28 runs/10 wins) and Areumdaun Jilju (12/7), the four year old Areumdaun Jilju being in much better form of late. Busan will also host a six race card of Sunday with the highlight being a similar handicap for foreign-bred runners where Gukje Sinmun Cup winner Angle Slam and six year old Hwanggeumbit Taeya top the weights.

Weekend Preview: June 27-29
This year’s two classic winners will meet once again in the feature race at Busan Race Park this coming Sunday. KRA Cup winner Rainmaker will have the chance to avenge his Korean Derby defeat at the hands of rank outsider Ebony Storm as the two are the star names in a field of thirteen who will line up for the KRW 42Million handicap which will be off at 16:30. Kim Tae Kyung will ride Rainmaker and Toshio Uchida has been handed the Derby winner. The race heads a card of six races on Sunday with the first off at 12:40. Friday sees the usual nine race card at Busan with the first under orders at 13:00. Hangye Geukbok heads the weights in the feature handicap off at 17:10 which also includes Florida Native and Wonder Love.

As usual, Seoul Race Park holds cards on Saturday and Sunday with the first race off at 11:20 both days. Feature race of the weekend attracts only seven runners as Galsaem and Secret Weapon go head to head over 200 metres in race 10 on Sunday. Both horses have win rates of over 50% despite having run over fifty races between them. Secret Weapon is the horse in form though, and top weight, with Galsaem yet to win in five outings in 2008. There is also a ten race card at Jeju Race Park on Saturday and Sunday with the first off at 12:20 both days.

The Seoul Owner’s Cup dominates the weekend with the big race off at Seoul Race Park at 17:00 on Sunday afternoon (see full preview below). It’s the highlight of the usual two day weekend card at Seoul which gets underway on Saturday at 11:20 with the first of twelve races. With no category 1 races on Saturday, the biggest race is a category 2 handicap over 1900 metres featuring the likes of Kkumui Mulgyeol, Challanhabit and Sinbi Wangja. On Sunday, the first of eleven races is also off at 11:20. In addition to the Owner’s Cup, there is a category 1 handicap for domestic bred horses featurning such names as Hongji, Neocheon, Gi Ra Seong and the eight year old Flying Cat.

Monsoon season has started so predicting the weather is a risky business but umbrellas are advised both days. There is also card at Busan Race Park on Sunday with the first at 12:40 and pony racing on Jeju Island, with the first of ten races off at 12:20 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Ttukseom Cup winner Namchonuijijon returns to the track for the first time since his April triumph, lining up in Saturday’s feature race at Seoul Race Park. Racing at 2000 metres for only the second time – the first being when running third to J.S. Hold in last year’s Minister’s Cup – Namchonuijijon will face ten competitors including Best Condition and 2007 Oaks winner Baekpa. The KRW 42Million handicap is race 11 and is off at 17:20. The first of twelve races comes under orders at 11:20.

There are no category one races at Seoul on Sunday but there is an eleven race card beginning at 11:20. The main event on Sunday is at Busan Race Park where the KNN Cup is the highlight of six races. The first is at 12:40 with the Cup off at 15:35. As usual there’s pony racing at Jeju Race Park with ten races on both Saturday and Sunday, with the first at 12:20.

The weekend’s racing got underway earlier this afternoon at Busan Race Park where Busanui Byeol (14.9) took the feature race of nine with a two length win over rank outsider Deputized Angel (98.8 ). Favourite Bugyeong Choegang (3.0) finished fourth. FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN