Outsider Hwanggeum Mulgyoel (49.0) took the feature race at Seoul race Park on Saturday afternoon scoring a two and a half length win over Bisul (16.7) and favourite Bandoeui Byeol (2.9). With Boo Min Ho on board, the five year old bottom weight featured at the front of the race throughout, taking the lead with 100 metres to go and winning going away. Further down the field in seventh was Netizen’s Race winner Sichuseon (6.5), the Moon Se Young ridden horse looking well placed as they entered the straight but never finding his racing gallop.

Earlier, Chamgippeum (2.5) had put in a strong performance in winning an 1800 metre handicap, but there was a surprising defeat for three year old K J Khan in race 9. The Yoo Sang Wan ridden gelding had looked unstoppable in his last two outings and was backed into 1.5 for his first try at 1400 metres. Well placed on the final turn, however, K J Khan found himself unable to find a way through the trio of Thermopolis (9.3), Code of Silence (47.0) and Secret Shoes On (20.6). Thermopolis, ridden by Shin Hyoung Chul recording his first win in twenty outings.

A slightly below average Saturday crowd for what was at best, an average card in hazy sunshine. Sunday sees a better card and better weather predicted. Race 1 is underway at 11:20.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

For the third consecutive race, Golding was beaten into second in Friday’s feature at Busan Race Park. Starting the 1.6 favourite, the top weight produced a fast finish to the 2000 metre handicap but it wasn’t enough to catch Seonbaljein (11.0) who, carrying nearly ten kilos less than Golding, finished even stronger to take a four length victory going away. Gamun Bobae (9.7) was third, but Gukje Sinmun Cup winner Angle Salm (9.1) was a well beaten fifth.

Earlier there was a return to form for 2007 KRA Cup Mile winner Luna (6.6) who was surprisingly dominant in taking an eight length win over Hangang Jeil (14.5), with hot favourite Sinjin Gangja (1.4) a further two and a half lengths back in third. Racing returns to Busan on Sunday.

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Haengbok Teukgeup & Gamun Gabo win at Busan / Brilliant Knight Debuts at Seoul
Fine weather and a big crowd greeted the first day of June as Seungyu Sinhwa and Happy Go took the joint feature handicaps at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. In the race for domestic bred horses, Moon Se Young on Happy Go (2.0) started at the back of the field, moving into contention on the back straight and then accelerating into the finish to hold of Slew’s Appeal (23.8 ) by a length and a half with Top Value (18.1) a further length back in third. In the foreign bred race, Seungyu Sinhwa (3.9) hit the front early, Kim Ok Sung having the luxury of being able to ease down to a three length win over Senlis (7.4) and Entro (8.4).

The unraced Brilliant Knight made his track debut in race 3. The gelded son of Lion Hearted went off the 2.0 favourite and led the entire 1200 metres coming home eight lengths clear of the rest. It was very much Moon Se Young’s day. Aside from wins on Happy Go and Brilliant Knight, Moon was successful in race 2 on Saerounhuimang (3.2) and in race 8 on Jingyeok (3.1).

At Busan, the feature race was won by Haengbok Teukgeup (10.0), Lim Sung Sil riding the five year old to a three length win over Janggun Sinhwa (8.5) and Soprano (38.1) with favourite Milliondollar (2.4 and second favourite Perfect Champ (3.0) well down the field. Meanehile, Gamun Gabo (3.0) stepped up in both class and distance in race 6 and took his record to four wins from five outings by the narrowest of margins. The three year old son of Bernstein led from start to finish but had to hold off a strong final furlong challenge from Alchan Sonyeo (8.1) who finished far quicker than Gamun Gabo but just ran out of track with Gamun Gabo taking victory by a nose.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Favourite Top Point (1.5) eased to a six length victory over Galsaem (5.4) in the feature handicap at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. With Cho Kyoung Ho riding, Top Point led from the beginning of the 2000 metre race and pulled away as they hit the home straight to land his eighth win from fourteen runs.

The day’s second most valuable race was won by second favourite Victory Queen (3.3) with a two and a half length over Borkhan (2.7). Moon Se Young followed up his win on Victory Queen with victory in the last on Easy Company (9.8). Cho Kyoung Ho was jockey of the day, however, with Top Point the second of three wins, Cho being successful on Jigwan (2.5) in race 7 and Seongpacheonha (2.3) in race 11. There were also doubles for Kim Sug Bong winning races 1 and 2 on Badasarang (5.8 ) and Kkum Ha Na (20.6) and for Han Sung Yeol with wins on Speed Lady (1.6) in race 5 and Charming Victor (6.6) in race 6. Race 6 was notable for an extremely close finish with Charming Victor taking a half-length victory but the judges unable to split Thunder Hill (1.8 ) and Irwolsin (20.3) and declaring a dead-heat for second place.

A large crowd enjoyed the beautiful weather with bright sunshine and temeperatures in the low twenties. It is expected to be slightly warmer tomorrow but still fine. Racing gets underway at 11:20 at Seoul, 12:20 at Jeju and 12:40 at Busan.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

Hangye Geukbok (3.0) took his second straight win in the feature handicap at Busan this afternoon winning a tight finish ahead of Hwanggeumbit Taeya (3.8 ) and Wonder Love (7.7). The six year old sat right at the back of the ten-strong field with jockey Yang Young Nam waiting until they hit the straight before making his move, then powering home for a half length win.  It was Hangye Geukbok’s eleventh career win.

In other races, the three year old Useung Party (1.7) made her third career start in race 3.  The filly won by seventeen lengths last time out and stepped up to 1200 metres for the first time. She led throughout under Yoo Hyun Myoung and came home a length and a half clear of Myeongpum Jilju (6.5) and seven ahead of third placed Daehan Dolpung (12.0) to keep her 100% record intact. 

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Pocketful Of Money takes handicap / Shaving Points looks unbeatable / Danny wins again
Favourite Natural Nine landed the Sports Chosun Cup at Seoul Race Park this afternoon, holding off the fast finishing Nice Champ by a length. The 2.0 shot, ridden by Park Soo Hong made it 6 career victories out of 13 starts. The early running was made by Kkumui Mugyoel (13.6) until Lee Shin Young brought Nokhaji (14.0) around the field to the front in the back straight, a tactic that has worked well with the six-year-old in the past. Nokhaji led until inside the final two furlongs when Natural Nine opened out the sprint. Woo Chang Gu on Nice Champ (7.9) and Moon Jung Kyun on Mansebose (8.9) finished faster but the line came just soon enough for Natural Nine to take the trophy with Nokhaji in fourth place.

On a day when in excess of 60,000 people took advantage of the finest day of the year so far and came to the track, once the Sports Chosun ceremony was over, the days’s feature handicap got underway and it was another victory victory for a favourite, this time Pocketful of Money (2.7) giving Moon Se Young his second win of the day, scoring a length’s victory over Seoul Teukgeup (5.2), the two of them eight lengths clear of the rest. Second-favourite Haengeun Daewang (4.8 ) was clearly feeling the effects of the handicapper, the top-weight leading early on but fading badly in the straight to end up eleventh.

One of the most exciting prospects on the track at the moment is Shaving Points and the three-year-old son of Pure Precision made his third start since arriving in Korea in January. Stepping up in both distance and class, the 1.6 favourite found the going just as easy as in his previous two outings as he cruised to a five length victory over 1700 metres ahead of Mupae Jilju (5.1) and giving Ikuyasu Kurakane his second winner of the day following a win in race 5 on Jayaduri (12.1). There was also a dominant win for Bonny Bee (5.0) who led from start to finish of a competitive KRW 27Million 1400 metre race 8.

Down at Busan, Danny Craven won his second big handicap of the weekend with a fine ride on favourite Boryeong Bulbit. Sitting at the back of the field for the opening stages of the KRW 42Million 1800 metre race, Craven steadily brought Boryeong Bulbit (2,2) towards the front but finding himself boxed in as they rounded the final turn, had to take a very wide line to find a winning run. Once he did, however, Boryoeng Bulbit showed his class with a blistering final furling securing a four length win from Choego Jangseong (10.7) and Haeil (5.8 ) to make it 8 wins out of his last 10 runs.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Top weight and favourite Secret Weapon set the pace and held off a late challenge from Balhaejanggun and Hongji to take this afternoon’s feature race at Seoul Race Park. Ridden by Moon Se Young, the five year old made it 12 wins from 24 races in the 2000 metre handicap. Inside the final two furlongs, it looked as though the 1.5 favourite might be in some danger, however, Moon asked Secret Weapon for a little extra effort and the win was more comfortable than the one length margin over Balhaejanggun (16.0) and Hongji (6.4) suggests. Second-favourite Gayasanseong (3.3) never thretatened to mount a challenge for the placings, finishing eight lengths off the front in fourth place.

Earlier, three year old Power Spinner (2.0) had made it three wins from four races easing up to a length victory over Arctic Time (10.8). Kim Hyo Seob made a fast start on Power Spinner and had a big lead entering the straight. Although Arctic Time ate into the gap, the favourite never looked in any real danger despite drifting across the track in the final furlong. Moon Se Young’s win on Secret Weapon was his second of the day, having won the first on Alps (3.1). Choi Beom Hyun also recorded two wins with victory on the previously un-raced Playing Politics (29.2) in race 2 and then on Western Forever (2.7) in race 5 as did Lee Dong Kuk with wins on Hera (4.4) in race 4 and Sky Wing (7.1) in race 9.

A warm, sunny day with temperatures peaking at around 28 degrees brought out a large Saturday crowd despite the humidity. Racing returns to Seoul tomorrow at 11:20 with weather expected to be similar (although I was wrong last week) with warm temperatures but hazy sunshine and a 20% chance of rain. There’s also racing at Busan with a 12:40 start and at Jeju from 12:20.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

Danny Craven secured his second Busan win and his biggest since arriving in Korea with victory on Winning Beauty in the feature handicap at Busan Race Park on Friday. The 6.7 second favourite came from behind to take a one length win from favourite Florida Native (1.7) in the KRW 40 Million race.

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Busan sweeps the places but Rainmaker nowhere / Race run in torrential rain
Ebony Storm, ridden by Shim Seung Tae, pulled off a shock win in the Korean Derby at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. On a waterlogged track and in a torrential downpour, the outsider of fourteen Ebony Storm came home at 95.3 to land the biggest race of the year by a neck from Gaeseon Janggun (5.5) with another Busan horse, Namdo Jijon (33.1) half a length back in third. Pre-race favourite Rainmaker (2.5) started slowly under Moon Se Young and had nothing as Moon asked him to accelerate off the final turn finishing a well-beaten eighth with second-favourite Jeolho Chance (5.1) behind him in ninth.

Samsimnyeonsarang (43.4) made the early running with Jeolho Chance. Ebony Storm sat just off the front two round the first two turns dropping back in the back straight. As the field came together rounding the top of the final turn, Shim Seung Tae made his move on Ebony Storm, hitting the front with a furlong to go and just hanging on as Park Tae Jong left himself slightly too much to do on Gaeseon Janggun. Seoul’s highest placed finisher was Cheonnyeonbulpae (7.9) finishing in fourth under Cho Kyoung Ho. Meanwhile, Hammer Punch unseated jockey Choi Jung Seob as they rounded the final treacherous bend. Busan now emphatically leads Seoul, providing all the placed horses in the two triple-crown races run so far. A below avearge crowd for Derby day was there to see it happen, the rain and thunder, which grew heavier as the afternoon wore on keeping many away, despite the free admission.

Korean Derby (G1) 1800 Metres
1. Ebony Storm (Shim, Seung Tae) 95.3
2. Gaeseon Janggun (Park, Tae Jong) 5.5
3. Namdo Jijon (Kim, Ok Sung) 33.1
Distances: Neck/1.5 lengths

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL

FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN

Seoul Racing Review
Hot favourite Myeongmun Gamun refused to enter the starting stalls and had to be withdrawn just before the start of the feature race at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. The seven-year-old, who is the highest earning horse in Korea over the past year is well known for his fear of the stalls and took five minutes to be coaxed in before running third in the Grand Prix last December. This time, despite the best efforts of the handlers and jockey Cho, Kyoung Ho, the horse held firm. Myeongmun Gamun had been backed into 1.6 favourite and his absence left the path clear for Gi Ra Seong (3.7) to score a fine victory in a final furlong battle with Speedway (8.1). Sirius (5.3) finished third with Baekpa (2.4), last year’s Oaks winner putting in another disappointing run in fourth place. It was Gi Ra Seong’s eighth win but the first time the Choi Beom Hyun ridden four year old had won a category one race.

Cho Kyoung Ho didn’t take long to recover from his frustrations with Myeongmun Gamun, winning the next, KRW 36Million handicap on Badajebi (5.6) a neck in front of Park Tae Jong on Together, the 3.6 favorite. Overall, it was a good day for Cho, with three wins in total having earlier won on Wild Boy (2.4) in race 4 and Musi Mujong (4.0) in race 5. There were also doubles for An Byung Ki and Oh Kyoung Hoan. Outsider of the day was 33.4 shot Dr. Day who provided jockey Boo Min Ho with his third career victory on his one hundredth career mount in race 3. Dr. Day overhauled the strong favourite True Really (1.2) in the last few strides to win by a nose.

A beautiful sunny day at the track and more of the same is expected for the Derby tomorrow. The first race is at 11:20. There’s also racing at Busan from 12:40 and Jeju from 12:20.

FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL