Well…it was bitterly cold, but the absence of any wind made it a tolerable day at Seoul Race Park. Racing at Busan made for more breaks in the day’s card than is comfortable for a good day’s racing – but more on that later. On the track, the big race was race 10, a 1900 metre handicap, won in a close finish by Jungtongsung a 17.2 outsider ridden by Cho, Kyoung Ho a length ahead of Hongji (Jung, Ki Young) and Totoro (Ikuyasu). The strong favourite, Sebyokdongja (Moon, Se Young) was unplaced. Another odds-on favourites was overturned – Free Woody in race 6 getting beaten at 1.9 by Hammer Punch (3.6) but others came up, Headline News won Race 4 for Cho, Kyoung Ho and Erectus had his first outing of the year comfortably winning race 7.

There was another full card at Busan this afternoon. While it is an excellent idea to run races at Busan on Sunday to try to get people in the south of the country to go the track on the weekend (really there is no point in spending billions of won on a racetrack if you’re only going to run races on a Friday!) it is a shame that this means less races at Seoul. Ideally they should maintain full programs at both. For development of racing in Korea it is important that Busan runs weekend racing but it also important the Seoul Race Park offers an attractive day out if, as the KRA claims, it wants to move beyond being just a company that caters to the misery of gambling debts. Interestingly, the Busan races were valuable with prize money in the races that were simulcasted to Gwacheon matching that of Seoul. Korea Racing Blog will report on a card from Busan soon to see what’s happening down there.

Jockey’s Championship 2008: It looked like Cho, Kyoung Ho was going to catch up with Moon, Se Young until Moon won the last to move ahead again:

1. Moon, Se Young 6

2. Cho, Kyoung Ho 5

3. Yoon, Dae Keun 4

4.=. Yoo, Sung Wan; Choi Beom Hyun 3

6=. Ikuyasu Kurukane; Park Tae Jong; Shin, Hyoung Cheol; Jung, Ki Young 2

Eleven races again saw 11 different jockeys in the winner’s enclosure and a reasonable turn out at Seoul Race Park for what was an average Saturday card in terms of quality. There were two joint main races – the final two and it was in the first of these that we saw the day’s best contest. A 17.7 outsider, Leaders, ridden by Ikuyasu Kurukane took the race by a nose from Eunpamense (5.5) under Park, Tae Jong with the 2.2 favourite Yuel Mountain three-quarters of a length back in third.

In other races, apprentice jockey Choi, Won Jun rode his third career winner in race 9, a race notable for the fact that the favourite went off at 4.0 – exceptionally high by Korean standards – and was unplaced. Choi’s horse was second favourite at 4.5.

The 2008 racing year at Seoul Race Park began in bright sunshine this afternoon with a competitive main race won by 15.3 shot Hwangryongsaji (Choi, Beom Hyun). The 1800 metre handicap came down to the final few metres, Choi managing to hold off Park, Tae Jong on 1.6 favorite Namchoneuijichun by a length to claim the 52Million won prize. Every race was won by a different jockey, Moon, Se Young and Yoon, Dae Keun got their usual winners as did Ikuyasu Kurakane with a winner in the last. Danny Craven had three rides but was unplaced in each. The biggest priced winner of the day was a 70.5 shot which came home in race 7 under Choi, Jung Seob.

Racing returns at 11:00am tomorrow.

A bitterly cold day at Seoul Race Park with temperatures officially hovering around -6 but with a cruel wind making the conditions much worse. Still 12 races took place and it was a good day for veteran jockey Park, Tae Jong who notched up 3 winners. The most valuable race of the day was Race 11, a race over 1400 metres worth 31Million won to the winner. It was won by the favourite Good Day ridden by Jeon, Deok Young a length ahead of Ikuyasu Kurakane on Dalkane. Other odds-on favourites Gamadongja in race 6 and Baekpa in race 12 also came home in front. The longest priced winner was Chanranhanbit in race 9 returning at 15.1 in an open race on a day when class proved vital in the freezing conditions.

Australian Danny Craven experienced his first real taste of the Korean winter with some creditable rides, his best placing being a 4th behind Baekpa in the last race of the day. Overall, the final race day of 2007 was a day dominated by the cold with a lower than average turnout – many racegoaers found it too cold even to go outside to smoke. Hopefully it will warm up for next Saturday’s card – the first of 2008.

Bumper crowd sees Bally Brae take Grand Prix
Racing returned to Seoul Racecourse Park this week after last weekend’s unplanned hiatus and a huge crowd turned out Sunday for the 12 race card, the highlight being the Group 1 Grand Prix Race. Run over 2300 metres it’s the season’s longest race and is worth 182 Million won to the winner. The five year old Bally Brae with ten wins from 17 previous starts went off the 1.5 favourite under 2007’s top jockey Moon, Se Young, in a race that also featured old-stager Flying Cat and prolific winners Myeongmun Gamun (Chun, Chang Ki) and 2005 Horse of the Year, Subsidy (Oh, Kyung Hoan). And it proved to be these three who disputed the placings. Subsidy came round the field on the back straight to open a 5 length lead, however, as they rounded the turn, Moon asked Bally Brae to quicken up, catching Subsidy on three furlongs and then opening out into the final straight winning by a comfortable 5 lengths. Subsidy battled on for second and Chun, Chang Ki brought Myeongmun Gamun home for third. Fly Queen, (Park Tae Jong) finished fourth. The start of the race had been delayed by almost 5 minutes due to Myeongmun Gamun’s refusal to go into the stalls. It was looking like the horse was going to have to be withdrawn until a last ditch attempt – or brute force of about 10 handlers – finally got the 6 year old in. The owners owe the handlers a drink as the horse went on to win 45 million won for finishing third.

So Moon, Se Young confirms his position as Korea’s top jockey with yet another big race win. Earlier in the day he’d been in the winner’s enclosure after steering Happy Hero to victory in race 5. It’s getting to the stage where Moon’s booking on a horse is enough to bring its price down a good 2 or 3 points. He’s also beginning to get his share of groupies in the paddock…

Overall a good return to racing at Seoul – big crowd, good weather, good afternoon’s sport. More next week.

Just a brief one today as it was a day of generally unspectacular racing. On the plus side, Seoul Racecourse Park was bathed in thoroughly spectacular sunshine providing a wonderful day for the above average sized crowd. Betting was competitive all day long with punters undecided on many races. Moon Se Young returned riding three favourites but each time was beaten as sure things were hard to come by. Particularly disappointing was Easy Company in race 6 which had one 2 out of its 3 previous races but failed to stay the extra 200 metres trip. Most notable performance of the day came in race 10 as the highly fancied Jeokdaejeok added to his impressive record with a comfortable win under Yoon Dae Keun.

A beautiful day at Gwacheon saw bright sunshine and a welcome return to reasonable temperatures after last week’s cold. The torrential rain on Friday afternoon resulted in heavy going and a track that looked more like mud than the usual sand. This had a predictably unpredictable effect on the form and it was a day of long-shots coming in and odds-on chances getting beaten. The most surprising result of the day came perhaps in race 10 where Wontagi Gisa – a horse with W130Million of prize money from just 9 races behind it failed to feature at all in a race won by the unfancied Jeoldae Banji under Shim Seung Tae – the tote paying 60.0 on the win. Australian Danny Craven had two rides but didn’t trouble the placings.

Sunday will see another 12 races plus the return of Moon Se Young after 2 racing days off.

Eventful day for Iku and it’s cold…very cold…
Winter arrived in a big way in Seoul this weekend. The early forecast of a high of 6C proved hopelessly optimistic as the temperature struggled to rise over freezing. This, coupled with a biting easterly wind, made it a bracing day at the races. On the track, the weekend’s big race was the “NACF Chairman’s Trophy Race” over 1800 metres and worth 67,000,000won to the winner. The 5 year old Pilseung Giwon, running in her fortieth race took the trophy under Ikuyasu Kurakane, a length and a half ahead of the odds-on favourite Morning Dance under Cho Kyoung Ho.

Ikuyasu had an eventful day, placing and winning in early races before falling on the final bend in Race 9 while riding the highly fancied Biroesonata. Placed fifth at the time, Biroesonata pulled out into the back of Magic Sarang (ridden by Oh Kyung Ho) and went over. Remarkably, from what looked like a bad tumble, both horse and jockey were straight up. Magic Sarang went on to cross the line first, however, a steward’s inquiry found Oh to have been responsible for Iku’s fall and the horse was disqualified. Hyo Bin, under Lee Sung Hwan, was promoted to first place. Iku went straight from the ambulance to the paddock for the big race clearly with a point to prove.

Overall a good day’s sport but the cold is here – and it’s going to be at least four months until the end is in sight!

The International Jockeys Challenge was won by one of the international entrants and it was another great day for Moon Se Young

International Jockeys Challenge
Despite not winning any of the four designated races in the challenge, South African Gerrit Schlechter was the overall winner in terms of prize-money and took the $20,000 award. Cho Kyoung Ho finished second in the standings following his win on Bandoueui Byeol in the 15:20 “Macau Jockey Club Goodwill Trophy” beating Schlecter by a nose on High Boy. Park Tae Jong finished third overall. Schlecter also took time out to win Race 9 – not part of the Challenge – on joint-favourite Eoullimnyeongung overhauling long time leader Balgeunhae (Yoon Dae Keun) in the final furlong. An interesting event and it was certainly a novelty to see so many official looking foreigners around Gwacheon. They even laid on a US military band for the presentation ceremony. The only pity was that Irish representative Wayne Lordan seemed to get lumbered with the weakest horse in each race – four times he got himself into a good position on the final turn – four times the horse then went backwards.

Moon does the business again
The weekend has further cemented Moon Se Young’s reputation as the man you most trust your money with at the moment. Following on from his success in yesterday’s feature race, Moon repeated the trick in today’s feature taking the 80,000,000won 1400 metre Handicap Special on Saerounbisul. Taking an early lead, Moon was overtaken on the final turn and seemingly boxed-in until he found a gap with a furlong to go and won pulling away from Park Tae Jong on Ilbo Gyeongcheon and Gerrit Schlecter on Eunpa Manse. A superb ride that earned rare applause from racegoers and it was Moon’s second win of the day having earlier guided old-stager Turn Turtle to success in the horse’s first outing over 1800 metres in race 7.

Round-up
Japanese jockey Nozomu Tomizawa is worthy of a mention having had a good day, notching up his sixth winner in Korea on the unfancied Smart Angel in race 5 and following it up with a 3rd place finish on Seonbi in race 6. Of the two Japanese Jocks riding regularly at Gwacheon Ikayasu Kurakane has been the most successful so far but Nozomu showed what he can do today. Elsewhere there was a rare British bred horse in race 7. Be My Day went off favourite but didn’t stay the 1800 metre trip and finished last.

A chilly, cloudy day in Gwacheon for 12 races of varying quality. Feature race was the 90,000,000won Japan Racing Authority Trophy but the card was also notable for the first two races in the “International Jockey Challenge”.

JRA Trophy
Eight two year olds lined up for the JRA trophy at 16:20. The 1200 metre race was led from start to finish by favourite Clever Star (2.2) ridden by Moon Se Young for a five length victory from Seoul Taekgup (4.2) in second and Big Sox (6.3) in third. The result means Clever Star has now won 2 of his 3 starts.

International Jockey Challenge
A curious event which is now in its third year, the International Jockey Challenge consists of 4 races involving five Korean and five international jockeys. This year the international line-up consists of Gerrit Schlechter from South Africa – a man with a truly incredible head of hair, Kevin Radke of the USA, Lam Hoi of Macau, Kunihiko Watanabe of Japan – a man also well endowed in the hair department and Wayne Lordan, the promising young Irish jockey. For Korea, Park Tae Jong, Chun Chang Ki, Kim Hyo Seob, Cho Kyoung Ho and Park Soo Hong line up. Over the weekend there are four races and the jockey with the best record wins $20,000. After an awkward photocall at lunchtime, they got down to business in the 6th race of the day and Park Tae Jong did the business on Widaehan Khan with an exaggerated celebration as he crossed the line. Lam Hoi managed third place but the other internationals were well down, Lordan and Radke in particular not looking impressed with their mounts. The balance was redressed in race 9, however, in a race of much higher quality, Radke on Arrow Guard edged out Schlecter on Vere Strong in a cracking final furlong. The event will conclude with two more races tomorrow.

Round-up
Saturday’s remaining big race saw Good Day comfortably add to his impressive record in a 1900 metre 66,000,000 won Handicap. The only three year old in the race he led for most of the way under Cho Kyoung Ho to rack up victory number 8 in 10 outings.