Sunday’s racing, including the Owners’ Cup, and all of next weekend’s cards have been cancelled following the ferry disaster.
Report to follow.
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Seoul Owners’ Association Trophy: Full Preview
The Seoul Owners’ Association Trophy has been run for as long as there has been an Owners’ Association.
Gwanggyo Bisang is among 11 vying for the Owners’ Association Trophy
That was 1993, the same year that the system of private ownership of racehorses was introduced.
Since then it’s gone through many forms and has seen some of the most well-known names in Korean racing win. P’Ulgeurim, Subsidy, Dongbanui Gangja and last year, Jigeum I Sungan have all made their way into the winner’s circle in the past.
Since 2012, the race has been restricted to Korean-bred runners aged 4 and up and is run over 7 furlongs and that’s what it will be this time around.
Joy Lucky and Gwanggyo Bisang are among a number of top class horses who will contest one of the highlights of the Spring racing calendar. Here’s a full run down of the field with their race records and jockeys:
Seoul Owners’ Association Trophy (KOR G3) – Seoul Race Park – 1400M – April 20, 16:35
1. K Tap [Menifee – Summit Party (Ecton Park)] 4 C (14/6/2/4) – Jang Chu Youl
Has won his last two starts over this distance including a class 1 last time out. He’s quick and likes to come from just off the pace which gives him a chance here.
2. Jjak Kkung [Forest Camp – Fab Four (Yes It’s True)] 5 M (20/6/1/4) – Kim Tea Hun
Well beaten by K Tap over the distance last time out and there’s little to suggest that form is going to be overturned. Won from the front over 1200M in January but should find the company a little quick here.
3. Brig [Menifee – Delicias (Deputy Minister)] 4 C (16/8/3/0) – Moon Se Young
4th in last year’s Derby and a two-time class 1 winner, Brig drops down to one-turn for the first time since he was a 2-year-old. He’s never run at this distance but Brig likes to come from just off the pace and could be a big threat in the home straight. A chance.
4. Cheonnyeon Dongan [Ecton Park – Honeycakes (Hennessey) 4 F (12/7/0/3) – Jo In Kwen
Comes into the race off the back of three wins – two of them in Stakes races but hasn’t run since January. One of those Stakes wins came at the expense of Joy Lucky who suffered interference. All things being equal though, Joy Lucky is faster than her. Another closer, it’s worth watching the board for any value.
5. Full Step [Didyme – Fox Dance (Foxtrail)] 7 H (41/4/4/4) – Lee Gang Seo
Has been out of step for a long time now. Hasn’t moneyed for two years and won’t do so here. Served his time and should be retired. To his credit, in his 41 starts, he’s never finished last.
6. Reigns Cat [Creek Cat – Eternal Reigns (Eternal Orage)] 6 H (32/5/3/3) – Ikuyasu Kurakane
Four indifferent performances since returning from a long lay-off make it very difficult to recommend him here. The old Reigns Cat would have had a chance but not this one.
7. Joy Lucky [Vicar – Proper Gun (Prosper Fager)] 4 F (12/8/1/0) – Seo Seung Un
Comes into the race off of a hugely disappointing run in the Ttukseom Cup. She is the fastest horse in the race and if she runs at her best, she wins. In three of her last races, however, she hasn’t. Still difficult to oppose.
8. New And Best [Trick Of Fate – Yongungch’eon (Phizam)] 7 H (54/4/6/3) – Bang Choon Sik
A shock second in this race to Jigeum I Sungan last year at odds of 200/1. He’ll be something similar here and for good reason.
9. Seoul Jeongsang [Capital Spending – Luvtonoah (Westminster)] 6 G (32/4/5/7) – Yoon Tae Hyuk
Although he has graduated up the levels through virtue of prize-money, Seoul Jeongsang has never won a race at a higher level than class 3. He’ll not win this one either and though he was a decent sprinter, is unlikely to have the pace to figure in the finish.
10. Gwanggyo Bisang [Menifee – Touch Upon (Touch Gold)] 4 G (11/8/1/1) – Park Tae Jong
A double-Stakes winner last year and narrowly beaten by Joy Lucky over further in December. Hasn’t run since January but will be among the favourites and is very capable of beating Joy Lucky.
11. Heukgisa [A.P.Dancer – Mansumugang (Half Term)] 5 G (17/7/3/1) – Cho Kyoung Ho
Beat a small field to win a class 1 with a very swift turn of foot last time out. Likely to be close to front and could make a nuisance of himself in the closing stages.
Record-Breaking Stakes Winner Dangdae Bulpae Retired
Dangdae Bulpae, a three-time winner of the President’s Cup, has been retired.
Dangdae Bulpae in the President’s Cup winner’s circle – a place he made his own
A winner of 19 of his 32 starts, Dangdae Bulpae won a Korean record 10 Stakes victories and amassed a record KRW 2.9 Billion (around US$2.6Million) in prize money. Among those Stakes wins were three consecutive triumphs in Korea’s richest race, the President’s Cup.
By the unfashionable – and generally unsuccessful – Japanese sire Biwa Shinseiki and out of the Alydeed mare Indeed My Dear, Dangdae Bulpae debuted as a 2-year-old in 2009, running a rather inauspicious 5th place over 5-furlongs. He won his next 4 though, which was enough to allow him to take his chance in the 2010 Spring Classics.
Jo Sung Gon reacts as Dangdae Bulpae crosses the finish line (Pic: Newsis)
He could only manage 8th in the KRA Cup Mile but on his first trip to Seoul, he was an impressive 3rd in the Korean Derby behind Cheonnyeon Daero. The winner that day would spend most of the rest of his career looking at Dangdae Bulpae’s tail.
Maturing in the autumn, Dangdae Bulpae won the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Minister’s Cup and then landed the first of his President’s Cups.
This set the tone for the next two years and although he had the occasional off-day – neither of his two attempts on the Grand Prix Stakes were successful – he and the late great Mister Park became the dominant Korean bred horses of their era.
He generally came off second-best to Mister Park, including one comical afternoon where the two found themselves facing each other with 1st year apprentice jockeys on their backs as both trainers baulked at the weights they’d been assigned in the handicap.
Most of the time though, things were serious and Dangdae Bulpae was a serious racehorse. While the 2300 metres of the Grand Pix proved out of his distance range, he did win the “Summer Grand Prix”, the Busan Mayor’s Trophy in 2012 in a another golden year that culminated in his 3rd and final President’s Cup triumph.
2013 saw him add another Stakes win – the Busan Ilbo Cup in February – but injury then intervened and it was a very different Dangdae Bulpae who lined up in Seoul last month to try for his 4th President’s Cup. He ran a shadow of his former self and retirement was immediately decided on. Dangdae Bulpae had done quite enough.
Horse racing in Korea although run on the flat, is similar to jumps racing in that its stars can have reasonably long careers on the track. From a sporting point of view, this is an overwhelming positive as we get to follow our favourites for a number of years. From a welfare point of view, it relies heavily on owners doing the right thing by their horses both before and after retirement.
Since I started writing this blog back in 2007, there have been perhaps two big “eras” of Korean racing. The first, from 2007 until mid-2010, was dominated by an American import, Dongbanui Gangja. However, the star of the second, from mid-2010 to the present, was the home-grown Dangdae Bulpae. He’ll be missed but has thoroughly earned his retirement to stud.
Gwanggyo Bisang Romps To Stakes Double
Gwanggyo Bisang cruised to a Stakes double at Seoul Race Park today, adding to his Munhwa Ilbo Cup with a 10 length victory in the Ilgan Sports Cup.
Park Tae Jong and Gwanggyo Bisang in the Ilgan Sports winners’ circle – with a little help from members of Nine Muses
Sent off the narrow favourite, Gwanggyo Bisang (Menifee) was always prominent among the 13-strong field and, under veteran jockey Park Tae Jong, never looked like being caught as he eased away from his rivals in the home straight.
Second-Favourite Heukgisa (A.P.Dancer) ran on for 2nd while the talented but lightly raced and injury prone K-Tap (Menifee) returned a creditable 3rd.
As a gelding, Gwanggyo Bisang was ineligible for the Triple Crown races this year. He has now won 7 of his 8 starts and enters class 1 racing as the highest ranked 3-year-old at Seoul. Having won at distances from 1000 metres to 1800 metres, he looks set to among the contenders for big honours later this year.
Ilgan Sports Cup – Seoul Race Park – 1800M – September 15, 2013
1. Gwanggyo Bisang (KOR) [Menifee – Touch Upon (Touch Gold)] – Park Tae Jong – 2.1, 1.2
2. Heukgisa (KOR) [A.P.Dancer – Mansumugang (Half Term)] – Cho Kyoung Ho – 1.6
3. K-Tap (KOR) [Menifee – Summit Party (Ecton Park)] – Jang Chu Youl – 3.7
Distances: 10 lengths/1 length – 13 ran
Earlier at Seoul there was a 3rd win in 4 starts for well-thought of 2-year-old Persian Wangja (Ghostzapper). One of very few Canadian-breds in Korea, he suffered his first defeat last time out at the hands of Fly Top Queen in the Singapore Turf Club Trophy. Today, he ran in a comfortable 2-length winner over 7 furlongs and is one to keep an eye on.
Down at Busan, having secured his 200th Korean winner last week, Australian Peter Wolsley trained his 201st today, saddling his stable star Cheongchun Bulpae (Milwaukee Brew) to win the feature “Mister Park Memorial Race” by a neck. A 4-year-old gelding, Cheongchun Bulpae now has 10 wins from 17 starts.
Happy Chuseok! From Dal Shabet
Racing now takes a weekend off for the “Chuseok” (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday. Punters were not impressed to find that the KRA had not supplied gifts for them as is customary at this time of year. However, given that top Korean girl-groups “Dal Shabet” and “Nine Muses” were both in attendance, we will forgive them.
Japanese Horses Arrive In Seoul for SBS Korea-Japan Goodwill Cup
The three Japanese horses who will make history as the first foreign-trained runners in Korea when they participate in the SBS Korea-Japan Goodwill Cup this coming Sunday, have arrived at Seoul Racecourse.
The plane carrying the Japanese visitors touched down last Thursday
Tosen Archer, Final Score and Big Gulliver touched down in Korea on August 22 and were taken straight to a specially prepared quarantine zone at Seoul Racecourse.
Due to strict quarantine laws for any animals coming into Korea, they must be kept separate from the general horse population at the track until the day of the race and they are completing workouts in the very early mornings, before the track opens for normal training.
The word from those workouts is ominous for Korean racing fans: the 3 visitors look stronger and faster than our own.
The race will be run over 7 furlongs (1400 metres) and will be screened by Sports cable TV channel SBS ESPN. See our first preview here or go to our facebook page for more pictures.
The SBS Korea-Japan Goodwill Cup is on Sunday September 1
President’s Cup Full Field
It’s been brought to my attention that the KRA’s English site doesn’t have the full list of runners and riders for the President’s Cup – the nation’s richest race – which goes to post a couple of hours from now.
So here is an abbreviated one with name (sire) starts/1sts/2nds and jockey. 3 year olds carry 56kg, the rest carry 58kg:
President’s Cup (KOR G1) – Seoul Race Park – 2000M – November 11
1. Magnifique (Menifee) 19/9/4 – Ham Wan Sik
2. Yeonseung Daero (Creek Cat) 44/16/8 – Park Geum Man
3. High Point (Silent Warrior) 29/9/2 – Jun Duck Young
4. Gyeongbudaero (Menifee) 14/5/3 – Choi Si Dae
5. Golden Rose (Buster’s Daydream) 34/6/8 – Jo In Kwen
6. King Of The King (Sakura Seeking) 18/5/1 – Park Jae Ho
7. Jigeum I Sungan (Ingrandire) 14/6/5 – Moon Se Young
8. Dangdae Bulpae (Biwa Shinseiki) 26/17/2 – Jo Sung Gon
9. Cheot Insang (Psychobabble) 36/7/4 – Lee Sang Hyeok
10. Rising Glory (Menifee) 10/4/4 – Kanichiro Fujii
11. Seungniuihamseong (Vicar) 18/6/2 – Cho Kyoung Ho
12. Special Win (Tahamkke) 19/6/4 – Kim Hae Sun
13. Powerful Korea (Distilled) 18/6/3 – Kim Dong Young
14. Nobel Pokpung (Didyme) 12/4/3 – Lim Sung Sil
Canadian Filly Dangdae Jeonseung Wins Singapore Turf Club Trophy
Dangdae Jeonseung cruised to a comfortble victory in the Singapore Turf Club Trophy At Seoul Race Park this afternoon.
Dangdae Jeonseung stands tall after the Singapore Turf Club Trophy
Always well-placed, the Canadian bred filly reeled in and overtook favourite and long-time leader Chowonuibyeol in the home straight to win, going away, by a length and a half at the end of the 7 furlong race, which was the second time Singapore’s racing authority has sponsored a race in Korea.
It was only Dangdae Jeonseung’s fourth career win, however, she rewarded punters who had kept enough faith with her to back her into second favourite, despite disappointing recent showings in the KNN and YTN Cups. She hadn’t run since but the two months off clearly benefitted her and it will be interesting to see how she performs next time.
Foaled in Canada but purchased out of a US sale, Dangdae Jeonseung is one of very few Canadian bred racehorses in Korea. Another one, Sufficientevidence (Pleasant Tap), was also a winner at Seoul today. The two-year old colt broke his maiden in race 6.
Singapore Turf Club Trophy – Seoul Race Park – 1400M – October 13, 2012
1. Dangdae Jeonseung (CAN) [Put It Back – Diamond-Heirloom (Pembroke)] – Moon Se Young – 2.5, 1.4
2. Chowonuibyeol (USA) [Rockport Harbor – Arctic’s Angel (Artax)] – Choi Bum Hyun – 1.4
3. Dashing Platinum (USA) [Macho Uno – Forbidden Kiss (Touch Gold)] – Yoo Seung Wan – 3.3
Distances: 1.5 lengths / 2.5 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Big Power (USA) 5. Xicar (AUS) 6. Indian Cherokee (USA) 7. Raonjena (USA) 8. Winner Trophy (USA) 9. Baekduachim (USA) 10. New Terracan (USA) 11. Fortunata (USA) 12. A Wanted Affair (USA) 13. Golden Socks (USA) 14. Yongsan Hwangnyong (USA)
Dangdae Jeonseung was one of three winners today for Moon Se Young and the champion jockey will be looking to make a quick return to the winner’s circle tomorrow when he partners Korean Derby winner Jigeum I Sungan in the Minister’s Cup, the final leg of the 2012 Korean Triple Crown.
Sunday October 13:
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:00 to 17:55 including the Minister’s cup at 16:15
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:15 to 16:40
Weekend Preview
Here’s what’s happening when and where on a weekend where Bulkkot Gisang (Langfuhr) makes her class 1 debut at Busan and Tough Win (Yonaguska) is in action at Seoul:
Friday April 22
Busan Race Park: 9 races from 12:00 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 13:30 to 17:30
Saturday April 23
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 17:30
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:30 to 17:20
Sunday April 24
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 11:10 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:30 to 17:00
Horse Racing in Korea 