Sunday Seoul & Busan: Race-By-Race Preview (January 15)

It’s turned very cold over the peninsula the past few days. No better way to warm up though than getting on the punt! 11 races at Seoul from 10:50 to 18:00 including last year’s champion juvenile Final Boss making his first appearance as a 3-year-old. At Busan there are 6 races from 12:35 to 17:00.

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Last year’s champion juvenile Final Boss races at Seoul on Sunday

English race cards are here. Notes on all Seoul races (which will be shown on Sky Racing in Australia) are below:

Key
Fast Starters: Expected fastest starters today
Start-200M: Fastest average time for Start-200M (most recent 6 starts)
200M-Finish: Fastest average time for 200M-Finish (most recent 6 starts)

Race 1: Class 6 / 1000M / Allowance / KRW 40 Million / 10:40

Nine of the twelve are first-time starters but it’s going to be hard to oppose (10) ARGO MELODY, one of the three with prior experience, who was 2nd on debut a month ago. (3) SUN PLAZA actually beat Argo Melody in trials and joins (2) LITTLE SOCIE and (7) JIBONG BULPAE as looking the best of the debut-makers. Aussie trainer Brian Dean saddles (4) UNKISS ME but a watching brief may be best for that one first-up.

Selections: (10) Argo Melody (3) Sun Plaza (2) Little Socie (7) Jibong Bulpae
Next Best: 12, 1
Rating: –
Start-200M: 1, 6, 10
200M-Finish: 10, 1, 6

Race 2: Class 5 / 1000M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 11:05

(2) MONEY TRACK was a seven-length winner on debut on November 26th and while up in class today, he’ll be odds-on to make it two out of two and should lead from gate to wire. If we must oppose him then (1) RAON KINGDOM looks most likely having been 2nd on his first try at this class last month and seems to have potential. (12) ROYAL ESSENCE is up in class following a smart maiden win at the distance on the same day as Money Track’s but has a bit more to find while (11) JEOMIPGASOK is more experienced and can comes in following back to back 3rd places in similar assignments to this.

Selections: (2) Money Track (1) Raon Kingdom (12) Royal Essence (11) Jeomipgasok
Next Best: 8, 6
Rating: 1, 2, 8, 7=12
Start-200M: 2, 12, 1, 4, 7
200M-Finish: 2, 3, 10, 6, 11

(more…)

Busan Friday: Race-By-Race Preview (January 13)

Power Blade and Diferent Dimension ran overnight in the Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting at Meydan with the pair running 3rd and 7th respectively among 15 runners in the 1600M Handicap. Their home track is Busan and it’s on the South Coast where Korea’s weekend racing gets underway on Friday with 11 races from 11:30 to 18:00.

English Race Cards can be found here. Notes on overseas simulcast races are below:

Key
Fast Starters: Expected fastest starters today
Start-200M: Fastest average time for Start-200M (most recent 6 starts)
200M-Finish: Fastest average time for 200M-Finish (most recent 6 starts)

Race 4: Class 6 / 1600M / Allowance / KRW 20 Million / 13:40 

Really rare opportunity for class 6 horses to have a go at a mile so needless to say it’s a full field and none of them have had a chance at the distance before. Were ten months between (5) THE BEE GOLD’s debut and second start. He looked much improved on his return two weeks ago and can continue to improve here. (7) YONGWANGDAM showed ability at 1300M and is one of a number who should appreciate the trip while Kim Young Kwan’s (8) FOUR NINES comes in following back to back 2nd places and looks the likely pace-setter here. Those are the three standouts but in such a race there are plenty of possibilities among which (9) STYLISH and (3) DONGNAM DAEBAK look to be the most likely of the rest.

Selections: (7) Yongwandam (8) Four Nines (5) The Bee Gold’s (9) Stylish
Next Best: 3, 10
Rating: –
Fast Starters: 3, 8
Start-200M: 3, 8, 12, 9, 1
200M-Finish: 8, 10, 11, 5, 7 (more…)

DWCC 2017: Power Blade & Diferent Dimension To Face Off At Meydan Thursday

Power Blade and Diferent Dimension will race each other at the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday evening. The Korea-trained pair have both been declared for the 1600M Handicap race 4 at Meydan Racecourse.

2016 Korean Triple Crown winner Power Blade (Menifee), trained by Kim Young Kwan, will be ridden by Pat Cosgrave while Adrie De Vries will partner the Peter Wolsley-trained Diferent Dimension (Into Mischief) in the race which is at 8.15pm local time (1:15am Friday in Korea).

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See the full race card at Emirates Racing Authority

Both horses have reportedly been well in training. The race, which has attracted 15 runners, looks competitive. Top weight is Final Selection (Diktat), who raced in high class company in 2016 and finished 2nd to The Gurkha at Deauville last May but ended the season in indifferent form. Satish Seemar’s North America (Dubawi) enters having won his last two at Meydan, both at a mile, in non-Carnival meetings in November and December. Bluff (Tapit) also won last up at Jebel Ali.

Heavy Metal (Exceed And Excel) has come close in recent starts and  on one of them finished 2nd to Need To Know (Western WInter) who surely goes better on the Meydan dirt than he did on the Seoul sand in the Korea Cup last September. Along with the Korean pair, it’s hard to know at first glance what to make of American and Swedish runners Wildcat Red (D’Wildcat) and Pistol (Eishin Dunkirk).

That’s the beauty of this meeting though and while Power Blade and Diferent Dimension have it all to do, if they run to their best in what is not a strong race by Carnival standards and on what is currently a very fast track at Meydan, this is a field that they should be able to at least be competitive in.

The other three Korea-trained horses in Dubai for the Carnival are expected to be entered for next Thursday’s card. Two-time President’s Cup winner Triple Nine will likely be pointed to 2000M while Main Stay and Seoul Bullet would be expected to tackle a sprint distance.

“Championship Series” Kicks Off With Wins For Champ Line & Gumanseok

Champ Line and Gumanseok both made the most of light weights to win the respective class 1 features at Busan and Seoul on Sunday afternoon and put early points on the board in the new Championship Series.

Champ Line (Curlin) was sent off as the odds-on favourite for Busan’s 1800M feature. Always prominent under Seo Seung Un and carrying 6.5kg less than stablemate and 2nd-favourite Dynamic Dash, he comfortably saw off the challenge of Emeth (Rothesay) when the two went clear in the home straight, running on to win by an eased down two lengths. It was an 8th win in 17 starts for the Thomas Gillespie trained 5-year-old and his second at class 1.

At Seoul, the conditions were the same for the feature race with Sambong and Bichui Jeongsang being sent off as the top two in the market. The latter barely featured under the 58kg top weight but Sambong was one of six horses who got close to the eventual winner in what was a thrilling finish.

That winner would be the 8-year-old Gumanseok (Vicar), making his 51st start and carrying just 51kg with apprentice Ha Jung Hun on board. Just over a length separated the first seven home but three quarters of that was Gumanseok’s winning margin as once he got on top with half a furlong remaining, never looked like being beaten.

It was a 12th career victory for Gumanseok who won a pair of Listed races back in 2013 and has been a consistently reliable performer ever since. Today he took his earnings just shy of 1 Billion Won. It also put him on top, along with Champ Line of the “Championship Series”.

The Championship Series is a new feature of the racing calendar in 2017. The idea is that a number of races throughout the year are to be designated as “Championship Series” races. Points will be awarded for finishing in 1st, 2nd or 3rd places in those races. A league table will be maintained and those horses with the highest points will qualify to run in the two big end-of-season races, the President’s Cup (Korean bred only) and the Grand Prix Stakes. This qualification process will replace the “Arima Kinen” style public vote which has been in recent years to decide on the participants for the Grand Prix as the declining numbers of actual voters (barely a thousand in 2016), has made the voting somewhat less than fit for purpose and risks deserving horses missing out.

Whether Champ Line or Gumanseok will end the year deserving or not remains to be seen but it should maintain the interest over the coming months.

*In other news, all four high profile jockeys who have relocated tracks for 2017 found themselves in the winners’ circle. At Busan, Jo Sung Gon quickly picked up where he left off riding for Peter Wolsley as the pair combined for two winners on Friday while Jo In Kwen was successful on a rank outsider in the penultimate race on the same day. Grand Prix Stakes winning jockey Ham Wan Sik broke his Busan duck on Sunday. Meanwhile, the only jockey to go the other way was Kim Yong Geun and the Triple Crown winning jockey rode a double in Seoul on Saturday.

Racing returns to Korea next Friday at Busan. Before that though, attention switches to Dubai where Power Blade and Diferent Dimension could well line up against each other over a mile in Thursday’s Carnival meeting at Meydan.

Mirko Sanna Rides 1st Korean Winner

Mirko Sanna began his Korean stint at Busan on Friday and it didn’t take the Italian licensed jockey long to get off the mark as he guided 20/1 chance B.K. Park to victory at Busan on Sunday afternoon.

The 32-year-old Sanna, who had previously ridden in Europe, Malaysia and Canada, made the breakthrough on what was 12th Korean ride. He took B.K Park right back at the start of the 1300M Busan race 4 and closed well to beat odds on favourite Great King by just over a length on the line.

Busan Friday: Race-By-Race Preview (January 6)

The 2017 racing season gets underway at Busan on Friday (full fixture list to follow shortly) and with the Jeju ponies taking a rest this weekend, there is a busy day in store with 13 races from 11:40 to 18:00. 

Italian jockey Mirko Sanna makes his Korean debut and has plenty of rides. English race cards are here. Races 4-13 will be simulcast overseas, notes on those races are below:

Key
Fast Starters: Expected fastest starters today
Start-200M: Fastest average time for Start-200M (most recent 6 starts)
200M-Finish: Fastest average time for 200M-Finish (most recent 6 starts)

Race 4: Class 6 / 1300M / Allowance / KRW 20 Million / 13:30 

Three starts to date and (1) GOLDEN TROPHY is surely not far away from getting a first win. He beat (3) JIBONG YEONGUNG three weeks ago as the pair raced 4th and 6th over this distance. Golden Trophy was favourite that day and this time can justify it. Inside gate may be to his advantage. Jibong Yeongung can get close to him again but (9) CAPI RUN looks the most interesting rival. Mirko Sanna has a decent book of rides on his first day in Korea and this colt keeps coming home in 4th place. If Sanna can get him to the front early, it could be better today. He was beaten last time by (11) SEONGGONG PLAN and that one can’t be ignored either.

Selections: (1) Golden Trophy (9) Capi Run (11) Seonggong Plan (3) Jibong Yeongung
Next Best: 2, 4, 8
Rating: –
Fast Starters: 1, 9, 11
Start-200M: 11, 8, 9, 1, 10
200M-Finish: 4, 11, 1, 7, 5 (more…)

Menifee Heads All US Top Ten Leading Sires In Korea For 2016

For the fifth year running, Menifee claimed the Leading General Sire in Korea title in 2016. The 20-year-old stallion headed an all American-bred top ten with his progeny winning nearly double the amount of prize-money than nearest rival, Forest Camp.

Menifee

Menifee is Korea’s leading sire once again

2016 Korea Leading General Sire (Money earned in 1000 Korean Won units – Chief Money Earner)

1. Menifee (USA) 7,927,060 – Power Blade
2. Forest Camp (USA) 4,229,230 – Ottug Ottugi
3. Ecton Park (USA) 4,199,740 – Triple Nine
4. Vicar (USA) 3, 636,710 – Haemaru
5. Peace Rules (USA) 3,439,700 – Success Story
6. Colors Flying (USA) 3,373,000 – Touch Flying
7. Officer (USA) 3,248,690 – Ice Marine
8. Didyme (USA) 3,196,550 – Hoseungjibyeok
9. Sharp Humor (USA) 2,846,480 – Gorgeous Dream
10. Exploit (USA) 2,758,910 – Dixie Ploit
11. One Cool Cat (USA) 12. Creek Cat (USA) 13. Whywhywhy (USA) 14. Volponi (USA) 15. Pico Central (BRZ) 16. Hawk Wing (USA) 17. Cielo Gold (USA) 18. Cowboy Cal (USA) 19. Ingrandire (JPN) 20. Capital Spending (USA)

Menifee continued to dominate. Even without Triple Crown  winner Power Blade, who contributed nearly 1.5Billion Won to his total, he still had more runners, more starters and more winners than any other Korea based stallion and while he is now covering fewer, it’s inevitable that he’ll be on top for at least a further year. Forest Camp rose six places on 2015 with Oaks winner Ottug Ottugi his chief earner for the second year running. Colors Flying and the late Sharp Humor entered the top ten for the first time while two more who have passed away in recent years, Creek Cat and Pico Central, dropped out. The latter was the top non-US bred on the list. The highest placed stallion not standing in Korea was Cowboy Cal in 18th place. That’s been put right though as Cowboy Cal landed in Korea on December 29th and is currently in quarantine having been purchased by local interests.

2016 Korea Leading Sire of 2-year-olds

1. Menifee (USA) – Final Boss
2. Officer (USA) – Ice Marine
3. Sharp Humor (USA) – Europa
4. Chapel Royal (USA) – Wonder Wall
5. Ecton Park (USA) – American Power
6. Forest Camp (USA) 7. Exploit (USA) 8. Vicar (USA) 9. Ingrandire (JPN) 10. Whywhywhy (USA)

Menifee was also leading sire of 2-year-olds with his colt Final Boss winning both the Gwacheon Mayor’s Cup and Breeders’ Cup to be crowned champion juvenile. Newcomer Chapel Royal posted strong figures. Sharp Humor sadly passed away over a year ago and his final full crop is set to hit the track in 2017.

2016 Korea Leading First-Crop Sires

1. Chapel Royal (USA)
2. Simon Pure (USA)
3. Rock Hard Ten (USA)
4. Symphony Sonata (KOR)
5. Raconteur (USA)

Only five first-crop sires managed to deliver a winner and only Chapel Royal delivered significant numbers in terms of runners and winners. Last year’s first-crop winner Strike Again finished in 24th place in this year’s General List, however, he only has very small crops racing at the moment. His unexpected success in this category in 2015 led him to cover 72 mares in 2016 – an almost five-fold increase on 2015 and only four fewer than Menifee – so he may well rise in future years.

Seven-Timer Satoshi Shines & Holland Returns With A Double

The 2016 season wrapped-up at Busan on Saturday and it was a great end to the year for much of the foreign contingent at the south coast track. The returning Darryll Holland landed a double for Peter Wolsley and Bart Rice while Thomas Gillespie trained a double and Francisco Da Silva rode a winner. Star of the show though was Japanese rider Yonekura Satoshi who ended up in the winner’s circle on no fewer than 7 occasions on the 15 race card.

Holland, who resumed regular riding at Busan on Friday following a two and a half year absence, got off the mark on Sunday in race 4, guiding Peter Wolsley’s Secret Marine (Sea Of Secrets), a 5/1 chance, to a seven length win. Holland would go on to win the day’s feature race, a valuable test for three-year-olds, on Bart Rice’s Buhwarui Banseok (Tizway), who beat Korean Oaks winner Ottug Ottugi by two-lengths. The victory – and a later one for Wonil Gangja (Cowboy Cal) in race 15, the final race of the year – capped a superb year for the Rice stable which has seen him finish in 5th place in the Trainer Premiership. Only Kim Young Kwan and Peter Wolsley had a better strike-rate and a top-three finish is surely on the agenda in 2017 for the South African handler.

Da Silva’s win was on the promising Shunsuke Yoshida owned colt Wonder Wall (Chapel Royal) in race 8 while the Gillespie-trained winner of race 7, Party Again (Singing Saint), was one of four victories on the day that took jockey Seo Seung Un to joint-1st in the Jockey Premiership on 104 wins for the year, level with You Hyun Myung. The weighing room is about to become a lot more competitive with Seoul jockeys Ham Wan Sik, Jo In Kwen and former Busan champion jockey, Jo Sung Gon, all set to ride full time at the track from January with only Kim Yong Geun headed in the opposite direction to the capital.

No-one finished the year in better form though than Yonekura Satoshi, who put on a sparkling display on Saturday. The highlight of his seven wins in the valuable 2-year-old race when he guided US import Drop The Beat (Mad Flatter) to a comfortable win over five rivals. He also teamed up with Thomas Gillespie to get 7/1 chance Great Song (Songangaprayer) home in race 14.

His closing day heroics meant Satoshi ended the year on 39 winners for 5th place in the standings. With a top line-up of overseas jockeys and now, possibly for the first time at Busan, some real depth in the domestic jockey ranks too, the first few months of 2017 are set to be an exciting time.

Busan New Year’s Eve Saturday: Race-By-Race Preview (December 31)

2016 concludes with a bumper New Year’s Eve Saturday card at Busan. There are 15 races from 10:50 to 18:00. They include two big races, one for 2-year-olds and one for 3-year-olds to see the year out with. No live racing at Seoul or Jeju but the racecourses are open for the Busan simulcast. There is no racing in Korea on New Year’s Day.

English race cards are available here. Notes on races which will be simulcast overseas are below:

Race 6: Class 5 / 1200M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 13:25

(4) FREE CARE is up in class following her maiden victory, achieved by making all to score by four lengths over 1000M a month ago. She’s also up in distance for the first time but has every chance of winning again. (10) DINAH is yet to win in four outings but has never finished worse than 3rd and should keep that record going here while (12) TAEYANGUI SINHWA was 3rd on his first try at this level two weeks ago and can continue to develop here. Darryll Holland taking the mount makes (8) MADEIN MYEONGSEONG attractive to continue his recent run of placings while (3) VICAR SARANG and (5) ONLY BLUE are others to consider.

Selections: (4) Free Care (10) Dinah (8) Madein Myeongseong (12) Taeyangui Sinhwa
Next Best: 3, 5
Rating: 8, 5=12, 4, 6
Fast Starters: 6, 4
Start-200M: 8, 12, 4, 6, 7
200M-Finish: 4, 1, 10, 8, 6

Race 7: Class 5 / 1300M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 13:50

Thomas Gillespie’s (4) PARTY AGAIN comes in following 4th place in the Gyeongnam DoMin Ilbo Cup in November and will be strongly favoured to return to winning ways on what will be his first try at 1300M. (1) ADELE ACE is yet to win in three outings but finds himself up in class and distance following two 3rd place finishes and a 2nd and can continue to place here – he should get an easy lead early – while (5) SONATILLED stepped up to a mile for his first attempt at this class three weeks ago and can improve on the 5th he managed that day. (2) MANGANG and (7) BEONGGEULBEONGGEUL others to look out for.

Selections: (4) Party Again (1) Adele Ace (5) Sonatilled (7) Beonggeulbeonggeul
Next Best: 2, 3
Rating: 4, 5, 7=9, 1
Fast Starters: 1
Start-200M: 1, 6, 11, 4, 8
200M-Finish: 4, 1, 7, 9, 5 (more…)

Busan Friday: Race-By-Race Preview (December 30)

Seoul takes a weekend off and all tracks take Sunday off so it’s to Busan for Friday and Saturday racing to round out the 2016 season in Korea. There are 8 races at Busan on Friday from 11:55 to 18:00 (and plenty of pony races from Jeju).

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Darryll Holland returns to Busan (Pic: Ross Holburt)

UK jockey Darryll Holland, who had a successful year at the track in 2013-2014 returns to Busan this week. He has three rides on Friday with a further eight on Saturday. English race cards are here. Notes on races to be simulcast overseas are below:

Race 3: Class 5 / 1300M / Handicap / KRW 40 Million / 14:05 

Competitive race but while (9) PARTY TONIGHT is yet to win in four outings and up in class, he’s favoured to score here. He was just beaten a head on his first start at this distance a month ago having started poorly. If he can get away better here, he should be tough to beat. (6) MR. SPENDING beat (7) BAEKDUBONG as the pair raced 2nd and 4th over this distance on December 2nd and the former especially should be a danger again today while (1) DANCING STAR comes in following back to back 3rd place finishes, the first of them at class 1, and will be backed. (4) WINNING GILI and (5) YOUARE THE CAPTAIN look best of the rest.

Selections: (9) Party Tonight (1) Dancing Star (6) Mr. Spending (5) Youare The Captain
Next Best: 5, 7, 2, 12, 11
Rating: 1, 5, 2=11, 7
Fast Starters: 1, 7, 9
Start-200M: 9, 3, 1, 7, 8
200M-Finish: 7, 9, 10, 8, 1 (more…)