Three Korean-trained horses are in Japan in preparation for the 3rd Interaction Cup, which will be held at Ohi Racecourse in Tokyo on Tuesday October 13.

Korea-trained horses are travelling again (Pic: KRA)

Two years ago, the late Watts Village delivered a glorious, not to mention totally unexpected, victory for Korea in the inaugural event. In 2014, a weak Korean entry flatly succumbed to a much stronger Japanese challenge. This year, there is a little more optimism in the air with the Korean visitors hopeful that the three challengers can this time at least give the home team a run for their money.

Cowboy Son at Nasu (Pic: KRA)

Cheon Gu, who seemed to enjoy his trip to Singapore in July and then finished 3rd in the Asia Challenge Cup on his return home heads the challenge of the visitors who spent six days at a quarantine facility in Nasu before moving to Ohi Racecourse on the Thursday prior to the race.

The race will be held under the lights next Tuesday evening and will be run over 1200M.

Cheon Gu (USA) [Old Fashioned – So Much Fun (Speightstown)] 3yo Colt (8/4/1/2)
Fast becoming the go-to horse for the international races with his sporting connections taking every opportunity to do something different this year. He led out of the gate in the KRA Trophy in Singapore only to tire in the home straight and then tried something similar in the Asia Challenge Cup at Seoul in August. That day only Choegang Schiller and El Padrino made it past him.

Cowboy Son (USA) [Cowboy Cal – Nosmallacheivement (Smart Strike)] 4yo colt (19/10/2/2)
As a 2-year-old in 2013 he won his first six races but the nature of Korean racing has meant that since becoming a class 1 horse, he has had very few opportunities to race at his preferred sprint distances. This race should therefore be ideal for him and he could be very interesting.

Dynamic Jilju (USA) [Forestry – Beat Your Feet (Dixieland Band)] 4yo colt(27/6/3/4)
He hasn’t run at 1200M since he was a 2-year-old (he won) but there is no reason why he won’t appreciate the opportunity for a sprint. He comes in following a class 1 victory over a mile in August and while he has never been a superstar, he is a solid campaigner.

We’ll have a full preview of the race once the final declarations are made over the weekend.

Cheon Gu returns from work at Nasu (Pic: KRA)

Watts Village, who became the first Korea-trained horse to win a race overseas, died late last month.

Watts Village winning the 2013 Interaction Cup in Japan (Pic: keiba.co.jp)

The 5-year-old passed away of a neurological disease just days before the Asia Challenge Cup, a race in which he had been expected to run.

Watts Village [Forestry – Edey’s Village (Silver Deputy)] was a $20,000 purchase from the 2012 Ocala Spring sale of two-year-olds in training and arrived in Korea in June of that year.

Watts Village 2010-2015

He debuted in August of that year with a victory and would also win his next three starts, including the TJK Trophy in November. He wouldn’t win again until July 2013 and then went on to finish 2nd behind Tosen Archer in the Korea-Japan Goodwill Trophy in September.

He then won a quick race over six-furlongs in October which encouraged connections to take their chance in the Interaction Cup at Ohi Racecourse in Tokyo on November 26. While most Korean hopes were pinned on Fly Top Queen, the most expensive horse ever imported to the country and at that time, still unbeaten, a Korean win seemed unlikely.

However, under jockey Seo Seung Un, Watts Village was gunned out of the gate and into an early lead. He would not give it up. Although the field came back to him, he just managed to hold on, sparking raucous celebrations among the visiting Korean contingent and securing his place in Korean racing folklore.

There was a feeling among some close to the horse that his exertions in Japan had taken a lot out of him and despite having been invited to race in Dubai the following spring, connections declined and kept him at home. Indeed, he only raced five times in 2014, with a solitary victory.

Watts Village and Moon Se Young in the Munhwa Ilbo Cup winner’s circle. It turned out to be his last race (Pic: KRA)

Given another lengthy spell, he came back for a tilt at this year’s Asia Challenge Cup, which would be run over his favoured six furlongs. After an encouraging 2nd place on his re-appearance after six months off, he easily won the Munhwa Ilbo Cup in July, Seoul’s official trial for the Challenge Cup. Sadly that turned out to be his final race.

Watts Village ran a total of 19 times with 8 wins, 5 seconds and 2 thirds.

With just a couple of weekends to go before the short Chuseok break, the fields are big and its juveniles who take centre-stage in feature races at Seoul and Busan on Sunday.

Apropos of nothing, here is a picture of some cheerleaders from the Asia Challenge Cup (Pic: Ross Holburt)

The two 1200M races are part of a beefed up program of races exclusive to two-year-olds in the build-up to the “Breeders’ Cup” at the end of November and are for those horses bought at this year’s domestic sales. Seoul’s race sees a debut for Golden Vascar, the first Korean based horse to be owned by Katsumi Yoshida.

Full racecards in English are available here

Here’s what’s happening when and where:

Friday September 11
Busan Racecourse: 11 races from 12:50 to 19:00
Jeju Racecourse: 9 races from 13:15 to 17:25

Saturday September 12
Seoul Racecourse: 12 races from 10:50 to 18:00
Jeju Racecourse: 9 races from 12:20 to 17:30

Sunday September 13
Seoul Racecourse: 11 races from 10:50 to 18:00
Busan Racecourse: 6 races from 12:45 to 17:00