Chapel Royal colt picks off Sports Donga

After slipping up last time out, Ace Galloper resumed normal service today, cruising to victory in the Sports Donga Cup, Sunday’s feature event at Seoul Race Park.

Ace Galloper returns after another win

It was an eleventh career win for Ace Galloper from seventeen total career starts. Ineligible for last year’s three-year old Classics having been born in Korea but sired elsewhere, Ace Galloper (Chapel Royal) is currently ranked fourth best Korean horse at Seoul. On current form, it is difficult to see those ahead of him – Triple Seven, Top Point and Blue Pin – standing much of a chance.

Today, the four-year old was sent off the odds-favourite and led from gate to wire to record a three length win from New Year’s Stakes winner Andy’s Runner with jockey Cho Kyoung Ho having the luxury of being able to ease him to a canter before the line. Cherokee Man was a surprise third while Special Volpony and Lucky Mountain filled out the remaining money finishes.

In other races, with the KRA Cup Mile just a week away, things were relatively quiet. Filly Yeah Strike scored an impressive 5 length win in race 10 to earn her first class 2 victory and fifth in total. Meanwhile another filly, Allegrissimo (Bon Vivant) was similarly dominant in race 6 as she recorded her second win. Also a word is warranted for filly Hiroo Dreamer; the four-year old finally broke her maiden today as she took race 5 vy just over a length. It was her sixteenth attempt.

Choi Won Joon drives filly Hiroo Dreamer to her first victory in her sixteenth start

Down at Busan, the feature race was won by favourite Global Champ (Charge Forward), who was produced at exactly the right time by jockey Toshio Uchida to score a half length victory from Dandi and Cheogo Beoltong.

So that wraps up another weekend – and another month – of racing on the peninsula. It is April when the serious business begins. There’s the Ttukseom Cup at Seoul but more significant is next week’s KRA Cup Mile, the first leg of the Korean Triple Crown Series, at Busan. We begin our build-up tomorrow!

The flowers have been planted and they'll be out soon - Seoul Racecourse March 27

Former Champion Runs Wide Again / Crown Flag Scores Upset In Busan Ilbo

Larrycat took full advantage as once again it all went wrong for Dongbanui Gangja in the feature event at Seoul Race Park this afternoon.

Larrycat and Park Tae Jong just edge out Strong Demand and Park Byung Yun in the feature race at Seoul

Dongbanui Gangja (Broken Vow), the former double Grand Prix Champion, had been out of the winner’s circle for nearly a year, after his long time habit of running wide in the home straight became too much to control. Still every time he races, many punters expect him to get it together once more. Indeed today, he was sent off as slight odds-on favourite as he was carrying several kilos less than he has been accustomed to.

Beaten again: Dongbanui Gangja

It didn’t make any difference. Choi Bum Hyun had Dongbanui Gangja well placed as they rounded the home turn but slowly, inevitably, the drift happened and while his rivals were going forward, Dongbanui Ganga was going sideways and didn’t stop until he got to the grandstand rail. In his stead, it was left to Larrycat (Fantasticat), second to Mister Park in the 2010 Grand Prix to get the better of Strong Demand (Read The Footnotes) in a tight finish.

Three lengths behind them, there was a blanket finish for third, Geumbi, who was making her class 1 debut, beating out Kahnui Jeonseol and, all the way across, Dongbanui Gangja by a nose. He ran a self-inflicted 20 metres further than any other horse in the race but was still only five metres away from winning. This suggests he’s still the fastest horse in Korea. However, now six years old, it is difficult to see how a stallion such as Dongbanui Gangja is going to change his ways.

Down south, on a wet and muddy day at Busan it was the Busan Ilbo Stakes and what was billed as a clash of the track’s most promising up and coming imported fillies.

As it turned out, the final stages were a clash between a Korean bred four-year old – with just one win in twenty to her name – and the only mare in the race – who also had only ever recorded one win. It was the Korean four-year old who won out as Crown Flag (Volponi), a 57/1 shot squeezed home a length ahead of Amateras (Silver Charm).

Pre-race favourite Royale Embrace (Chapel Royal) was a disappointment, never featuring towards the front and only managing seventh in the end. Likewise, there was to be no first Korean Stakes win for trainer Peter Wolsley as his Secret Whisper, second favourite in the betting finished third.

The winning pair returned a 1763/1 exacta. A few punters will have gone home happy while a few fillies have reputations to repair.

Busan Ilbo Stakes – Busan Race Park – 1400M – Sunday March 20, 2011

1. Crown Flag (KOR) [Volponi – Crown of Creation (Beau Genius)] – Kim Myoung Sin – 57.2. 7.8
2. Amateras (JPN) [Silver Charm – Nice Juno (Nice Dancer)] – Choi Si Dae – 9.5
3. Secret Whisper (KOR) [Sea Of Secrets – Generals Passion (General Meeting)] – Park Geum Man – 2.1

Distances: 0.75 lengths/1.75 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Sangseung Geotap 5. Lovely Woman 6. Queen Of Rain 7. Royale Embrace 8. Gayatansaeng 9. Saetbyeol 10. Geungnak Seonnyo 11. Ecton Legacy 12. Myeongmun Bobae 13. Jungle Love 14. Allie’s Premo

Dongbanui Gangja (7) gazes out over the Seoul paddock that he used to dominate

Today saw the first sandstorm of the year drift over the Korean capital. Here’s what happened on the track, where the sand is meant to be:

* The feature handicap involved a slew of old-timers and it was one of these, eight year old Hongji, who took the honours, defeating favourite Jilpunggangho by half a length.

Celebrate Tonight and Oh Kyoung Hoan head to post for what would be a victorious effort in race 10

* A pair of imported horses enhanced their reputations. Grand Ace (Grand Slam) won her first two races with ease but disappointed in her next three to the extent that she was sent off as a 16/1 outsider in the all-filly race 9. However, once she hit the front, she never looked like getting beaten as she stormed to a three length victory from favourite Blueband Mama.

One race later, three-year old colt Celebrate Tonight (Songandaprayer) got the better of a cracking final furlong battle with filly Kkochyeol (Essence Of Dubai) to win by a nose and record his third win from six starts. Hot favourite Mass Media’s Tea (Mass Media) was a disappointing fifth.

*Seoul also got its first ever full-time foreign female jockey today as Japanese rider Mai Beppu debuted in race 9. Twenty-three year old Beppu was previously based at the Japanese NAR’s track at Kochi and two years ago rode in the International Lady Jockey Invitational race in Busan. Today she had just two rides, both of which were unplaced. She has three more tomorrow.

Japanese Jockey Mai Beppu made her Seoul Racecourse debut today

Speaking of tomorrow, it is a big day. Down at Busan it is the Busan Ilbo Stakes and the match-up between two of the track’s hottest up and coming fillies. Both Royale Embrace (Chapel Royal) and Secret Whisper (Sea Of Secrets) have won their last three races in impressive style and head a fourteen strong field. If Secret Whisper were to be successful, it would also be a historic achievement for her trainer, Peter Wolsley, who would become the first foreign trainer to win a Korean Stakes race.

The big race at Busan comes under orders at 15:35 and is race 5 of a six-race card which runs from 12:30 to 16:30. Four of those races will be simulcasted live back to Seoul where there is an eleven-race card from 11:10 to 18:00. Highlight in the capital is set to be the meeting between Larrycat and Dongbanui Gangja in the feature race 10.

View down a hazy home straight during the first dust storm of the year

Sometimes it’s great to be wrong. Just two short weeks ago, I was lamenting the fact that the great and venerable Bally Brae was spending his weekends carrying on obscene amount of weight and getting beaten by lesser horses. Yes, he’s healthy and loves to run but he deserves his retirement.

Bally Brae, with Oh Kyoung Hoan up, returns a winner for the first time for a year

Today, still carrying top weight and against a field containing Jumong, one of Korea’s top imports and younger brother of Subsidy, the horse with whom Bally Brae shared many memorable battles some years ago, the nine-year old proved the doubters wrong by pulling off a remarkable victory.

Moon Se Young, jockey of Bally Brae in his biggest races, had opted for Jumong so it was left to Oh Kyoung Hoan to have the former Horse of the Year at the front of a pack chasing early leaders Sadae Gwangja and Summa Cum Laude. The field came together as they entered the straight and, just as his big brother did all those years ago, Jumong hooked up with Bally Brae. They weren’t alone though as they battled each other down the stretch as the whole field came together for a blanket finish in which Bally Brae just got the better of Emperor Cugat with Jumong back in third.

Bally Brae, Horse of the Year in 2006 and Grand Prix winner in 2007 scored his nineteenth victory on his forty-fourth career start. He’s been there for much of Korean racing’s recent history. His first jockey, Hong Dae You, has now been his trainer for the past three years while the late Lim Dae Gyu rode him to his first Stakes victory. Two years ago I wrote a similar article when he returned to the winners’ circle after a long drought. Few thought we’d have the privilege to see him repeat the feat in 2011.

Moon Se Young guides NZ bred Daenggimeori to victory at Seoul

It was a beautiful day in the Korean capital and aside from Bally Brae, there was much to get excited about. New Zealand bred gelding Daenggimeori (Handsome Ransom) finally broke his maiden at the seventh attempt as he scored a narrow victory in race 4, while there was defeat for highly rated Ruby Queen in race 8.

Kim Hae Sun scores with Saeroungangja in race 8

Ruby Queen (Badge Of Silver) came in with a record of three wins from her five starts to date and was sent off as the odds-on favourite, but she and jockey Jo In Kwen ran into an inspired ride by Kim Hae Sun of 10/1 shot Saeroungangja, who led from gate-to-wire for the victory. One horse who did live up to his billing though was Achimsarang. Suffering the same problem as fellow Broken Vow offspring Dongbanui Gangja, for the second race running, Achimsarang drifted wildly in the home straight but had enough in the tank to still win race 9 with ease.

It was an eventful afternoon and there were presentations to watch too. Last weekend, Tough Win gave trainer Shin Woo Chul his 1000th career winner. During the week he had a tree planted in his honour and today, Shin was presented with a trophy (actually several trophies) to mark his achievement – the first time a trainer has reached such a milestone in Korean racing history.

KRA organizes impromptu head lice inspection: Or not - Shin Woo Chul (wearing the garland) is honoured for 1000 career training wins

In addition to Seoul, Busan also held an eventful card and just like Seoul it was an old-timer who took the feature race. Crafty Louis (Louis Quatorze) made the first appearance of his eight-year old season and put the young pretenders firmly in their place with a convincing win in the seven furlong feature. Just like Bally Brae, it was his forty-fourth race and he is now just one win behind on eighteen.

The sunshine was hazy but a huge crowd packed into Seoul Racecourse today

* For obvious reasons thoughts at the track today were with the tragedy that has befallen our neighbours across the sea in Japan. Despite – and in many ways because of – the difficulties the two nations have had in their history, the links run deep. There are few in Korea who do not know someone who has been affected by this.

Racing in Japan has of course been suspended indefinitely. See this post for a report on the whereabouts and well-being of horses in Japan.

From a seemingly impossible position, Triple Seven flew home to claim a last gasp victory in the feature event at Seoul Race Park this afternoon.

Triple Seven: Winner today

Stuck behind a pack of horses as they entered the home straight, last year’s Ttukseom Cup winner, sent off at 8/1 and top weight for the 1700 metre handicap, Triple Seven (The Groom Is Red) looked set to play no part in a a finish that was et to be contested by favourite Holy Dreamer, filly Cheonun and former prolific winner Big Easy.

Forced to go down the outside, jockey Bang Choon Sik – replacing regular rider Choi Bum Hyun – managed to get six-year old Triple Seven into top gear and they came through to hit the front as the pack swept over the line to win by a head from Cheonun with Khanui Huye and Holy Dreamer just a further neck behind in third and fourth.

It made it two wins from two starts this year and twelve career wins in total for Triple Seven who, alongside the great Baekgwang, is the most successful horse by late sire The Groom Is Red.

In other races, there was a third straight win for three-year old Mupaeseungni (Ingrandire). Crucially this time it was over 1700 metres and the manner in which he coatsed to an eight length victory in race 8, suggests the colt could play some part in the Classics this year. If he does, he’ll be the first progeny of relatively new Japanese sire Ingrandire (White Muzzle) to do so. Meanwhile, for the second Saturday in a row, Japanese jockey Hiro Hamada took victory in the last race of the day. This time he partnered filly She Strong to a narrow win.

Racing returns to the peninsula on Sunday with eleven races at Seoul from 11:10 to 18:00 and six at Busan from 12:30 to 16:30.

* Today, March 12, is the one year anniversary of the death of jockey Park Jin Hee. Busan based rider Park took her own life after battling depression.

Park Jin Hee 1982-2010 (KRA)