Racing takes a break for the end of the lunar new year holiday this weekend so there are no cards to preview today. Instead, I’ve taken the opportunity to belatedly update full results from Seoul last weekend and will be continuing our jockey profiles series with a look at the overseas riders currently racing at Seoul. Racing will resume at Busan next Friday – to tide things over until then, here’s a thirty minute review from Korean TV of last Saturday’s 12 race card at Seoul including Bally Brae’s easy victory.
Moon & Cho go level
Jockey’s Championship
Moon Se Young and Cho Kyoung Ho are level after the fourth weekend of the year. Moon followed up his four winners on Saturday with a winless Sunday but Saturday’s exploits were enough to catch up Cho on 15 winners. There’s then a big gap down to Yoon Dae Keun in third. Forty-one jockeys have now had winners in 2008 so far. Among those with their first winners of the year over last weekend were Shim Seung Tae, Lee Dong Kook – with a double on Sunday – and Nozomu Tomizawa.
1=. Cho Kyoung Ho, Moon Se Young 15
3. Yoon Dae Keun 7
4. Park Tae Jong 6
5=. Choi Beom Hyun, Ikuyasu Kurakane, Kim Hey Sung 4
Racing Review – Sunday February 3
Neocheon returned to form to land the 39Million won feature race at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. Ridden by Woo Chang Gu, the 9.4 third favourite led from the start to win by a head from Seonju Jangsu (Kim Ok Sung). Strong odds-on favourite Good Day (Jeon Duk Young), finished a length back in fourth.
Favourite Mujeok Gangho (2,5) took the day’s second most valuable race under Park Soo Hong and there were two wins each for jokceys Kim Hey Sung and Lee Dong Kook, the latter’s second being a storming finish on Gamdongui Sungan (10.8) in race 6 with Lee making up five places in the final furlong to win by nearly a length at the line.
The richest race of the day, however, was at Busan Race Park where top weight and hot favourite Golding finished strongly under Gu Young Jun to take the 43Million won prize.
Seoul Racing Review – Saturday February 2
Bally Brae comfortably lived up to expectations and won Saturday’s feature race at Seoul Race Park by five lengths ahead of Namchonui Bit. Despite a clobbering from the handicapper resulting in Bally Brae carrying 61.5 kilograms – 8kg more than his closest rival – Moon Se Young guided the six year old 2007 Grand Prix winner home without breaking a sweat.
On a beautiful sunny day at Seoul, the above average Saturday crowd saw Moon Se Young end the day with four winners to overturn and go two clear of Cho Kyoung Ho at the top of the jockey’s table with Cho recording 2 winners today. Boo Min Ho recorded his second career win with victory on Arctic Time in race 5.
There was also racing at Jeju today with most races run in heavy snow. The day’s feature race was won by the 4.7 co-favourite Cheonwangsa. However, the weather on Jeju played havoc with both odds and results.
Busan Racing Review – February 1
Bugyeong Choegang (Gu Young Jun) won today’s feature race at Busan. The 1.7 favourite finished a length ahead on Myeongmun Jepae (Cho Chan Hoon) at 3.8. Only one other favourite on the nine race card was successful – Sunday Punch at 2.7 in race 6. Racing returns to Busan on Sunday.
Full results to follow…
Seoul Racing Preview – February 2
Bally Brae, winner of the 2007 Grand Prix race last December, returns to the track in Saturday’s feature race. Moon Se Young will partner the 6 year old in race 11, off at 17:20, over 1900 metres. Bally Brae has a record of 11 wins from his 18 races and despite dropping down in distance, should be clear favourite here. There are 12 races at Seoul on Saturday with the first under orders at 11:20 and the last at 17:50. There are also 9 races at Jeju, getting underway at 12:20.
Busan Racing Preview – Friday February 1
The week’s racing gets underway at Busan at 13:00 on Friday afternoon, the beginning of a nine-race card. As usual the feature race is the last, an 1800 metre at handicap at 17:10 for foreign bred runners with 13 declared and a winning prize of 34Million won. There will be racing at Seoul and Jeju on Saturday & Sunday and Busan again on Sunday before racing takes a week off for Lunar New Year.
Jockey’s Championship – Cho overtakes Moon
Five winners over the weekend for Cho Kyoung Ho saw him overtake Moon Se Young at the top of the 2008 table. Cho’s wins included a true hat-trick in races 6,7 and 8 on Saturday and victory on Myeongmun Gamun in the weekend’s big race to move onto 12 this year. Moon had a winner each day and is one back on 11. There’s then a gap of five back to third placed Yoon Dae Keun. There were first wins for 2008 for Shim Seung Tae and Woo Chang Gu.
1. Cho Kyoung Ho 12
2. Moon Se Young 11
3. Yoon Dae Keun 6
4. Park Tae Jong 5
Seoul Racing Review – Sunday January 27
Myeongmun Gamun didn’t disappoint in the feature race at Seoul Race Park this afternoon. Under Cho Kyung Ho, the President’s Cup holder went off 1.6 favourite and returned three lengths ahead of Gayansanseong (Kim Hey Sung) and Best Condition (Moon Se Young) the second and third favourites in the 2000 metre 34Million won handicap.
It was a beautiful day in the winter sunshine and just like yesterday, it was a day for outsiders. The longest priced winner was Rich Family in race 7, coming in at 45.4. Other long priced winners included the aptly named Miracle Winner at 19.8 in race 8. The day’s second most valuable race was race 11, won by Aegis Ham (Yang Hee Jin) at 5.9.
There were also six races at Busan, the feature race being the last won by Procyon (Chae Kyu Jun), the 4.4 second favourite.
FULL RESULTS FROM SEOUL CLICK HERE
FULL RESULTS FROM BUSAN CLICK HERE
FULL RESULTS FROM JEJU TO FOLLOW…
Seoul Racing Review – Saturday January 26
Eleven races were held in bright sunshine at Seoul Race Park this afternoon and with temperatures not falling as low as expected, there was a good day’s sport on offer. Races 10 and 11 were the joint feature races both 1900 metre contests, race 10 being for domestic bred horses and race 11 being for foreign bred. It was the domestic race where the shock occurres, Yoon Dae Keun bring home Kkumi Mulgyeol at 27.0 a length ahead of Morning Dance (Cho Kyung Ho) at 4.4. The foreign bred race went to form as 2.1 favourite Angus Empire (Kim Ok Sung) led home 2nd and 3rd favourites Dankee’s Pal and Geumbittuhon by a length and a half.
Earlier in the day, jockey Cho Kyoung Ho scored a treble with victories in races 6,7 and 8. Cheonyeonbulpae was strong favourite in race 6 but Torpedo Mast in race 7 and Chaser in race 8 both went off fourth favourites. In general it was a day of outsiders as aside from Cheonyeonbulpae, Useungcup (Moon Se Young) in race 5 was the only successful odds-on shot. Race 2 also saw an unusual dead heat finish for second place with Taepungchukje and Gold Dash tying 5 lengths behind winner, Nice Good. Danny Craven had 4 rides coming closest with fourth place in race 10.
Horse Racing in Korea 