Beolmaui Star

Beolmaui Star, Eoma Eoma To Clash Again in SROA Chairman’s Sprint

The road to September’s Korea Sprint hots up on Sunday as the domestic Sprint Series reaches its conclusion with the SROA Chairman’s Sprint (1200M KOR-G2), a race that is being run for the first time with international Listed status, at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon. SEE HERE FOR FULL PREVIEW OF ALL 17 RACES ACROSS SEOUL & BUSAN ON SUNDAY.

Beolmaui Star and Seo Seung-un (Pic: KRA)

Following his gate to wire win in the SBS Sports Sprint (1200M KOR-G3) on April 14th, BEOLMAUI STAR is the favourite to back up. He ran a huge 2nd to Japanese star Remake in last year’s International Korea Sprint but struggled with his start in the Kookje Shinmun Trophy at Busan last November and then in two forgettable efforts in Dubai to begin the year.

Seoul seems to suit Beolmaui Star though and under Seo Seung-un, he was the fastest away in the SBS Sports Sprint and was never headed, scoring by three-quarters of a length. He comes into a much better gate this time around and so long as he gets the start right, he will prove hard to beat again.

EOMA EOMA was the horse who got closest to Beolmaui Star in the SBS. It was a return to form for the 2022 Korea Sprint winner who had been an underwhelming 5th in the first leg of this year’s series, the Busan Ilbo Sprint (1200M KOR-G3) in March 10th. To add to the intrigue, CC Wong gets legged up for his first real live chance in a Korean Group race.

The result of the Busan Ilbo had hinted at a generational shift as the four-year-old pair of RAON THE POINT and SOMETHING LOST swept home late to finish 1st and 2nd respectively. The older sprinters struck back in Seoul last month but Something Lost finished a close 3rd and Raon The Point is worth another chance from a better draw.

A newcomer on the Sprint Series trail is VICS GO. In the absence of the top line of sprinters he won the Listed Segye Ilbo Trophy over 1200M in February but instead of persisting into the Busan Ilbo, he was sent back up to two turns and the Stayer Series instead. That didn’t go well so he comes back down in trip again and from a good gate, can be in the mix.

Several old-favourites among the sprinting ranks return including last year’s winner SSONSAL as well as the venerable MORFHIS, now nine-years-old but a creditable 6th placegetter in the SBS Sports. Among the lesser-known ones, FANTASTIC KINGDOM is a winner of six of nine starts up to class 2 level and while facing the elite at level weights will be a new experience for him, he may just measure up.

The SROA (Seoul Racehorse Owners’ Association) Chairman’s Sprint is race 8 on the 10-race Sunday card at Seoul with a local post time of 16:30.

Beolmaui Star Puts Start & Dubai Woes Behind Him in SBS Sports Sprint Triumph

It was always going to be about the start for Beolmaui Star. At Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon, the five-year-old shrugged off his recent gate woes to begin beautifully and cross to the lead and then proceeded to make every post the proverbial winning post in the SBS Sports Sprint (1200M KOR-G3) at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

Beolmaui Star and Seo Seung-un after winning the SBS (Pic: KRA)

The so-called generational shift hinted at with Raon The Point’s victory over fellow four-year-old Something Lost in the first leg of the Sprint Series, the Busan Ilbo Sprint last month, will have to wait. Something Lost was sent off as favourite and was in the race a long way, crossing the line 3rd, just a length and a half behind Beolmaui Star.

But Raon The Point, while showing near the front early on, faded from the scene early and finished well back. Instead, it was the veteran Eoma Eoma, showing he is far from done yet, who was a fast-finishing 2nd, three-quarters of a length behind the winner.

Beolmaui Star was unable to run in the Busan Ilbo as his quarantine period on his return from his disappointing Dubai sojourn meant that he wasn’t able to return to work in time Local punters didn’t care about that and also ignored those Dubai results and his latest start in Korea, when missing the start in the Kookje Shinmun Trophy last November, and they made him 2nd favourite behind Something Lost. 

“I was actually nervous” winning trainer Baik Kwang-yeol told in-house broadcaster KRBC. “The first time I have ever been nervous before a Group race.”

Eoma Eoma made a late bid but couldn’t get there (Pic: KRA)

Baik didn’t talk much more about the race but expanded on his chastening experience at the Dubai Carnival with a horse he felt, given the times he had run at 1200M – and having finished just four-lengths behind international superstar Remake – should have been competitive, but was not:

“I thought we prepared well for Dubai but ultimately, I felt like that frog in the well (who knows nothing of the sea). He can (run the times necessary to be competitive) but just couldn’t adjust to the pace and tempo of the race there. If we can’t adjust to that then (Korean racing) will never be any better, I feel good and fortunate to have won today, but I will not just be satisfied with this.”

Beolmaui Star seems to love racing at Seoul. After the Korea Sprint and before his Dubai disgrace, he also messed up the start in the Kookje Shinmun Trophy in Busan last November, but this time, back in the capital, there was no mistake.

“(Beolmaui Star) has just one drawback” winning jockey Seo Seung-un explained to KRBC. “He can get anxious in the gates, and he is a lead horse so if he makes a mistake at the start, he simply won’t get a result. So, we trained a lot to get the start right and he did and then we were able to carry out our plan effectively.”

(Pic: KRA)

As for the Dubai expedition, Seo, who travelled over to Meydan to ride his first race, didn’t have much of an explanation and quickly moved on. “There wasn’t a particular problem with the horse, he just didn’t run well. Next month is the SROA Chairman’s Trophy over the same 1200M distance so if the horse is in good health and condition then there will be a high possibility that we will be here.”

Like Moon Se-young two weeks ago, Seo also noted the demographics among the racegoers. “When I come to Seoul, I feel like I can receive a lot of support because the crowd is so big. The number of younger fans has increased a lot, so the atmosphere makes it feel like the culture has changed a lot compared to just ten years ago. It is really nice to see.”

The final leg of the Sprint Series is the SROA Chairman’s Sprint (1200M KOR-G2) at Seoul on Sunday May 19th. Next weekend, the focus shifts back to the Korea Cup lead-up with the Stayer Series and Global Hit heading the field in the YTN Cup (2000M KOR-G3) at Seoul on Sunday afternoon.

Beolmaui Star To Make Meydan Debut in Dubawi Stakes Friday

Korean runners return to the Dubai Racing Carnival on Friday evening (early Saturday morning Seoul time) as Beolmaui Star lines up in the G3 Dubawi Stakes over 1200M on the dirt at Meydan.

Beolmaui Star and Seo Seung-un at the Korea Sprint last year (Pic: KRA)

Trained by Baik Kwang-yeol at Busan, Beolmaui Star is a five-year-old entire by To Honor And Serve and is is a winner of five of his seventeen starts. His standout performance came in last September’s Korea Sprint where he overcame gate thirteen to lead for most of the way, ultimately finishing in 2nd place, four-lengths adrift of the Japan-trained winner Remake. In his only subsequent start, in November’s Listed Kookje Shinmun Trophy, Beolmaui Star became anxious in the gate and missed the break, never featuring.

In the Dubawi Stakes, Beolmaui Star has drawn gate nine and as ever for him, the start will prove crucial. If he gets away well – and if he takes to the dirt instead of the Seoul and Busan sand – then anything can happen. In a departure from the usual Korean practice of booking the best available local, regular rider and reigning Busan Champion Jockey Seo Seung-un has been flown in to ride.

Beolmaui Star is available at between 12/1 and 20/1 in fixed odds markets. Favourite is the Doug Watson trained Sound Money.

Beolmaui Star is one of two Korea-trained horses at this year’s carnival with the other being 2021 President’s Cup winner Simjangui Godong who is expected to be targeted at two-turn races on the dirt. The pair of them flew to Dubai in early December.