Breeders’Cup Queen.Breeders’ Cup Rookie

Champion Filly & Mare / Juvenile Prizes To Be Decided on Busan’s Big Sunday

SEE HERE FOR FULL RACE-BY-RACE PREVIEW OF ALL 17 SUNDAY RACES AT BUSAN AND SEOUL

It’s just a week until the Grand Prix Stakes when Yumeno Honoo will likely start as favourite to become the first overseas trained horse to win the traditional final Group One of the Korean racing season. Before that, however, there are some intriguing domestic loose ends to tie up at Busan on Sunday with the Breeders’ Cup Queen (1800M KOR-L) and Breeders’ Cup Rookie (1400M KOR-G2).

Boreyonglightqueen downed Gladius and Jeulgeounyeojeong in the 1st leg of the series (Pic: KRA)

The Breeders’ Cup Queens is the final leg of the Queens’ Tour Fall & Winter and defending champion FLYING STAR returns. After scoring in this race as a three-year-old a year ago, she had an indifferent start to her 2025 campaign but has been coming back into form in this series, finishing 3rd in the Jeju Governor’s Cup over 1400M at Seoul in September, before winning the Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup at 2000M on October 26th with lots of today’s rivals behind her.

Trained by Seo In-seok and partnered by jockey Jang Chu-youl, who has ridden her in her past two starts, Flying Star is the probable market favourite to prevail but in both editions to date of this relatively new race on the calendar, the Breeders’ Cup Queen has been won by a three-year-old with JEULGEOUNYEOJEONG – who returns again – prevailing in the inaugural running on 2023. There is a smart young filly in the field this time too and she may just keep that trend going.

BORYEONGLIGHTQUEEN was 3rd in the Luna Stakes and Korean Oaks before winning the final leg of the Triple Tiara over 2000M at Seoul in July. She then returned to the capital track and took the first leg of this series, the Jeju Governor’s Cup over 1400M, with a dashing late burst to flash past Jeulgeounyeojeong and GLADIUS. That led her to be sent off as favourite for the Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup and although she only managed 5th that day, the Rock Band filly should have a big part to play here.

In winning the final leg of the Tiara, Boryeonglightqueen denied a clean sweep to FANTASTIC VALUE, who won both the Luna and the Oaks. She races for the first time since missing out on the Tiara, but she looked very well in a trial at the beginning of this month. Gladius and Jeulgeounyeojeong are more than capable of having a say, while the ever-reliable RAON FOREST should also be in the mix.

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