Joe Fujii

Gamdonguibada Crushes KNN Cup Field

Gamdonguibada, New York Blue and Star Bolt were the quickest out of the gate – Joy Lucky was the slowest. And over the course of a mile nothing changed as Gamdonguibada proved a class apart from the rest, cruising to the 2nd leg of the Queens’ Tour at Busan this afternoon.

Gamdonguibada leads New York Blue in the home straight (screengrab - better picture to follow)

Gamdonguibada leads New York Blue in the home straight (screengrab – better picture to follow)

Sent off the odds-on favourite after her dominant display in the Ttukseom Cup and with Joe Fujii back in the saddle, 2012 Grand Prix Stakes winner Gamdonguibada didn’t for a single stride look like getting beaten.

She traded 1st place a couple of times with the young up-and-comer New York Blue but once they were in the home straight, 15 fillies and mares appeared to go backwards while Gamdonguibada strode away from them. The margin on the line was 11 lengths. It could have been 111.

Behind her New York Blue stayed on well for second under Masa Tanaka to make it a Japanese jockey 1-2. Star Bolt also stayed on for 3rd, a place ahead of 170/1 outsider Silver Classic.

Indian Blue was the best of the visitors from Seoul, picking up the last money spot of 5th on another dismal day for the capital contingent. Joy Lucky, so impressive two weeks ago at Seoul, could manage ni better than 15th in running and eventually finished last.

Gamdonguibada moves onto 11 wins from 19 starts, 5 of those wins coming in Stakes races. The Queens’ Tour reconvenes at Busan in October. She is likely to be heavy favourite to add the final leg to her collection too.

It’s yet another Stakes win for the remarkable Kim Young Kwan, fresh from training another filly, Queen’s Blade to win the Derby last month. For Joe Fujii meanwhile, it’s a 5th Korean Stakes win and his 128th overall in the country.

KNN Cup – Busan Race Park – 1600M – June 8, 2014

1. Gamdonguibada (USA) [Werblin – Radyla (Country Pine)] – Kanichiro Fujii – 1.6, 1.2
2. New York Blue (USA) [Candy Ride – Aim For The Moon (Deputy Minister)] – Masakazu Tanaka – 2.5
3. Star Bolt (USA) [Fusaichi Pegaus – Do’Oro Doll (Touch Gold)] – Kim Dong Young – 3.3

Distances: 11 lengths/3 lengths
Also ran: 4. Silver Classic (USA) 5. Indian Blue (USA) 6. Heba (USA) 7. Shining Future (KOR) 8. Black Dia (KOR) 9. Sangnyu (USA) 10 Nulpurunchongnyong (KOR) 11. Seungni Laser (KOR) 12. Chiming Vicar (KOR) 13. Kalma (USA) 14. Baedari Yeongung (KOR) 15. Seungbu Sinhwa (USA) 16. Joy Lucky (KOR)

Busan Review / Weekend Preview

The Korean Baseball season gets underway this weekend and this, like the beginning of the English Cricket season, can mean only one thing – It’s going to rain!

It's not going to rain this much but there's a 70% chance of Saturday being wet

It’s not going to rain this much but there’s a 70% chance of Saturday being wet

Unlike the Rounders, however, Racing continues in the wet. In fact, the heavier the rain, the more both track attendance and betting turnover tend to increase.

There were no problems with the weather during the first of the weekend’s cards at Busan this afternoon. Joe Fujii kept the foreign end up, riding a pair of winners although the Japanese jockey was outshone by local You Hyun Myung who continued his recent run of good form by finishing his way to the winner’s circle on 4 occasions.

South African trainer Bart Rice also continued his good start to life at Busan with another winner; Seungni Wave (Pico Central) doing the business in race 3.

In the 7-furlong feature race, Oreuse (Smoke Glacken) got his 2nd Class 1 win in the space of a month. And for the 2nd time, trailing in behind him was the highly-rated 3-year-old Cowboy Son (Cowboy Cal).

Here’s what’s happening over the rest of the weekend:

Saturday March 29
Seoul Race Park: 12 races from 10:50 to 18:00
Jeju Race Park: 9 races from 12:30 to 17:30

Sunday March 30
Seoul Race Park: 11 races from 10:50 to 18:00
Busan Race Park: 6 races from 12:45 to 17:00

200-Up Kurakane Heads High Performing Visitors

Ikuyasu Kurakane reached a major milestone over the weekend, when he became the first foreign jockey to ride 200 winners in Korea.

200 winners: Ikuyasu Kurakane (Pic: Ross Holburt)

200 winners: Ikuyasu Kurakane (Pic: Ross Holburt)

His two victories across the weekend, on Big Show on Saturday and Ms. Celtic Senior on Sunday, took the Japanese rider to 201 victories from 1711 rides across two stints riding on the peninsula.

Now 38, Kurakane originally came to Korea in 2007 and spent a successful 18 months riding at Seoul and Busan. During this period he won what remains his only Stakes race to date, the 2007 Nonghyup Trophy on Pilseung Giwon.

Kurakane returned to Seoul in April last year and quickly established himself as among the track’s top riders.

An exceptionally hard-worker in the mornings, he doesn’t get the biggest rides, but unlike many foreign jockeys here before him, he does get the numbers and when on a fancied horse, he generally converts it into the win. He currently lies 3rd in the 2014 Championship

His feat is made all the more impressive in that the vast majority of his winners have come at Seoul, a track where he is the only foreign jockey to have enjoyed even moderate success. At Busan, it is a different story although still by means easy for the visitors.

Kurakane’s license has been extended by 6-months, as have those of Busan-based trio Darryll Holland, Joe Fujii and Masa Tanaka.

Royal Ascot winning rider Holland is the KRA’s marquee jockey and after overcoming a challenging first few months, he’s now reaping he benefits, taking out another feature race at Busan on Sunday and is currently in 2nd place in the Busan Championship.

Grand Prix Stakes, Korean Derby and Oaks winner Fujii is just two places back. Tanaka too is a regular visitor to the winner’s circle. The “foreign jockey quinella” is now a very popular bet among punters.

In the barn at Busan things are going well too. After his 2nd place finish last year, Peter Wolsley currently leads the 2014 Trainers’ Championship in numbers of winners – ahead of even the Kim Young Kwan machine. Meanwhile, South African Bart Rice has made an impressive start with 5 of his 23 runners to date returning victorious.

Korea is still a very difficult place for foreign jockeys to ride as the recent experiences of Jerome Lermyte and Fausto Durso show, making the achievements of the likes of Kurakane even more notable.

Overseas Jockeys in Korea All-Time Top Ten

1. Ikuyasu Kurakane (Japan) – 201*
2. Toshio Uchida (Japan) – 138
3. Kanichiro Fujii (Japan) – 116*
4. Garry Baker (Australia) – 78
5. Narazaki Kosuke (Japan) – 68
6. Eiki Nishimura (Japan) – 60
7. Hitomi Miyashita (Japan) – 56
8. Darryll Holland (United Kingdom) – 52*
9. Martin Wepner (South Africa) – 49
10. Nozomu Tomizawa (Japan) – 48

* Still riding in Korea

Se Young’s Super Six

Champion jockey Moon Se Young was in imperious form at Seoul on Sunday, riding the winner in 6 or the 10 races on the card.

Moon Se Young

Moon Se Young

As has been mentioned many times on this blog, the standard of riding in Korea has been getting better and better over the past few years.

Seo Seung Un, while not the champion, was undoubtedly the jockey of the year in 2013 by virtue of his outstanding performance with limited firepower.

Lee Chan Ho, a first year apprentice is showing great potential, while Jo In Kwen pushed Moon all the way last year.

However, if there was any doubt as to who is the number one in the weighing room, it was dispelled today. All his mounts had chances and Moon brought them home with ruthless efficiency.

Those wins included both co-feature races, firstly with Brig (Menifee), a 4-year-old who was 4th in the Korean Derby last year and looks set to fulfil his potential this time around.

Then there was Bichui Wangja (Roman Ruler), a 4-year-old American import who held off two long shots to record his 5th career win. Seo Seung Un had ridden Bichui Wangja in all his previous outings before today. With Moon being available though, the ride went to him.

A smile would be nice: Even after Bichui Wangja give s him his 6th winner of the day, Moon Se Young is in no mood for celebration

A smile would be nice: Even after Bichui Wangja give s him his 6th winner of the day, Moon Se Young is in no mood for celebration

Earlier in Moon’s haul was Feel So Good (Ft.Stockton). The only Korean bred horse to win a race in the United States returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in 4 outings, winning race 6 by a nose. He’ll be in class 2 company next time out.

Down at Busan, we have some quality riders too although with Jo Sung Gon off to Macau, most of them are now foreign.

Joe Fujii and Darryll Holland both picked up where they left off from Friday by riding winners. Fujii added to his Friday four-timer by scoring a routine win on hot favourite Not Anymore (Casino Prince) in race 4. It was a 3rd win from 7 starts for the Aussie filly who has never finished worse than 3rd.

Two races later, Holland, who rode a double on Friday, landed the feature race for the 2nd time in as many meetings, guiding Grand Teukgeup (Menifee) to a comfortable win over 7 furlongs.

Four-Timer Fujii Leads Magnificent Seven For Foreign Jocks At Busan

The 2014 Korean racing season got underway at Busan today and the track’s foreign jockeys were on fire as they helped themselves to 7 of the 12 races.

Smiling: Masa Tanaka (left) and Joe Fujii (Pic: Hiromi Kobayashi)

Smiling: Masa Tanaka (left) and Joe Fujii (Pic: Hiromi Kobayashi)

Masa Tanaka kicked things off with victory in race 3 on 6/1 chance Bada Gangja with Darryll Holland getting off the mark for the year in the next with a 2-length win on Thunder Ray. Race 5 saw Joe Fujii get in on the action as he guided US-bred gelding Smart Energy to a 6-length triumph.

Local jockeys Park Sung Kwang and Kim Jeong Woong grabbed the next two before Fujii completed a double with an unexpected win on 19/1 outsider Uribong in race 8.

Winning: Darryll Holland (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Winning: Darryll Holland (Pic: Ross Holburt)

Holland wrapped up a double of his own in race 10, piloting Peter Wolsley’s Vicar Sun home before Fujii took over once more and snatched the final two races of the day on Queen’s Blade and Cheonji Jeonseung to complete a remarkable four-timer.

Fujii, who turned 30 on New Year’s Eve, finished 2nd in the Busan Jockey Championship in 2013, winning both the Korean Derby and Oaks along the way. For Holland, it was a welcome return to the saddle and the winner’s circle after being forced to miss last weekend’s bumper cards through suspension. Meanwhile the ever-reliable Tanaka was continuing the good form he showed last week when he won his first Korean class 1 race.

Saturday sees opening day at Seoul where it’s not likely to quite as successful for the visitors among the capital jockey colony. Ikuyasu Kurakane is suspended leaving Fausto Durso as the only foreign jockey in action. On Sunday there is racing at both Seoul and Busan.

Busan Foreign Jocks Help Charity Auction

Ever wanted a pair of Joe Fujii’s goggles? No? Well, you should and now you can. Busan’s foreign jockeys have teamed up with Korean racing magazine “Seoul Gyongma” for their Christmas auction.

Clockwise from top left: Darryll Holland, Joe Fujii, Jerome Lermyte and Masa Tanaka

Clockwise from top left: Darryll Holland, Joe Fujii, Jerome Lermyte and Masa Tanaka

Fujii has donated the saddle he used when riding Gamdonguibada to victory in last year’s Grand Prix Stakes as well as Road To Prince’s saddlecloth.

The other foreign jockeys currently riding at the track; Darryll Holland, Masa Tanaka and Jerome Lermyte all supplied several pairs of signed goggles.

The haul up for auction at Seoul Gyongma includes Gamdonguibada's Grand Prix saddle

The haul up for auction at Seoul Gyongma includes Gamdonguibada’s Grand Prix saddle

Details of the auction will be in this weekend’s editions of “Seoul Gyongma” with all proceeds to charity.

Joe Fujii Ton-Up At Busan

Joe Fujii became just the third ever foreign rider to reach 100 winners in Korea as he completed a double at Busan Racecourse this afternoon.

100-up : Joe Fujii

100-up : Joe Fujii

The Japanese jockey’s milestone came in race 11 as he partnered 4/1 chance Heba (Peace Rules) to victory.

That win – his second of the day – enabled Fujii to join his fellow countrymen Ikuyasu Kurakane and Toshio Uchida as century-getters in Korea.

His 100 includes some of Korea’s biggest races. He won the Grand Prix Stakes on Gamdonguibada last year and followed up with a Korean Derby and Korean Oaks double on Speedy First in 2013.

Joe – “Kanichiro” – Fujii has never ridden in his homeland of Japan, having travelled to Australia as a teenager to train as a jockey.

He narrowly missed out in the JRA exam this year and Japan’s loss is Korea’s gain as he continues to be the most in-demand jockey at Busan.

A highly professional rider, Fujii is also a highly likeable character who is a real student of horse racing.

One of very few foreign riders to have studied racing in Korea in detail before making the move here, he’s managed to not only become number 1 to Korea’s top trainer Kim Young Kwan, but also to achieve the almost impossible – to be liked by the local jockeys (although of course they would still love to see him depart).

His diligence has been reaping rewards with winners ever since he arrived and there’s no sign of it stopping.

Speedy First & Joe Fujii Complete Korean Derby/Oaks Double

Speedy First added a second Classic to her increasingly impressive record with a convincing win in the Korean Oaks at Busan Race Park this afternoon.

The Korean Derby winner was sent off as the heavy favourite for the fillies’ Classic and was close to the front from the outset. Joe Fujii made his move as the field turned for home and while Speedy First needed a little help finding top gear in the home straight, once she got into her stride, the result was never in doubt.

Miracle Wonder, who made the early-running held on for second while 120/1 outsider Lady Medal snatched third from the tiring Cheonnyeon Dongan who was, in fourth, the best placed finisher from Seoul.

Speedy First (KRA)

Speedy First (KRA)

Before today, Speedy First’s only racetrack appearance since winning the Derby had ended after just a few seconds when Fujii was unseated before the first turn of the Gyeongnam DoMin Ilbo Cup.

The filly then treated herself to a solo run around the track. She returned none the worse for wear but was kept off the track until today.

For trainer Kim Young Kwan, it is yet another top class winner. With Speedy First, he has managed the Derby/Oaks double that eluded his other great filly, Sangseung Ilro, who captured the Derby but lost the Oaks by a neck.

Ladies Man: It's Joe Fujii's 4th major win on a filly in Korea

Ladies Man: It’s Joe Fujii’s 4th major win on a filly in Korea

Jockey Joe Fujii continues his remarkable time in Korea. He has now won the Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup, the Grand Prix Stakes, the Korean Derby and the Korean Oaks. The 29 year-old Japan native with a broad Australian accent will surely go down as the most successful foreign jockey to ride in Korea to date.

Although Japanese, he has never been licensed in his home country and is now in the process of applying to the JRA.

Today wasn’t one of Fujii’s most difficult rides but anyone who has watched him over the past 15 months knows that he can compete with the best anywhere.

Speedy First has now won 6 of her 8 starts and will be a serious contender when the top three-year olds reconvene at Seoul for the Minister’s Cup, the final leg of the Triple Crown.

Korean Oaks (KOR GII) – Busan Race Park – 1800M – August 25, 2013

1. Speedy First (KOR) [Menifee – Speedy Deedy (Victory Gallop)] – Kanichiro Fujii – 1.3, 1.1
2. Miracle Wonder (KOR) [Menifee – Jeongbowang (Concept Win)] – Jo Sung Gon – 1.7
3. Lady Medal (KOR) [Volponi – Lady Ell (Flying Spur)] – Seol Dong Bok – 9.2

Distances: 7 lengths/0.75 lengths
Also Ran: 4. Cheonnyeon Dongan 5. Sand Quick 6. Winning Streak 7. Miss Quick 8. Hurricane Jump 9. Wind Leto 10. Raon Bally 11. Yuseong Hero DQ: Mery Shine DQ: Land Angel DNS: Dewma

Next week the main action is at Seoul where history will be made as foreign-trained horses run in Korea for the very first time. The SBS ESPN Korea/Japan Goodwill Cup is next Sunday.

Korean Oaks 2013 Full Race Preview: Derby Winner Speedy First Heads Field

Korean Derby winner Speedy First heads a field of fourteen in the Korean Oaks at Busan Race Park this Sunday.

Oaks Favourite: Derby winner Speedy First

Oaks Favourite: Derby winner Speedy First

She will be looking to go one better than the last filly to win the Derby, Sangseung Ilro, who was just beaten on the line as she attempted to complete the double in 2009.

Four fillies will travel down from Seoul and despite the absence of Joy Lucky, the track’s best performing filly, it looks like there are two credible challengers among them in the shape of Cheonnyeon Dongan and Dewma.

Joe Fujii gets the ride on Speedy First while Darryll Holland will be on the dark-horse of the field Raon Bally. If Fujii wins the race, even though he hasn’t matched Toshio Uchida’s total number of race wins, he will surely go down as the most successful foreign jockey in Korea ever.

The Korean Oaks is race 2 of a 6-race “twilight card” at Busan.

Here’s a full list of runners and riders with pedigrees and race records (Starts/1/st/2nd/3rd):

Korean Oaks (KOR GII) – Busan Race Park – 1800M – Aug 28, 2013 – 17:35

1. Yuseung Hero (KOR) [Vicar – Angel Party (Elusive Quality)] (9/1/3/2) – Lee Hee Cheon
Landed her only win to date over 1500 metres last time out although the company was nothing special and there’s little suggest she’ll find the necessary improvement here.

2. Miss Quick (KOR) [Menifee – Regal Heir (Regal Intention)] (12/4/1/0) – Kim Dong Young
She has two 4th places over this distance at Class 2 level which suggests that she is talented but that despite her name, she tends to always find a couple quicker than her. That will probably be the same here although she has a faster time over the distance than Speedy First.

3. Wind Leto (KOR) [Vicar – Kongnoja (Mr. Adorable)] (7/3/0/1) – Song Keong Yun
A Class 3 winner last time out and has never finished worse than 4th. Distance is a concern but she’s by no means alone in that regard.

4. Sand Quick (KOR) [Ft.Stockton – Ascend The Throne (SIlver Charm)] (7/4/1/0) – Lim Sung Sil
Impressive record but her wins have come at 6 furlongs and she found things tough over a mile last time out.

5. Raon Bally (KOR) [Pico Central – Thunder By Night (Thunder Gulch)] (4/2/1/0) – Darryll Holland
Very much a dark horse here, Raon Bally hasn’t run for 6 months and only race-trialed to qualify here last weekend. Before her lay-off, she was tipped to be quite a talent and with Darryll Holland on board, could be very interesting.

6. Hurricane Jump (KOR) [Commendable – Jenny Tudor (Gulch)] (7/3/1/0) – Ham Wan Sik (Seoul)
Was well beaten by fellow Seoul entrants Dewma and Cheonnyeon Dongan in the Sports Seoul Cup over the same distance and despite bouncing back with a win on her return, will have to improve a lot more to overcome that form. She is a half-sister to 2011 Oaks winner Useung Touch.

7. Meru Shine (KOR) [Perfect Vision II – Telequential (Kuetch)] (12/0/2/0) – Lee Ah Na (Seoul)
Took her eleven races to graduate from class 6. She’s not stopping anything else from running so there’s no problem with her being here, but she’ll not be in contention.

8. Speedy First (KOR) [Menifee – Speedy Deedy (Victory Gallop)] – (7/5/0/1) – Kanichiro Fujii
The Korean Derby winner and the obvious favourite. In her only appearance since the Derby, she was interfered with just after the start and unseated her jockey. There will be many who believe that’s the only way she’ll lose here. However, they said the same about Sangseung Ilro, who was pipped on the line in 2009. Nevertheless, a worthy favourite and very hard to beat.

9. Cheonnyeon Dongan (KOR) [Ecton Park – Honeycakes (Hennesey)] (8/4/2/0) – Cho Kyoung Ho
One of few fillies in the race with a proven record over 1800 metres. Cho Kyoung Ho coming down to ride her is a big point in her favour too as Cho is not the kind of man to travel to Busan for the nightlife. A contender.

10. Lady Medal (KOR) [Volponi – Lady Ell (Flying Spur)] (14/2/0/1) – Seol Dong Bok
An unexpected entrant and an outsider having only managed 3rd place at class 4 last time. Hasn’t impressed when asked to go around two turns

11. Miracle Wonder (KOR) [Menifee – Jeongbowang (Concept Win)] (8/4/2/0) – Jo Sung Gon
No ride of Jo Sung Gon’s in a big Stakes race can ever be discounted and this one is no exception. She was a well-beaten 5th behind the very promising colt Magic Dancer last time, but has every chance of competing for at least a place here.

12. Winning Streak (KOR) [Menifee – Black Shadow (Psychobabble)] (9/2/0/2) – Chae Gyu Jun
Her name might be Winning Steak but she’s certainly not on one as she’s not won since March. She won’t win this either.

13. Land Angel (KOR) [Forest Camp – Sheer Abandon (Peintre Celebre)] (9/2/1/2) – You Hyun Myung
Has a win over 1500 metres but that was at class 4 and she’s shown little to suggest that she will be able to compete with some her of her rivals here.

14. Dewma (KOR) [Forest Camp – Wild Cat Strike (Wild Again (8/3/3/1) – Oh Kyoung Hoan (Seoul)
A chance. Second only to Joy Lucky in her last three starts (a filly who would have rivalled Speedy First for favourite had she been entered here) albeit by substantial margins. Korea’s first female trainer Lee Shin Young has a fighting chance of saddling an Oaks winner.

Indie Band Takes DoMin Ilbo As Speedy First Goes Solo

Indie Band landed a commanding victory in the Gyeongnam DoMin Ilbo Stakes at Busan today but the story of the race was in the opening few seconds as Korean Derby winner and hot favourite Speedy First unseated her rider Joe Fujii after being interfered with.

Speedy First (Menifee) broke quickly but after only 100 metres, was cut off by Daejiuibit on his outside, on whom jockey Jo Chan Hoon had momentarily lost control. With nowhere to go, Fujii ended up on the track.

This left the way clear for Indie Band (Ecton Park), stablemate of Speedy First, to ease to a 4-length win from Major King (Pico Central).

It was a 5th win from 8 starts for the promising 3-year old colt Indie Band who has to now be in contention for big prizes this autumn, principally the Minister’s Cup when he should come up against Speedy First again. For jockey Lim Sung Sil, it was a 2nd big race win in as many months after taking victory in the KNN Cup on Yongduseong a few weeks ago.

As for Speedy First, she reportedly suffered no ill-effects from her unsupervised gallop around Gimhae and remains on course for the Korean Oaks next month.

Gyeongnam DoMin Ilbo Stakes – Busan Race Park – 1800M – July 7, 2013

1. Indie Band (KOR) [Ecton Park – Plie (Dixieland Band)] – Lim Sung Sil – 5.4, 1.6
2. Major King (KOR) [Pico Central – Still Golden (Gold Fever)] – You Hyun Myung – 1.5
3. High Five (KOR) [Creek Cat – Nam’s Gulch (Gulch)] – Choi SI Dae – 3.1

Distances: 4 lengths/2.5 lengths – 10 ran

Also suffering no ill-effects was her jockey. Joe Fujii cleaned off the sand and 45 minutes later got on board another star of the Kim Young Kwan training-machine Tamna Hwangje to win the class 1 finale over a mile with ease. Tamna Hwangje (Montbrook) was recording his 11th win from 22 starts and despite carrying 62kg is looking unbeatable at anything up to a mile.

Up at Seoul it was a relatively low-key day of racing. The feature race was won by Gumanseok (Vicar), who despite only being sent off at 8/1, followed up his success in last month’s Sports Chosun Cup with a solid class 1 win over 1800 metres.