Fantastic Value returned to the scene of where she fell agonizingly short of completing a clean sweep in last year’s Triple Tiara and this time held firm to deny the filly who came part her that day, and win the Ttukseom Cup (1400M KOR-G2), the second leg of the Queens’ Tour Spring/Summer at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

A five-length winner of both the Luna Stakes and the Korean Oaks a year ago, Fantastic Value was sent off a 1.3 favourite to claim the final jewel, but she ultimately ran 2^nd as Boryeonglightqueen swept past at the end of the 2000M Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup.

Fantastic Value hadn’t won a race since and having run down the field in the Donga Ilbo over 1800M, the first leg of this series last month, she was accordingly sent off as a 72.2 outsider in the Ttukseom. But if her heart had been broken in the Seoul sand last June, it was fixed on Sunday.

Oneuldo Smile, runner-up to Fantastic Value in last year’s Oaks, set the pace along with Crown Hamseong, but it turned out to be a hot one and ultimately unsustainable. As expected Boryeonglightqueen and Dong Ilbo winner Raon Forest launched their runs from the back but it would be Fantastic Value, starting her challenge from a little further forward in midfield, who would beat them all. The ever-dependable Gladius was 4^th.  

“I’ve actually never won a race in Seoul before” winning jockey Song Kyeong-yun told KRBC. “So, it is very meaningful to do it in such an important race.”

“I felt more confident going into the Donga Ilbo, but that race didn’t plan out as I had hoped, today I didn’t force it too hard, we found a good position and she finished off well. I actually think the 1600M will be better for her” he said referencing the KNN Cup, the final leg of the series next month over the Busan mile.

Trainer Lim Keum-man was naturally pleased with how his charge rebounded. “It’s a 1400M sprint so I thought first of all, the start was important. There were several horses who could go ahead, (Fantastic Value) wasn’t one of them so I was just hoping she could be tacked on somewhere, and the jockey did a great job” he said to KRBC.

“She had a bit of trouble with her hooves last year, and I think that held her back a lot, but the hoof disease is now completely gone. In the previous race at 1800M (Donga Ilbo) we were disappointed, but she had shown a very good performance in the regular race before at 1400M before that, so I thought the Ttukseom would be a bit different, and she lived up to our hopes.”

The beaten riders didn’t offer many excuses. “The pace of the race was a bit faster than I expected” Jung Do-yun, jockey of runner-up Boryeonglightqueen explained to KRBC.

“But Boryeonglightqueen is a horse with a fast finish and one who needs the fast pace to then collapse. I felt had we been a bit smoother around the bend and just a little closer then we might have got there.”

Jo Jae-ro, partner of Raon Forest said similar: “They went fast and catching up was a little harder than I expected. But I wasn’t worried because I knew they would come back and we were able to find a good position on the inside but maybe we were just a bit too far back. (Raon Forest) hasn’t achieved great results at 1400M, so I am still really proud of her for making it up into 3^rd.”

The final leg of the Queens’ Tour, the KNN Cup (1600M KOR-G3) is at Busan on Sunday May 31^st. Next week it’s the big one, the Korean Derby (1800M KOR-G1) at Seoul.