Roshe

Winner Clear Wins Kookje Shinmun As Roshe Falls Short

Winner Clear made his Group level breakthrough at Busan on Friday afternoon as Roshe came unstuck and saw his unbeaten record end in the Kookje Shinmun Cup (1400M G3).

Winner Clear sees off Silver Rain (Pic: KRA)

Having won his first six races by a combined margin of forty-six-lengths and racing for the first time since his ten-length romp in June’s G3 Owners’ Cup, Roshe was sent off as the 1.1 favourite for what was forecast by most observers to be a simple Friday afternoon stroll.

It turned into anything but, as drawn wide, Roshe was uncharacteristically hustled up early by jockey Jang Chu-yeol to sit four-wide of the early leaders. The three-year-old US-import briefly saw the front at the top of the straight, but instead of pulling away, he did quite the opposite and ended a flat-footed 4th, a length and a half behind the winner.

That left 140/1 chance Silver Rain and 50/1 shot Maengnyong out in front and seemingly about to contest an unlikely quinella, only for Seo Seung-un to thread Winner Clear through the middle of them to take victory by a neck on the line.

A three-time winner at Listed level, twice as a Juvenile and once in the KRA Yeongnam Sprint as a three-year-old, Winner Clear (by Klimt) was scoring for the first time at Group level. Earlier this year he ran 2nd in both the G3 Busan Ilbo Sprint and G2 SROA Chairman’s Sprint, both over 1200M.

“(Winner Clear) can get a long way back and when that happens you need a bit of luck not to be stuck behind horses” winning jockey Seo Seung-un told KRBC. “Today he started very well, and I checked right away where 15 (Roshe) was and watched him all the way. Today everything lined up perfectly.”

Trainer Baik Kwang-yeol was quizzed on Winner Clear’s future plans after his charge won the only age and sex open Group race on the calendar over 1400M: “I see him as being capable at middle distance, even up to a mile so we will try and find some big races for him next year. First tough, we’ve entered him in the KRA Cup Sprint and will probably race there – he’s finished 2nd to Vincero Cavallo a couple of times so it would be nice to beat him.”

A new race on the Group calendar, the KRA Cup Sprint (1200M KOR-G3) will be run at Busan on Friday November 27th. There are currently thirty-four entries including Winner Clear and the aforementioned Vincero Cavallo. Roshe does not hold an entry but one at a later stage would perhaps make sense.

As for Roshe, jockey Jang Chu-youl put the defeat down as one of those things:

“I had high expectations because he is such a good horse” Jang Chu-youl told KRBC. “I had intended to settle back a bit but there were so few openings I had no choice but to go up the outside, then at the end, maybe as it had been a while since (he last ran), he was just a bit dull in the straight” Jang added. “The beaten margin wasn’t big, and I know he can do better in future.”

ROSHE RETURNS: KOOKJE SHINMUN PREVIEW AND FORM COMMENTS

Friday sees the Korea Premier Series return and with it the more eagerly awaited reappearance of the unbeaten Roshe, who heads a full field of sixteen in the Kookje Shinmun Cup (1400M KOR-G3) at Busan. SEE HERE FOR FULL PREVIEW OF ALL 9 FRIDAY RACES AT BUSAN.

Roshe (Pic: KRA)

ROSHE is a perfect six from six and the three-year-old American import is yet to be troubled in any of his outings to date, including when he stepped up to Group company for the first time in the Owners’ Cup (1600M KOR-G3) in June when he recorded a facile ten-length win.

He hasn’t raced since, and while the Seong Sang-hyun trained Roshe did miss a scheduled trial a week ago, he had already come through one earlier in October and under regular jockey Jang Chu-youl, he should have too much for this field.

Several come out of creditable efforts in the international Korea Sprint over 1200M last month. They include MUNHAK BOY, who won this race last year before losing form completely. That slide may well have been arrested by a big 4th place in the international race, and he has Seoul Premiership leader Kozzi Asano aboard.

WINNER CLEAR, SILVER RAIN and HAKSAN SPEED also come out of the Korea Sprint while SUPER FINISH was 3rd in the international race last year and was a strong class 1 winner over this trip at the end of August. All will be backed on a place line.

GANGSEO GIANT and BIWOL are set to be the next bests. Here is a full run down of the field:

1. SUPER FINISH – Four-time winner over the distance most recently at the end of August at class 1 level. Beaten late on a very wet track when seemingly about to win but somehow finishing 4th two weeks ago. Good draw to lead and to be in this a long way. Place chance.

2. SINUI EREUM – Four-time winner whose recent form has been cold and whose rating as just dropped back to class 2. Big outsider here.

3. SILVER RAIN – More a 1200M horse, he was a fair 8th of sixteen in the Korea Sprint in September, prior to which he was 2nd in very quick race at class 2 level. Well-drawn to sit handy and while not favoured, he can beat plenty.

4. MAENGNYONG – A bit of a wildcard. He jumped up from class 3 to class 1 in May and won at this distance before finishing a decent 6th behind Roshe in the Owners’ Cup. Hasn’t raced since but won a trial in fine fashion on October 15th and 1400M is his go. Each-way chance.

5. SUNNY ROAD – Has been racing in Listed or equivalent company recently and has been well down the field. As won over this distance but on current form it is hard to see him making an impact in this company.

6. WINNER CLEAR – Second in two legs of the Sprint Series before running 6th in the Korea Sprint itself, each time settling well back and running on. He hasn’t ad much joy at 1400M but the way he has finished off recently suggests he is ready for another go. Second favourite.

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RAMPANT ROSHE ROMPS OWNERS’ CUP AND GOES SIX FOR SIX

A devastating kick in the early part of the home straight saw Roshe escape his rivals and establish himself as a serious force in Korean racing as the three-year-old was an eased down ten-length winner of the Owners’ Cup (1600M KOR-G3) at Busan Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

Roshe (Pic: KRA)

Entering the race sporting a perfect five-from-five, the Song Sang-hyeon-trained three-year-old was sent off as the prohibitive 1.3 favourite, but the youngest horse in the race made that feel generous as after settling midfield under jockey Jang Chu-youl, he motored away from the field between the two and one furlong poles, putting the race to bed as a contest.

Such was the dominance of Roshe, it scarcely mattered who was behind him although the results pages will show that Best Race was 2nd and the veteran Star Matta was 3rd. True, neither they nor the thirteen others who made up the numbers here, could be considered truly elite opposition, but Roshe has made his statement.

Not that trainer Song Sang-hyeon was getting excited, agreeing with the former point rather than the latter. Song is just coming up to one year as a licensed trainer and with this his stable’s fourteenth winner, Roshe now accounts for six of them: “Roshe is a young horse, he was a bit exhausted after the journey (from Seoul). Yes, he won overwhelmingly but if you look at the race, compared to previous Owners’ Cups, it’s not exactly a strong field, is it?”

“So, if this guy (Roshe) wants to deal with truly outstanding horses in future, we have to get better in all aspects of training and get everything right. We’ll probably give him a rest for a couple of months now and then plan his future. Maybe he runs once or twice again this year.”

Owner Park Jae-yong, standing alongside the trainer added: “There are lots of horses that are good at two or three but don’t really make it in the same form to four or five-years-old, if they run at all. I see too many get injured before they can fulfil their potential, so we are going to take it slow. I thought long and hard before entering him in this Owners’ Cup because it wasn’t originally part of the plan. The real competition for him starts at four, let’s not push him too hard at three.”

Disappointing words perhaps for those who in the immediate aftermath of the race were debating whether Roshe would best suit a Korea Cup or Korea Sprint starting gate in September.

“When I saw his odds, I felt a bit of pressure” winning jockey Jang Chu-youl told KRBC. “But he is such a good horse, I thought let’s just get on with it.” As for tactics: “I didn’t really want to go to the lead as I thought the pace would be hot so I was happy to settle where we did, but the horse has such a good stride and just wants to run so I let him go and was able to ease him down at the end. It felt really good.”

Roshe is an American-bred three-year old by Rogueish and out of Hillary D (by Bellamy Road. He was a $10,000 purchase by K.O.I.D at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale and arrived in Korea two months later. He wasn’t straightforward though and there were plenty of setbacks before he debuted in October with a two-and-a-half length score over fellow imported maidens.

Prior to Sunday, his biggest win came over fellow three-year-olds in the Listed Sports Seoul over 1400M in March. He is yet to tackle further than a mile, but on the Owners’ Cup evidence, that should be well within his capabilities.

The calm words today from Roshe’s trainer contrast with what he said after that Sports Seoul victory when he commented that he could target emulating the achievement of Clean One in winning the Grand Prix at age three. There are no Stakes races for the next couple of weeks but Clean One himself should be action when they do resume with the KRA Cup Classic (2000M KOR-G2) at Seoul on Sunday July 26th, the main lead up race for September’s International Korea Cup.

KOREA RACING REPORT: MAY 22-24 – Roshe, Knicks Go Won

A BUMPER CROWD OF 27,000 PEOPLE SHOWED UP AT SEOUL ON SUNDAY, AND THEY SAW A TEN RACE CARD WHICH CONCLUDED WITH A 1200M CLASS 2 WHERE FLYING DAY continued her consistent run of form by making it six wins from fourteen starts with a last gasp victory over longtime leader Nice Force (writes Luke Humphreys).

Roshe (Pic: KRA)

Flying Day (Race Day) at her previous victory had run down last year’s top juvenile filly Chief Star in the last couple of strides and ran down another smart sprinter in the closing stages with an extending half-length victory over Nice Force who just about returned to his best form that saw him start an odds-on favourite in the KRA Sprint on Grand Prix Day last year.

Flying Day paid 5.3 on the Korean tote with Nice Force being the 4.3 second favourite, whilst the 3.9 popular pick Eldorado Nolbu ran his usual consistent race without winning leaving himself too much to do in the run and he ended up finishing a never nearer 3rd. Blue Lemon was the other one in the market at 7.1 and finished 5th.

30 minutes earlier Kozzi Asano landed Race 9 (1200M Class 4) on GOOD MORNING COME (Freedom Child) who returned to the winners list after being around the mark against solid opposition at her previous three starts. Following her three-quarter length victory as the 3.0 favourite she has now won three races from nine starts. Hwasangwihwan was 2nd with Fedaykin, 4.8 third choice, 3rd and Chumchuneunjangmi, 4.6 second pick, in 4th.

The Luigi Riccardi prepared three-year-old filly WILD MAGIC (Triple Nine) made it back-to-back front-running wins in Race 7 (1800M Class 4) as the 2.5 favourite with a one-and-three-quarter length victory over the 3.5 second market choice Ghost Chrysol. Wild Magic continues to progress, and the domestically bred filly is one to keep following.

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