Triple Tiara

JEULGEOUNYEOJEONG ADDS KOREAN OAKS TO LUNA ON WAY TO TRIPLE TIARA

Jeulgeounyeojeong stamped her absolute authority over the three-year-old filly division as she progressed from her narrow win in the Luna Stakes to a commanding performance in the Korean Oaks (1800M KOR-G2), the second leg of the Triple Tiara, at Busan Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

(Pic: KRA)

The top two from the Luna, Jeulgeounyeojeong and Raon Forest, were sent off close together at the top of the local betting market at 2.4 and 2.8 respectively with no other filly starting in single digits. From gate seven, Jeulgeounyeojeong broke fairly under Franco Da Silva, who had been a late replacement before the Luna but after a polished steer, kept the ride for the Oaks. Raon Forest, who went right to the rear in April before finishing like an express train, was this time ridden handily by Lim Gi-won, while Luna 3rd Magic Class set the pace under Park Jae-i.

Magic Class would lead all the way into the home straight, but her challenge quickly wilted as Jeulgeounyeojeong and Raon Forest loomed up with just over a furlong to run. It looked for a moment as though battle was to be joined but instead the final stages proved a formality as Jeulgeounyeojeong cruised away for a four-length win with Raon Forest unable to land a single blow. The revelation of the race was Luigi Riccardi’s Wonderful Slew, who ran a big 3rd, just a further half-length back.

“This time around, she was much better than the last time, so I was very confident” winning jockey Franco Da Silva told in-house broadcaster KRBC.  “It was just a matter of controlling the pace. Before the race, I was very relaxed as I knew I was on the best horse.”

Jeulgeounyeojeong and Franco Da Silva salute (Pic: KRA)

Da Silva, who completed a double in the marquee three-year-old races having won the Derby in 2018 on Ecton Blade, was also pleased with the instructions he received from trainer Kim Young-kwan (who also trained Ecton Blade). “The trainer told me to just jump and don’t worry about the others. When the trainer gave me that instruction, I was even more relaxed as I knew I could ride 1st or 2nd or even in the middle. It was all quite easy.”

“It’s credit to the whole team, not just me. We also have our track rider, Mitkey from South Africa. He rides her one day and I ride her the next so it’s good teamwork.” Da Silva finished his interview with a grin and a “Seo Seung-un, love you!” He later explained: “They asked me about him because I do feel a little sorry for him in that he was supposed to ride (Jeulgeounyeojeong) in the Luna Stakes, and I got the ride off him (after Seo suffered a minor trackwork injury on the day of the race). So yes, I am sorry but it’s all good because he has also taken winners off me!”

(Pic: KRA)

Jeulgeounyeojeong is by Colors Flying and out of Says Ms Elizabeth (by Giacomo).  She was bred by Son Kyeng-rae at her owners’ NASCA Farm. It was her fifth win from eleven starts. She is trained by Kim Young-kwan, who celebrated a record sixth Korean Oaks success. Two of those previous winners, Speedy First in 2013 and Queen’s Blade in 2014, also won the Korean Derby.

That won’t be happening for Jeulgeounyeojeong as the colts’ Classic is next week. She will though be a hot favourite when she finally does head to Seoul for the concluding leg of the Triple Tiara, the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup (2000M KOR-G3) on July 15th.   

Korean Oaks 2023: Runner-By-Runner Preview

A full field of sixteen fillies will face the starter at Busan Racecourse on Sunday afternoon as they vie for glory in the Korean Oaks (1800M KOR-G2). They include all the top-three placegetters from the first jewel in the Tiara, April’s Luna Stakes.

Lim Gi-won thought he had won the Luna Stakes on Raon Forest. He had not (Pic: KRA)

Jeulgeounyeojeong came out on top that day under a perfectly timed ride by Franco Da Silva, as they held off the late charge of Raon Forest and Lim Gi-won by a nose on the line at the end of the Mile long test. Plenty will fancy the additional furlong to be in the grey Raon Forest’s favour, but local media still predicts Jeolgeounyeojeong to start as favourite.

Magic Class was 3rd in the Luna Stakes, and she takes her chance again while Good Magic will be the last Oaks runner by Menifee. She has finished no worse than 2nd in five starts so far and will have her own supporters to claim a sixth Filly Classic win for her late sire. The Peter Wolsley-trained Happy Jazz is another of the leading contenders:

1. RAON FOREST – Was finishing by far the quickest in the Luna Stakes, coming from the back to just be denied by a nose on the line by Jeulgeounyeojoeng. She posted the fastest final furlong time in the race by almost a second and the additional furlong should suit. A big chance of overturning that result.

2. DUBAI PYEONGJEONG – Comes in off a promising 4th place over 1800M in a good time at class 4 level on May 5th, coming from off the pace. A similar performance wouldn’t see her win but could find her in the money.

3. MAGIC CLASS – 3rd behind Jeulgeounyeojeong and Raon Forest in the Luna Stakes when she overcame gate twelve to get on the pace. She has five lengths to make up on that pair, but the additional furlong shouldn’t be a problem and the draw is much more in her favour this time. A chance.

4. META BLADE – Her win came at class 6 level, but she did lead for most of the way around before finishing a close 2nd over 1700M at class 5 on April 23rd. This is a big step up though.

(more…)

Jeulgeounyeojeong and Franco Da Silva Win the Luna Stakes

Jeulgeounyeojeong held off a determined late challenge from Raon Forest to win the Luna Stakes, the opening leg of the Triple Tiara (filly Triple Crown) at Busan Racecourse on Sunday.

Raon Forest finished the quicker but Jeulgeounyeojeong had already won (Pic: KRA)

Sent off as joint-favourite for the mile long first jewel, Jeulgeounyeojeong sat handy through the early stages as fellow favourite Raon Giant set the pace under Moon Se-young.

Raon Giant’s challenge would end early in the straight and it was Jeulgeounyeojeong who would take things up building a seemingly unbeatable lead in the final furlong, only for the striking  grey Raon Forest, a stablemate of Raon Giant under the care of trainer Park Jong-kon to launch a blistering late run. It went to the judges but Jeulgeounyeojeong was the winner by a nose.

19/1 chance Magic Class was five-lengths adrift in 3rd while Raon Giant came home 4th.

Winning jockey Franco Da Silva was quick to acknowledge that he was fortunate to get the call up following a minor injury to declared jockey Seo Seung-un in trackwork.

“He (Seo Seung-un) got some back issue, and I was free for the race, so I was lucky. It’s a lucky winner for me.” Da Silva told in-house broadcaster KRBC.

Despite only picking up the ride at the last minute, Da Silva had a clear game plan: “I knew that number 5 (Raon Forest) and number 10 (Raon Giant) would be the best two horses and I was worried about the number 4 (Wonderful Week), I thought that she was quite nice. But I knew that they were going to be very fast, so my plan was to jump and just track the leaders and wait.”

“And everything was perfect. She jumped quite good, and I just had to control the pace and wait and take her out and she did her best until the line. I’m happy that she was 100% today.”

Such was the strong finish of Raon Forest that jockey Lim Gi-won raised his crop in seeming celebration and even the TV Producer zoomed in on the Seoul filly after the line instead of the actual winner. Da Silva was having none of it though:

“Right after the line I told that jockey that I had won.”

Jeulgeounyeojeong is by Colors Flying and is out of Says Ms Elizabeth (by Giacomo) and was bred by owners Nasca, of Eoma Eoma fame, at their farm. She is trained by Korea’s all-time leading trainer in terms of both wins and Group races, Kim Young-kwan. She moves onto four wins from ten starts.

The second leg of the Triple Tiara is the Korean Oaks (1800M KOR-G2), also at Busan on June 4th and while Jeulgeounyeojeong will rightly be among the leading contenders, the way Raon Forest finished off the race may make her the favourite to turn the tables with an extra furlong to play with. The final leg of the Tiara is the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup (2000M KOR-G2) at Seoul on July 15th.

Next weekend it is the turn of the colts to kick off their Triple Crown with the KRA Cup Mile (1600M KOR-G2) at Busan on Sunday.

Filly Triple Crown Gets Underway with Luna Stakes at Busan on Sunday

The three-year-old Classic season gets underway this weekend and it’s the fillies who get the first crack at it with the Luna Stakes (1600M – Listed) making up the first leg of the Triple Tiara – the filly Triple Crown – over a mile at Busan Racecourse this Sunday.

Raon Giant won the Gwacheon Mayor’s Trophy in November (Pic: KRA)

Twelve fillies, seven from the host track and five who have travelled down from Seoul, will line up for the what is the Korean 1000 Guineas, which leads into June’s Korean Oaks also at Busan, and then the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup at Seoul in July.

Heading the Seoul contingent is Raon Giant. The Park Jong-kon trained galloper has won five of her seven starts so far, including the Listed Gwacheon Mayor’s Trophy last November. Moon Se-young comes down to Busan to ride and she has every chance.

Disputing favourite status with Raon Giant will be Jeulgeounyeojeong. She has a fast 2nd place over the Mile when a very solid 3rd at class 3 level. She will though need to overturn the form on Listed Gyeongnam DoMin Ilbo Trophy winner Doctor Oscar, who finished 2nd to her 3rd when the pair raced over 1800M. Jeulgeounyeojeong was giving away 3kg that day, but they will be at level weights this time.

Raon Forest and the so far relatively unexposed Gold Cheonsa are among others in the frame for what should be a competitive renewal:

1. JEOMSUNI GO – Only raced four times, winning one over 1200M at maiden level and was most recently 2nd over 1400M at class 5. Her times have been consistently quick, and she may appeal for a place at probable big odds.

2. FURIOSA – Runner-up to Raon Giant in the Gwacheon Mayor’s Trophy, coming from off the pace. Subsequently registered a 4th and 6th at class 4 level up to 1400M. Drawn well but will need to find more here.

3. PEOPLE POWER – One of just four who have tackled the mile before and while she only beat one home, she has since found her form again with a 2nd and then a win over 1400M, both at class 4 level in quick times. On those runs she has minor money claims here.

(more…)

Golden Power Sweeps Filly Triple Crown while Raon First Dominates Ttukseom Cup

Raon First asserted her authority atop the filly and mare ranks at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday with a dismissively easy win in the Ttukseom Cup (1400M KOR-G2) and in doing so, moved closer to what seems an inevitable victory in the Queens’ Tour. A potential new foe has appeared, however, as a day earlier on the same track Golden Power completed a clean sweep of the filly Triple Crown with a similarly comprehensive triumph in the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup (2000M KOR-G3).

Golden Power and Choi Si-dae return to scale (Pic: KRA)

Returned to its early spot on the calendar, the filly Triple Crown – or “Triple Tiara” as it is known locally – was a three-way affair throughout the series between the only fillies who really looked up to the task at this stage; Golden Power, who secured narrow wins in the Luna Stakes (1600M KOR-L) and the Korean Oaks (1800M KOR-G3), and rivals Raon The Spurt and Chamjoeun Chingu, who filled out the placings in both those races.

Mindful of the extended trip, punters couldn’t split Golden Power and Raon The Spurt, the latter having finished off very well in the Oaks and sent them off as practically co-favourites in Saturday afternoon’s Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup.

Outsider Lunar Silver bounded out of the gate and led for most of the way around but as they got down to business in what was unchartered territory distance-wise for the entire field in the home straight, the usual suspects amassed at the front.

Then Golden Power took control. She struck the front just inside the final furlong and eased clear to score by four-lengths on the line from Raon The Spurt in 2nd with the fast finishing Eunseong Winner edging out Chamjoeun Chingu for 3rd.

Golden Power is by Afleet Express and is out of Cherokee Sheikh (by Cherokee Run). Owned and bred by Song Boing-chul, she is trained by Kwon Sung-ju at Busan and was ridden in all three legs of the filly Triple Crown, by Choi Si-dae. She now has five wins from ten starts.

A likely target next year for Golden Power is the Queens’ Tour and potential meeting, with Raon First, who on Sunday all but wrapped up victory in this year’s series with two races to spare by winning the Ttukseom Cup as easy as her triumph in the Segye Ilbo.

Raon First was an easy winner of the Ttukseom Cup (Pic: KRA)

Sent off as an almost un-bettable favourite in the local market, Raon First settled in 2nd place early with jockey Choi Si-dae content to allow second-favourite Wish Me, who was drawn much better, to set the pace. That’s how it remained until the home straight and once Choi asked for an effort, Raon First’s superior acceleration took her to the lead and away from the field.

Wish Me held on for a battling 2nd place four-lengths behind the winner, while Lady Kelly also stayed on well for 3rd.

Raon First is by Musket Man and is out of Pink Candy (by Southern Image). She was bred by her owner Son Chun-soo and is trained by Park Jong-kon at Seoul, who trains the majority of the “Raon” horses. The Ttukseom Cup was Raon First’s eleventh win from eighteen starts.

The third leg of the Queens’ Tour is the KNN Cup (1600M KOR-G3) which will be run at Busan on Sunday July 17th. The series then goes on hiatus for four months before the concluding race, the Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup (2000M KOR-G3) on Sunday November 27th, also at Busan. Next weekend the focus returns to the three-year-old colts and the final leg of their Triple Crown, the Minister’s Cup (2000M KOR-G2). The winners of the first two-legs, Captain Yankee (KRA Cup Mile) and Winner Star (Korean Derby) are both expected to be in the starting gate at Seoul Racecourse this coming Sunday.