You Hyun-myung

BUSAN’S FIRST ERA CONCLUDES AS TRAINER KIM YOUNG-KWAN AND JOCKEY YOU HYUN-MYUNG RETIRE

As Busan Racecourse approaches its twenty-year anniversary, the first era of the southern track is over with the most successful trainer of the past two decades Kim Young-kwan, and its most significant jockey You Hyun-myung, both retiring this coming Sunday.

Kim Young-kwan (left) and You Hyun-myung (2nd right) celebrate Blue Chipper’s 2019 Korea Sprint win with owner Choi Byung-bu and then KRA CEO Kim Nag-soon (Pic: KRA)

An aspiring jockey in the mid 1970’s, Kim Young-kwan realized at an early stage that he wasn’t going to make it in the saddle and switched to horse management and training. He finally got his Trainer’s License in 2024 and was among the original line-up of trainers to be based at Busan when it opened in 2005.

Kim went on to win the Busan Trainer’s Championship thirteen times, saddled a Triple Crown winner, won races overseas, and in all won fifty-five Group races, a record that under the current structure of racing in Korea, seems unlikely to ever be repeated.

Fillies have bookended his career. Luna, Busan’s first real star racehorse, was responsible for his first three group wins between 2005 and 2007, while Jeulgeounyeojoeng provided six out of his last seven between 2023 and this year, the last coming in the Ttukseom Cup at Seoul in April.

Kim also trained three fillies to win the Korean Derby, Sangseung Ilro in 2010, Speedy First in 2013 and Queen’s Blade in 2014. That was back in the days when the calendar allowed the best fillies to compete in the Derby as well as the Oaks. He also trained another filly, Gamdonguibada, to win the Grand Prix Stakes in 2012.

The Triple Crown would be won with Power Blade in 2016 while Triple Nine, who would become his stablemate’s great rival, won four consecutive President’s Cups. Kim also prepared Blue Chipper to win the Korea Sprint in 2019 while Mister Park won a Grand Prix on his way to a Korean record of seventeen consecutive victories.

Overseas, Kim was the first Korea trainer to saddle a Dubai Carnival winner when Main Stay scored in 2017. He also took Blue Chipper to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita in 2019 where he ran 3rd behind Spun To Run and Omaha Beach.   Power Blade and Triple Nine also both ran with credit in Dubai.

The first Korean trainer to reach 1000 winners, Kim has 1539 in total from 7045 runners but has chances to add to it this coming weekend.

You Hyun-myung’s first Group race win also came with Luna, who he partnered in the 2006 Gyeongnam Governor’s Cup. You became a jockey at Seoul in 2002 and transferred to Busan on its opening. He was champion jockey at the track four times between 2014 and 2019.

You also paired up with Kim Young-kwan for his two Group 1 wins: Mister Park in the 2010 Grand Prix and Blue Chipper in the Korea Sprint. While he didn’t ride a Korean Derby winner, he secured plenty of other Classics, most recently with Success Baekpa in the 2024 KRA Cup Mile and Minister’s Cup.

In total, You, who is not scheduled to ride this weekend, rode 1253 winners from 7559 rides.

Also retiring this weekend are Seoul trainers An Hae-yang and Yoo Jae-gil. An saddled two Korean Oaks winners, Amaranth in 2003 and Uaryung in 2020. Yoo’s sole Group success came with Gwacheon Ruler in the 2007 SROA Chairman’s Trophy. Busan’s Yang Kui-sun is also saying his farewells this weekend after saddling 430 winners.

Success Baekpa Adds Minister’s Cup to Cup Mile in Triple Crown Finale

There may be no Triple Crown winner, but Success Baekpa confirmed his place on top of the three-year-old ranks with a commanding nine-length victory in the Minister’s Cup (2000M KOR-G2) at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday afternoon. Added to his win in the KRA Cup Mile and 3rd place in the Korean Derby, Success Baekpa ran out the winner of the Triple Crown series by almost 600 points.

Success Baekpa goes clear (Pic: KRA)

True the task was made somewhat simpler for Success Baekpa at the start when World Dragon, who was set to jump as third favourite in the betting market, reared in the gate, crunching jockey Seo Seung-un into the machine. With the field backed out for a reload neither horse nor jockey was passed fit to race. That left fifteen in the race.

Hangang Class was sent off as the favourite at marginally better than even-money once World Dragon was removed from the pool, but it was outsiders Great Winner and Miracle Marine who set the early pace while Success Baekpa, the 4.5 second favourite sat behind the leaders alongside Nice Time, who began third in the market.

Into the home straight, jockey You Hyun-myung asked Success Baekpa for an effort and the Purge colt cruised clear, putting the result beyond doubt a full furlong from home. Nice Time crossed the line in 2nd place, a full nine-lengths adrift, while a further four-lengths back, Doctor Kingdom edged out the Derby winner Eunpa Sarang by a nose.

“I made a few mistakes (in the Korean Derby) but this time we were very well prepared” winning jockey You Hyun-myung told in-house broadcaster KRBC. “The draw didn’t really matter and there were no opponents that we were afraid of here. The pace was a little fast, but he showed no signs of fatigue.” When quizzed on what was next for the colt, You replied: “The aim is to come back here and win the President’s Cup.”

The President’s Cup (2000M KOR-G1) is the richest race restricted to Korean bred horses that is age open and Success Baekpa can expect to come up against Global Hit, last year’s Minister’s Cup winner. This year it will take place on October 13th. Connections may well be tempted by a tilt at the international Korea Cup in early September, although that will be a far harder ask.

You Hyun-myung salutes the crowd after the Minister’s Cup (Pic: KRA)

Success Baekpa is by Purge and out of the 2007 Korean Oaks winner Baekpa (by Revere). He was bred by Kang Seung-youn and was purchased by her owner Lee Jong-hun for KRW 90 Million at the November 2022 Yearling Sale. He moves on to a record of five wins from nine starts.

In the final standings for the Triple Crown series, Success Baekpa finished on top with 1600 points with Eunpa Sarang in 2nd with 1030. His Minister’s Cup runner-up finish saw Nice Time jump up two places to 3rd overall with 700 points.

There is no Stakes action next week in Seoul with the next big race being the Busan Owners’ Cup (1600M KOR-G3) on June 30th. The early entries comprise an intriguing mix of stayers and sprinters with Tuhonui Banseok and Eoma Eoma, as well as unbeaten import Sky Wind among twenty-two still in.

Success Baekpa Swoops To Claim Triple Crown 1st Leg

If there is to be a Triple Crown winner this year, his name will be Success Baekpa after the Min Jang-gi trained colt roared home late to sweep past Nice Time to claim the first jewel, the KRA Cup Mile (1600M KOR-G2) at Busan Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

Last year’s champion juvenile Hangang Class was sent off as the odds-on favourite among the thirteen-strong field, but just as in the Busan Classic Trial in February, he was a touch slow coming out of the gate and was always on the backfoot from there on. Ultimately, he did well to run 3rd.

Seoul’s Classic Trial winner Nice Time set the early pace along with second-favourite Wonderful Lear. The latter was quickly beaten but Nice Time stayed on and looked set to go on to score until You Hyun-myung launched 13/1 chance Success Baekpa, who had settled well back in the pack, down the centre of the track to sweep past everything in his path and beat Nice Time by three-quarters of a length on the line.

“The horses drawn in one, two, and three (Hangang Class, Wonderful Lear and Nice Time) were so strong that I would have been very happy even to make it into the top-three, so it is a little unexpected” winning trainer Min Jang-gi told in-house broadcaster KRBC. “I instructed (You Hyun-myung) to follow the leaders from midfield and I think he made good decisions at the right time and was able to win the race.”

Accordingly, expectations have changed now for the remainder of the Triple Crown series. “Now that he has successfully passed the first hurdle, there are two races left. This horse can come from behind and pick up speed, so I think that the distances getting longer mean his winning chances increase.”

For You Hyun-myung it was a return to the Graded Stakes winning enclosure for the first time since enduring a horrible 2023 when he missed most of the season after two heavy falls resulting in multiple surgeries.

“It makes it more special because it’s my first Grand Prize since returning and my family were here today so I’m even happier” he told KRBC. “I think of winning this race as a new beginning and a reason to work even harder, starting from next week.”

You may have to wait a little longer than next week as he picked up a 2-day ban for excessive whip use. Moon Se-young on Nice Time also got a two-day ban for shifting out in the straight.

Success Baekpa is by Purge and out of the 2007 Korean Oaks winner Baekpa (by Revere). She was bred by Kang Seung-youn and was purchased by her owner Lee Jong-hun for KRW 90 Million at the November 2022 Yearling Sale. She moves on to a record of four wins from seven starts – and four in a row.

The second leg of the Triple Crown is the Korean Derby (1800M KOR-G1) at Seoul on Sunday May 12th. Next week, attention shifts to the Sprint Series and the SBS Sports Sprint (1200M KOR-G3) at Seoul on Sunday afternoon.

SUCCESS MACHO TAKES OWNERS’ CUP GLORY

Success Macho finally delivered on his early promise and got a Stakes win on the board as he came through late to beat Yes Perfect by a head to win the Busan Owners’ Cup (1600M KOR-G3) at Busan Racecourse on Sunday afternoon.

Success Macho (left) beats Yes Perfect in the Busan Owners’ Cup (Pic: KRA)

In a race devoid of big-name headliners, Daehan Jilju was sent off as favourite, somewhat surprisingly at odds-on among the sixteen-strong field. He would attempt to lead from gate to wire but favourite, who has shown his best at shorter distances, was quickly beaten once they reached the home straight. Success Macho meanwhile was ridden patiently and wide by jockey You Hyun-myun, who was returning to action after a four-month injury absence and the pair stormed through late to beat fellow fast-finisher Yes Perfect, with Heunghaeng Jilju in 3rd.

“(Success Macho) doesn’t like kickback and over the 1600M there are two very long straights” winning jockey You Hyun-myung told KRBC.  “During the race, I wanted to go nearer to the fence, but I followed the trainer’s instructions to stay out of the kickback.”

Success Macho, a five-year-old gelding by Macho Uno, who was imported in-utero, made an electrifying start to his career, winning nine of his first ten starts with his only defeat in that period coming in this race in 2021. But while he ran 6th in last year’s Korea Cup, he suffered an injury that kept him off the track from last October to this June when he returned underwhelmingly, only beating two home over the same mile distance at class 1 level.

“His last race was his first back after a long break and while I didn’t have high expectations that day, he was even worse than I expected but he needed that” trainer Min Jang-gi told KRBC. “He is small, but he is robust, and he doesn’t want to give in. The jockey knows him very well and he knew what to do, and it all came off.”

That You Hyun-myung was returning to action following a shattered collarbone in a fall earlier this year. He had already been on the scoresheet on Friday winning race 1 on his first ride back. He had ridden Success Macho in eight of his nine previous wins.

“The horse wasn’t doing terrific during trackwork, but the owner had so much faith in him, so we are happy to win” You continued. And on his own situation: “To my fans, I am back now, and I pledge to do my best.”

Trainer Min was non-committal about Success Macho’s next assignment. “I am not really keen to run him in handicaps because after this his rating will go up so I will see if I can find some more suitable feature races.”

With defending champion. Winner’s Man seemingly joining Raon The Fighter on the absentee list for the Korea Cup, another trip to Seoul on international weekend could therefore be on the cards for Success Macho as while he is unlikely to trouble the Japanese visitors, he would have a real shot at some lucrative minor prize money.

Next weekend the Triple Tiara (filly Triple Crown) concludes with the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup (2000M KOR-G3) which, unusually for Korean Stakes races, will be run at Seoul on Saturday as part of the first weekend of twilight racing when the card will run from 2pm to 9pm.