Owner’s Cup video online

The video of yesterday’s Seoul Owner’s Cup victory by Saerounbisul is now online, courtesy of fallight. CLICK HERE.

Weekend Round-Up

Korean Derby video online / Moon’s lead down to four / Challanhanbit wins / Hannam Daegyo wins at Busan

A video of yesterday’s Korean Derby is now online. The conditions during the race make identification of some of the horses difficult at times.

Cho Kyoung Ho managed to narrow the gap at the top of the Jockey’s table slightly by scoring four wins over the weekend to Moon Se Young’s two. Moon now has 52 with Cho on 48. Shim Seung Tae’s win in the Derby on Ebony Storm was quickly followed by another in race 10 on another outsider, Bernie C (16.6). The third-placed horse in the Derby, Namdo Jijon, was ridden by Kim Ok Sung, a late replacement for Ham Wan Sik who picked up a late injury and had to give up all his weekend rides. Shim moves into joint fourth place. It was a good weekend for Boo Min Ho, who marked his hundredth ride on Saturday with his third winner - and then picked up his fourth on Sunday with a win on Colosseum (7.5) in race 2.

Sunday’s handicap came before the Derby when the track was slightly less wet. It was won by Challanhanbit (2.4) for Cho Kyoung Ho. Sunday’s feature race at Busan, where in stark contrast to Seoul, there was beautiful sunshine for much of the afternoon, was won by second favourite Hannam Daegyo (5.4) a head in front of top-weight and favourite Seongsan Daegun (2.3).

Seoul Jockey’s Championship
1. Moon Se Young 52
2. Cho Kyoung Ho 48
3. Park Tae Jong 24
4. Ikuyasu Kurakane; Shim Seung Tae 18

Ttukseom Cup video online

Namchonuijijon’s win over Baekgwang in the Ttukseom Cup on April 13 is now online at YouTube.

KRA Cup Mile video online

Rainmaker’s win in yesterday’s KRA Cup Mile at Busan Race Park is now online, courtesy of Fallight. Click here.

I’ve added a page for Top Horses in Busan which includes Rainmaker. It’s currently based on the top money winners over the past year. Given the current stage of the season, the list is likely to change frequently so I’ll keep adding any new entrants to the top five. Top Horses in Seoul remains in place.

Busan Racing preview

Cards have been published for this weekend’s horse racing at Busan Race Park. As usual there are nine races on Friday with the first getting underway at 13:00. Feature race is an 1800 metre handicap off at 17:10. Among the favourites will be Widaehan Bonneung who unexpectedly beat most of its rivals over the same distance in February by an impressive 7 lengths. However, an extra two kilos from the  handicapper may let in others including the horse that finished second that day, All That Rush, Judo Ryeok (3rd) and Haengbuk Teukgeup (4th). Perfect Champ was also in that field but ran a bad race, however, he still maintains a record of 5 wins from 11 starts.

Sunday sees just five races with the first under orders at 12:40, however, the highlight is the 68Million won Busan Ilbo Cup. Eleven are declared for the 1600 metre contest which is the richest race of the year so far and are headed by Miss Ecton (2 wins from 6) and Daejui Yeosin(3/4). The race is at 15:40.

Most of the field of Friday’s big race competed against each other on February 15. Also winning that day was Miss Ecton. Click here to watch all the races from that day.

Top horses in Korea

We’ve added a page focusing on the top ten horses currently in training in Seoul complete with videos where possible. Simply CLICK HERE.

As Baekgwang isn’t currently considered among the top ten, there was no excuse to put his video on the page - so just for the sake of it, here he is tearing the field apart in the final 2 furlongs over a year ago.

Korean racing on video

Youtube has broken down all sorts of barriers, not to mention copyright laws, and thanks to a Korean posting under the name of Fallight, videos of Korean horseracing are available to an English speaking audience for the first time. Here are some of his best ones from 2007:

J.S. Hold took the Triple Crown this year. Here winning the Korean Derby the second leg of the Crown in a canter back in May and then going on to complete the full set in the Minister of Agriculture Cup in October, leaving it very late to overhaul Ganghomyeongjang in the final metres.

Back in March, Subsidy and Bally Brae did battle over ten furlongs - by the final turn the rest of the field was nowhere to be seen.

Finish of the year perhaps came from Baekgwang all the way back in February, the grey coming from the back of the field to the front in an explosive final 2 furlongs.

The season concluded with Subsidy and Bally Brae doing battle again n the Group 1 Grand Prix race. No J.S. Hold or Baekgwang, but a fine race nonetheless.

So Cheers Fallight, keep up the good work in 2008!