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The third running of the Korean Group One Sprint over 1200m at Seoul this afternoon has attracted strong international representation with runners from the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, France and the UAE.
While Korean racing is only a relatively new comer to the international scene, the introduction of the two International races, Sprint and Cup, has proven to be a strong incentive for international connections to visit Seoul, while at the same time acting as a catalyst to improve the standard of the local racing.
Today marks the third renewal of these races and it is clear the quality of the international runners has been increasing each occasion, resulting in perhaps the strongest contingent ever this afternoon to face off against the very best local gallopers on the testing sand circuit.The first two renewals of the Korea Sprint have been won by Hong Kong’s Super Jockey in 2016 and Japan’s Graceful Leap last year.
And while the visiting horses again look to have strong prospects, the Korean runners cannot be easily dismissed in the KRW700,000,000 feature.Early speed predictions for today’s sprint are suggesting a very fast up-front pace, something that normally categorises Korean racing on sand, where the trend is to break fast from the barriers.
Local speedsters Perdido Pomeroy and Today are drawn side by side in barriers one and two respectively, they will almost certainly press forward as will Ace Korea with French galloper King Malpic handy.This pace scenario is likely to suit Japanese sprinter/miler Moanin who comes here off a break after finishing down the track at Funabashi over 1600m in early May.
And while most of Moanin’s recent form has been over 1400m to 1600m, he brings a similar profile to the race as last year’s Japanese winner Graceful Leap.Moanin is an accomplished dirt performer in Japan with 18 of his 20 race starts on that surface including all seven race victories, four at the anti-clockwise conditions he faces today.
While it may seem that 1200m could be a shade short for him, trainer Ishizaka has elected to apply blinkers and this combined with the tough closing conditions likely to be encountered does give him the slight edge. Certainly a repeat of his best Timeform ratings brings him into serious calculation.Moanin will be ridden by Japanese rider Kanichiro Fujii who has been based in Australia for the majority of his career.
Fujii has had only a hand full of rides in his native land, however he rode with success in Korea between 2012 and 2015 at Busan where he rode several big race winners including the Korean Derby and Oaks on Speedy First and the Grand Prix Stakes. In 2013 Fujii was the first visiting jockey in Korea to ride 100 winners.This previous experience in Korea makes him popular with Japanese trainers bringing horses to Korea.
Fujii rode Chrysolite to win the inaugural Korea Cup in 2016 for Japanese interests and was full of praise for Moanin after jumping atop the entire at trackwork commenting he gave “a very nice feel”.Leading the charge for the locals is the very much improved Busan trained Doraonpogyeongseon who was a game third in this race last year behind Graceful Leap, beaten four lengths.
However since then, Doraonpogyeongseon’s Timeform ratings profile has continued to rise and there is no doubt he is a better horse this year.Doraonpogyeongseon’s last start over 1600m can be overlooked and reappears today after a 42 day freshen. Doraonpogyeongseon should be suited by the expected race shape of a fast early tempo as his style is to sit off the pace and grid out fast closing sectionals.
Hong Kong’s Flight Hero and France’s King Malpic also have Timeform ratings that bring them well into winning contention.Interestingly the KRA atewards stipulated that Flight Hero start from the extreme outside barrier 13 where, as is his normal running style, he can settle off the early speed and remain out of trouble.
Flight Hero can be a “quirky” but he is a seven time winner on the dirt in Hong Kong and as Super Jockey showed in 2016, the sand at Seoul should hold no fears for him.King Malpic is a five time winner on the all weather in France and has won two of his only three runs at 1200m. He arrives here in top form having won three of his last four starts in conditions races in France and handles the anti-clockwise direction.
The major query for King Malpic is the deeper sand conditions this afternoon, but his Timeform ratings profile makes him a competitive chance if he gets through it.The speedy Today who represented Seoul in Singapore last start where he finished a game third in the Korea Racing Association Trophy behind Skywalk on the poly over 1200m could be the best of the runners on the speed.
He will be third up from a spell here – a state he has never been defeated in from three attempts so far.Today has shown previously he can take a sit off the speed if required and if things do get busy up front today his rider Da Silva might just use that option.
Enjoy the contest.