THE second Korea Autumn Racing Carnival took place at Seoul Racecourse over last weekend.

The feature races on Korea’s biggest day of racing, two local Grade 1s, were the Keeneland Korea Cup and Sprint. Ten overseas-trained runners took part in the two races which had a combined purse of approaching $1.5 million and going down to fifth place.

The race has received plenty of international coverage with runners from Japan, Hong Kong and two from America. Races are held on an oval-shaped artificial sand-based track with a two-furlong home straight.

In the two feature races, Yutaka Take guided Graceful Leap to victory in the Sprint with Korean Triple Crown winner Power Blade running a huge race in second, while in the Cup, fellow Japanese challenger London Town beat last year’s winner Chrysolite to make it a Japanese one-two. The Singapore-trained Wimbledon represented the China Horse Club.

The performances of the two American-trained horses was one of the Carnival’s highlights. In the Sprint, The Truth Or Else closed very strongly for fourth place and a decent prize that vindicated the travel.

His trainer, Kenny McPeek, who has clocked up the air miles this year with Daddys Lil Darling travelling to Epsom for the Oaks, only to bolt on the way to the start, was present throughout the week and led his charge in the parade ring.

INTERFERENCE

Papa Shot, trained in the US by Linda Rice, was third in the Cup despite having to recover from some interference four furlongs out.

International jockeys taking part were Gerald Mosse Nash Rawiller and Jean-Pierre Guillambert

Internationally, both races were simulcasted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and by Sky Racing in Australia.

In the USA, TVG Network broadcast both Sprint and Cup. Overall international turnover slightly exceeded domestic turnover (Hong Kong accounting for the vast majority). Dubai Racing TV also screened both big races live.