One year after the Koichi Shintani duo of Remake and Crown Pride accomplished a big-race double at Seoul, they return as defending champions on Sunday for even higher stakes. Their respective races, the Korea Sprint (G3) and Korea Cup (G3), are newly minted Breeders’ Cup Challenge events.
Remake, already listed as a Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) contender, can pay his way to Del Mar with a repeat victory. The about 1 1/8-mile Korea Cup offers a free ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
Each race features three Japanese shippers, and Anarchist furnishes American interest in the Korea Sprint. You can watch and wager on Seoul at TwinSpires.com late Saturday night/early Sunday morning.
Korea Sprint (G3): Race 6, 2:20 a.m. ET
Remake, a son of 2016 Triple Crown competitor Lani, drove to a four-length victory here last September. Koji Maeda’s homebred has raced exclusively abroad this season. Uncorking a furious late rally to topple Skelly in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) on Saudi Cup Day, Remake had a checkered passage when fourth in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on World Cup night. Yuga Kawada will guide the likely favorite from post 7 in a 16-horse field.
Anarchist rates a top threat, if he can recover his old spark for trainer Doug O’Neill. In the form of his life in the summer of 2023, he nearly upset The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby (G1) and scored his signature win in the Pat O’Brien (G2). Anarchist has yet to find that level in 2024, with unplaced efforts in the Kelly’s Landing S. at Churchill Downs and in the Bing Crosby back at Del Mar. Edwin Maldonado makes the trek to ride Anarchist, who has drawn post 11.
The Hideyuki Mori-trained Jasper Krone wound up last in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) and seventh in the Hong Kong Sprint (G1), but improved to fourth when trying dirt in Riyadh. After flopping back on turf, perhaps Jasper Krone can find new life again on the surface switch.
The third Japanese entrant, Keiai Dorie, has more to find as the sixth-placer in Riyadh and only ninth in the Golden Shaheen. In his latest in Morioka’s Cluster Cup, he was third to Breeders’ Cup-bound Don Frankie.
Leading the home team is last year’s bold runner-up, Beolmaui Star, whose recent barrier trial portends well. Eoma Eoma was fifth a year ago in the next-best finish by a Korean-trained runner. Also worth a look are two exiting wins at Busan; Speed Young is intriguing on the cutback following an eight-length rout over a metric mile, and the filly Gangseo Giant prevailed at this about six-furlong trip. Vincero Cavallo deserves marks for consistency.
Korea Cup (G3): Race 7, 3:30 a.m. (ET)
Crown Pride, the 2022 UAE Derby (G2) hero who tired to 13th in the Kentucky Derby (G1), has won only twice in the interim. But he conquered last year’s edition by 10 resounding lengths, and he recently regained the podium in the July 15 Mercury Cup at Morioka. Takeshi Yokoyama, aboard for the first time that day, aims to make it two in a row on Sunday. The outside draw in post 11 isn’t a concern, considering that Crown Pride had the tactical speed to neutralize post 14 a year ago.
Kawada, Crown Pride’s winning rider in 2023, sticks with Wilson Tesoro. Runner-up to the likes of Ushba Tesoro and Lemon Pop in Grade 1s late last year, the son of Kitasan Black made his first foreign venture to the Dubai World Cup (G1) and finished fourth. Wilson Tesoro has reportedly matured since then, and his subsequent second in the June 26 Teio Sho should set him up for a stronger performance.
Light Warrior isn’t quite in the same bracket, as indicated by his dropping out of the Japan Racing Association to register with the lesser National Association of Racing. But he did pull a 37-1 upset of the Kawasaki Kinen prior to his sixth in the Teio Sho.
Two-time Korean Horse of the Year Winner’s Man, third to the Japanese shippers in the 2023 running, went on to score a hat trick going longer at Seoul last fall. But the son of Musket Man hasn’t raced since repeating in the Dec. 17 Grand Prix S.
Global Hit, who missed by a nose to Winner’s Man in the Grand Prix, has progressed to win three of his ensuing four starts, including the Aug. 4 KRA Cup Classic. That arguably makes him the top local hope. Success Macho, fourth in last year’s Korea Cup, has been idle since placing third to Winner’s Man and Global Hit Dec. 17.
