For the first time, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In will travel to Korea for two races on September 8, headlined by the $1.2 million Korea Cup (G3) at 1 1/8 miles and the $1 million Korea Sprint (G3) at six furlongs. The Korea Cup, which awards the winner an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), is headlined by defending champion Pride of the Crown and two-time Korean Horse of the Year Winner.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an 82-race international horse racing series whose winners receive an automatic entry and entry fee into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship, scheduled to be held on November 1–2 at Del Mar.
Leading the charge of the 11 horses in the Korea Cup, Teruya Yoshida’s five-year-old Crown Pride has traveled the world, racing in Korea, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, the United States and in his native Japan for trainer Koichi Shintani. Crown Pride, a son of Reach the Crown won the 2022 UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan and finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Last year, he was outstanding throughout the Korean Cup, leading at the start of the race and finishing with a 10-length victory. After finishing runner-up in his next three races, Crown Pride returned to the winner’s circle on July 15 when he won the 1 1/4-mile Listed Mercury Cup at Morioka Racecourse in Japan.
Lee Gyeong Hui’s 5-year-old Winners Man has been Korea’s most dominant horse over the past two years, with eight wins in 11 starts and taking the 2022 and 2023 Horse of the Year awards, as well as the Champion Older Horse and Champion Stayer awards. Trained by Choi Ki Hong, son of The Musket Man finished last year with three straight wins, including the Seoul Grand Prix at 1 7/16 miles on December 17 and the President’s Cup at 1 1/4 miles on November 19. The 2022 Korean Cup winner, Winners Man finished third behind Crown Pride in last year’s renewal race.
Kim Joon Hyun light racing Global Hit finished second to Winners Man in the Grand Prix and the President’s Cup. Those performances helped raise his son’s status. To honor and serve to the Korean 3-Year-Old Horse Championship. Trained by Bang Dong Suk, the 4-year-old Global Hit made his 2024 debut on May 26, finishing a neck second in the 1 1/8-mile Listed Busan Mayor’s Cup at Busan Gyeongnam.
Two other runners from Japan of interest are 5-year-old Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Wilson Tesorowho finished second in last year’s Champions Cup (G1) at Chukyo and in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1), and the 7-year-old horse is trained by Katsuyoshi Uchida Warrior of Lightwho won the Listed Kawasaki Kinen on April 3 for Carrot Club.
Anarchist Adds Intrigue to Korea Sprint
A group of 16 has been entered into the OBS Korea Sprint. After finishing fifth in the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) on July 27 at Del Mar, Ilium Stables’ Anarchist will make a second attempt to win a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) some 6,000 miles to the west in South Korea.
Last year, Koji Maeda Redo won the Korea Sprint by four lengths and returned to defend his title. Trained by Shintani, the 5-year-old son of Lani won eight times in 17 starts, including a February 24 victory in Saudi Arabia in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3).
raised in Kentucky Jasper Krone finished 12th in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) race at Santa Anita Park after a speed dispute near the top of the straight. Trained by Hideyuki Mori, the 5-year-old son of Frost won two sprint races on grass in 2023, winning the Kitakyushu Kinen (G3) at Kokura and the CBC Sho (G3) at Chukyo.
This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse team.
