Gyeongju Ends, but the Story Begins... Joy, Tears, and Emotion, the Real Horse Racing Story Delivered on YouTube

The Busan Ilbo Cup race is being broadcast live on YouTube.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] A different energy is circulating at the Pukyong Racecourse. This is because Pukyong horses have been showing dominance compared to Seoul horses.

In the Seoul-Busan Open Stakes held in 2022, Pukyong's winning rate exceeded 61%, and on the 4th, Pukyong's "Golden Power" became the first filly in Korean horse racing history to achieve the filly Triple Crown.

Although Pukyong had previously performed better than Seoul, in the past three years, Pukyong's winning rate did not even reach 30%.

This was partly because Pukyong is smaller in scale compared to Seoul, and even horses that performed well in Pukyong struggled when competing against Seoul horses in open races.

However, the tide has turned starting this year. In open stakes races where Seoul horses were naturally expected to win, Pukyong horses have been pulling off surprising victories.

In the Triple Tiara series, "Golden Power" defeated strong favorites "Raon the Spurt" and "Cham Joeun Chingu," and in the Triple Crown series, "Captain Yankee," trained by Pukyong's trainer Gu Min-seong of the 10th stable and less than a year since debut, claimed the top spot in the series.

In the YTN Cup, Pukyong's "Winners Man" won by beating the long-distance powerhouse "Haengbok Wangja."

Fans are amazed and cheering, calling it the revival of Pukyong. How did Pukyong suddenly start performing so well?

The secret lies in the atmosphere at Pukyong Racecourse. As energy began to circulate among horse-related personnel, it translated into good results, which in turn fueled further momentum, creating a virtuous cycle.

The first sign of change was detected two months ago with the launch of the KRBC early morning training site report series.

The Korea Racing Authority Busan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters has been striving to deliver various news about Pukyong Racecourse to fans through the YouTube KRBC channel.

As part of this effort, they began closely covering and vividly revealing the early morning training scenes, which are usually difficult for the general public to access.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays during the Luna Stakes, announcer Kim Su-jin from the Korea Racing Authority took on the role of reporter and visited the early morning training site.

She interviewed jockeys and trainers after training to ask about race preparations and the horses' conditions.

In the videos, announcer Kim Su-jin expressed concern for jockey Moon Se-young, who had fallen the previous week, and obtained insider information from jockey Yoo Hyun-myung that Wonder Raise does not run well when hit by sand.

Jockey Park Tae-jong said, "I trained Raon the Spurt alongside other horses, but Raon seemed a bit exhausted at the end," sharing plans for the upcoming race.

Trainer Kwon Seung-joo was seated where he could clearly see the main track, carefully observing the training and taking detailed notes as feedback.

When asked about expectations for the Luna Stakes, Trainer Kwon humbly said that "Golden Power" seemed inferior compared to Seoul horses, but "Golden Power" went on to win first place in the Luna Stakes and swept the Triple Tiara, becoming Korea's first filly Triple Crown winner.

The early morning training site report content continues with the KRA Cup Mile, Busan Ilbo Cup, and Korean Oaks.

Jockeys who were initially hesitant and unfamiliar are gradually participating more naturally in interviews.

They said, "We have become more serious about training itself," and "The early morning training has become a new stimulus. We work harder so as not to be ashamed in front of the fans."

Kim Hye-seon (left) and jockey Park Jae-i are smiling with bright expressions.

The lively atmosphere at Pukyong is also felt in the YouTube live broadcast content. To vividly convey the excitement and tension of stakes races, live streaming on YouTube began from the recent KRA Cup Mile.

During the broadcast, announcers Kim Su-jin and Lee Ji-hye actively covered behind-the-scenes scenes of the racetrack.

Jockeys and trainers expressed affection and trust for their horses and responded with honest interviews about the horses' conditions and race strategies.

Fans actively communicated using the live chat feature, cheering for their favorite horses and jockeys, asking questions on the spot, and receiving answers.

Horse racing fans have praised the broadcasts for delivering sincere stories from inside the racetrack. One fan said, "Horse racing is not just about winning or losing. There are real stories and emotions about horses and people."

The video sharing post-race stories of the Busan Ilbo Cup broke away from the conventional format of just race footage and winner interviews by including the entire process from the paddock to the post-race weighing room and the return journey.

In the Busan Ilbo Cup, "Raon the Fighter," who was on a 10-win streak, participated, and all horse-related personnel were focused on whether "Raon the Fighter" would be stopped from achieving an 11th consecutive win.

The video clearly shows other jockeys keeping an eye on "Raon the Fighter" and jockey Lee Hyuk.

However, "Eomah Eomah" succeeded in stopping "Raon the Fighter" and won the race. After the race, the scene where jockey Moon Se-young and trainer Song Moon-gil share a big smile and high-five allows viewers to share in the joy of victory.

But immediately after, a close-up of jockey Lee Hyuk's hollow expression after his 11-win streak was broken evokes empathy for that bittersweet feeling.

Fans commented that this video, capturing both the joy and sadness after the race, felt like witnessing the joys and sorrows of life beyond horse racing.

Additionally, various stories inside the racetrack can be found through content such as jockey vlogs and live draws for stakes race numbers.

Due to the image associated with horse racing as a sport, horse-related personnel have maintained a somewhat closed atmosphere until now.

However, by sharing various aspects of horse racing through the YouTube channel and communicating with fans, the atmosphere has become more open. Pukyong Racecourse is now united in its effort to show a better side to fans.

On Sunday the 26th at 4:20 PM, the 17th Busan Mayor's Cup Stakes will be held at the Busan-Gyeongnam Horse Racing Park.

The Busan Mayor's Cup is a race where Korea's top horses compete to select the Korean representative horse for the international race "Korea Cup" scheduled for September, and for the first time in Pukyong horse racing history, it will be broadcast live nationwide on KBSN.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.