Busan Gyeongnam Race Park KNN Cup Held, Who Will Win 'Raon First vs Golden Power'?

Busan Gyeongnam Racecourse Park race in progress.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] On the 17th, the ‘15th KNN Cup (GIII)’, which had not been held for the past three years due to COVID-19, will be held at Busan-Gyeongnam Racecourse.

The race is scheduled for 5:05 PM as the 7th race at Busan-Gyeongnam. The race distance is 1600m, and the total prize money is 450 million KRW.

The KNN Cup is the third stage of the ‘Queens Tour’. The ‘Queens Tour’ is a series of races to determine the best mare of the year, open only to mares aged three and older, and consists of four stages in total.

In the first stage, the Dong-A Ilbo Cup (L), and the second stage, the Ttukseom Cup (GII), ‘Raon First’ won both races.

‘Golden Power’, who became the first mare in Korea to win the mare Triple Crown and the strongest 3-year-old mare this year, has issued a challenge to ‘Raon First’ for the first time in the Queens Tour series.

Horse racing fans are interested in whether Golden Power can stop Raon First’s three consecutive wins in the Queens Tour.

A total of 14 horses are scheduled to participate, with 9 from Seoul and 5 from Busan-Gyeongnam. Here are four horses expected to place, including Raon First and Golden Power.

▲ Raon First (Seoul, Class 1, 5 years old, Korea, Rating 118, Owner Son Cheon-su, Trainer Park Jong-gon, Win rate 61.1%, Place rate 66.7%) has a rating of 118, which is outstandingly high among the entrants.

The sire is Musketman, who is currently rising in popularity as a stallion.

Previously, Raon First consistently finished within the top five in all races and has shown steady performance, but now at age five, she is in her prime.

Since last year’s Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor’s Cup (GIII), she has won four consecutive graded races and also won both the first and second stages of the Queens Tour, making her the strongest favorite for this race.

Her performance is excellent in both short and long distances, but it is a pity that she has only one experience at 1600m.

▲ Golden Power (Busan, Class 2, 3 years old, Korea, Rating 72, Owner Son Byung-chul, Trainer Kwon Seung-joo, Win rate 50.0%, Place rate 50.0%)

She is the protagonist who became the first mare in Korea to win the mare Triple Tiara by winning all three races this year. She has captivated fans by showing growth with each race.

After the tight Triple Tiara schedule, she is entering the KNN Cup without rest.

Unlike previous races where she competed only against 3-year-olds, it is anticipated whether she can demonstrate her true ability against experienced 4- and 5-year-olds.

▲ Wish Me (Seoul, Class 2, 5 years old, Korea, Rating 79, Owner Kang Mu-ung, Trainer Choi Yong-gu, Win rate 50.0%, Place rate 80.0%)

She is a progeny of Act One Park, the top-ranked stallion in Korea in 2018. With only 10 races since debut, her experience is relatively limited for a 5-year-old.

In the Ttukseom Cup last June, she led the race from the front but was overtaken by Raon First on the final straight, finishing second by 4 lengths.

Considering similar patterns in previous races where she lost first place, she seems to lack finishing strength. However, she has solid fundamentals, so even if she does not win, placing is expected.

▲ Lady Kelly (Seoul, Class 2, 5 years old, Korea, Owner Infem, Trainer Ahn Hae-yang, Win rate 33.3%, Place rate 38.9%)

She finished third behind first-place Raon First and second-place Wish Me in the Ttukseom Cup. Her usual performance is mostly within the top three.

Although she placed 15th out of 16 in last year’s Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor’s Cup graded race, it was confirmed after the race that she had a hind leg limp, so it is believed she was not in usual condition.

She has mainly competed at 1200m and 1400m distances, so it will be interesting to see how she performs in this 1600m race, her first since 2020.

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