Final Match "Let's Win and Leave" ... 2nd Rookie Stakes@Pukyung, Rising Star Mare "Fantastic Kingdom" & Jockey Perovic Take 1st Place

by Kim Yongu

Published 01 Sep.2022 17:55(KST)

Updated 09 Aug.2025 11:19(KST)

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Fantastic Kingdom and jockey Perovic crossing the finish line.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The 2nd ‘Rookie Stakes@Pukyung’ race, a festival for rising stars, was held on August 28 at the 7th race of Busan-Gyeongnam Racecourse. The victory was claimed by ‘Fantastic Kingdom (male, trainer Im Geumman)’ and jockey Perovic.

The Rookie Stakes is a special race limited to 2-year-old Korean-bred horses over a distance of 1200m. It serves as the first stage where promising young racehorses compete in one place. The events are held separately as ‘Rookie Stakes@Seoul’ and ‘Rookie Stakes@Pukyung’ in Seoul and Pukyung, respectively.

On the day, Fantastic Kingdom and jockey Perovic made a smooth start from gate 1 and engaged in a battle for the lead with ‘Doctor Oscar (female, trainer Baek Gwang-yeol)’.

After turning the 4th corner and entering the home stretch, ‘Fantastic Kingdom’ began to take the lead, while ‘Doctor Oscar’ was overtaken by ‘Joyful Journey (female, trainer Kim Young-kwan)’ from behind and dropped to 3rd place.

‘Joyful Journey’ and ‘Doctor Oscar’ chased until the end, but ultimately ‘Fantastic Kingdom’ crossed the finish line first.

The race record was 1 minute 13.8 seconds. ‘Joyful Journey’ took 2nd place, and ‘Doctor Oscar’ finished 3rd.

‘Fantastic Kingdom’ is a progeny of ‘Concord Point’ and was sold for 157 million won at last year’s 1-year-old horse auction.

From October to December, the ‘Juvenile Series’ races will be held over two months to select the best 2-year-old horses. The Pukyung Juvenile Series progresses from the Areumdaun Jilju Stakes (October 2) and Gimhae Mayor’s Cup (November 6) to the Breeders’ Cup (December 4).

Jockey Perovic, the winner, will leave the Korean racing scene after the Rookie Stakes@Pukyung. In a post-race interview, Perovic said, “I am very happy and grateful to win the last race on the last day. Due to health reasons, I am returning to Serbia, but I will never forget the time spent in Korea and the love received from the fans.”