An American Who Loved Horses and Korea, 'Will Seobang' Has Returned

KRA Steward Williams' '60 Years in Horse Racing'

The man who loved horses and Korea has returned.

‘Williams Billy Lee (61)’, who served as a foreign steward for the Korea Racing Authority for six years and recently returned to LetsRun Park Busan-Gyeongnam, has once again sharpened his ‘hawk’s eye’.

The Korea Racing Authority has been steadily recruiting foreign stewards from advanced horse racing countries such as the United States and Australia since 2004 to raise fairness and reliability in race officiating to a global level.

Williams, a steward from the United States, was appointed as a foreign steward at LetsRun Park Busan-Gyeongnam in 2011, beginning his connection with Korean horse racing.

Williams Billy Lee, the referee, is inspecting the racetrack.

He said he had long been interested in Korea because his nephew served in the US Forces Korea. Based on his extensive racing experience and high expertise, he worked as a senior steward in Busan-Gyeongnam for six years. Afterwards, he gained experience as a chief steward in Malaysia and Illinois, USA, before returning to Korea.

His love for Korea was special; even while working, he deeply embraced the warmth of Korea and Koreans. He also lived in Busan quite a bit when not working for the Racing Authority. His favorite Korean dish is myeolchi ssambap (anchovy rice wraps).

His wife is Korean. Every holiday, he traveled around the country with his wife enjoying Korean culture and was known as ‘Will-seobang’ (Mr. Will).

Williams grew up familiar with horses on a ranch in Florida. In his teens, he worked as a jockey, and in his 20s and 30s as a trainer. In his 40s, he embarked on the path of a steward.

He built his steward career in Michigan and Illinois, the largest horse racing states in the US, and in 2018 served as chief steward at the Royal Sabah Turf Club in Malaysia.

Based on his experience and expertise gained in top-level horse racing countries, he plans to systematically approach race analysis and review to contribute to enhancing the trustworthiness of horse racing.

He said, “I always remember most races related to accidents, such as jockeys falling or racehorses suffering fatal injuries,” and pointed out, “Long efforts should not be overshadowed by a momentary accident.”

“It is the responsibility of horse racing people to oversee every process so that all horses and jockeys can race in a safe environment.” He is also leading efforts to help inexperienced apprentice jockeys by conducting the ‘Apprentice Jockey Capacity Building Program.’

With many concerns about the direction horse racing should take, attention is focused on his future after returning to Korea.

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