Running Alongside the Grand Prix... Inaugural 'KRA Sprint' to Debut This Year

3:15 p.m. KRA Sprint @ Seoul
3:40 p.m. KRA Sprint @ Yeongnam

On November 30, when the 'Grand Prix,' the highest honor in Korean horse racing, is held, another noteworthy horse racing event will capture the attention of racing fans.

The newly established 'KRA Sprint' will make its debut on the same day as the Grand Prix this year.

As the name 'Sprint' suggests, the KRA Sprint is a 1,200-meter short-distance race, centered on a speed competition that is decided in a short period of time.

The Korea Racing Authority created this new event to fill the gap in short-distance stakes races for three-year-olds and older, which occurs after the Korea Sprint (1,200 meters, September) and the International Newspaper Cup (1,400 meters, October) until the end of the year. The aim is to lay the foundation for a system to select the best short-distance horses and to offer fans high-quality races across a variety of distances.

The inaugural KRA Sprint will be held this year and is scheduled to take place every year during the fifth week of November, on the same day as the Grand Prix. The race is classified as Listed, and horses aged three years or older with a rating of 80 or below (second grade or lower) are eligible to participate. The total prize money is 200 million won per racecourse. Notably, this year’s event will be held separately at Seoul and LetsRun Park Busan Gyeongnam in accordance with the Korea Pattern Committee (KPC) standards, and starting in 2026, it will be upgraded to a G3-level open race with no rating restrictions.

Although it does not carry the same weight as the Grand Prix, the explosive acceleration and early speed battles unique to short-distance races are the highlights of the KRA Sprint. This year, 13 horses from Seoul and 9 from Busan Gyeongnam will compete, promising an exhilarating race for fans.

LetsRun Park Busan Gyeongnam.

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