Jockey Kim Hye-seon and 'Global Hit' Continue Their Challenge... Reattempting Dubai Race This March

On the 25th of last month at 01:25 (Korean Standard Time), at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, ‘Global Hit’ finished 8th out of 12 horses in the ‘Al Maktoum Challenge (G1)’, a disappointing result. However, it will make a comeback on March 1st in the ‘Al Maktoum Classic (G2)’.

Global Hit and jockey Kim Hye-seon, who will participate in Dubai, celebrating their victory in last year's President's Cup. Photo by LetsRun Park Busan Gyeongnam

March 1st, known as ‘Super Saturday’, is the day when major semi-final races are held ahead of the Dubai World Cup, with a total of eight races scheduled, including the ‘Al Maktoum Classic’.

The ‘Al Maktoum Classic’ is a race one tier below the ‘Al Maktoum Challenge’ in which ‘Global Hit’ participated last month. Although the total prize money is only 1.7 million AED (approximately 670 million KRW), the winner of this race will receive an automatic entry to the Dubai World Cup. The Dubai World Cup, scheduled for April 5th, is a world-class horse racing event with a total prize of 12 million USD (approximately 17.4 billion KRW) and is regarded as the highest honor a racehorse can achieve.

The defending champion of this race is ‘Military Law’, who won at the age of 9, demonstrating the enduring strength of a seasoned veteran. The runner-up at that time was ‘Walk of Stars’, the winner of this year’s ‘Al Maktoum Challenge’.

According to an official closely involved in training and managing ‘Global Hit’ since its arrival in Dubai earlier last month, “Fortunately, the horse has maintained good condition after the Al Maktoum Challenge and is currently exercising mainly with light trots. We are also providing intensive treatment for minor injuries sustained upon arrival in Dubai, doing our best to bring the horse to perfect condition.”

The 2000m long-distance race ‘Al Maktoum Classic’ suits ‘Global Hit’s’ strength in middle to long distances. Having already gained race experience and adapted to the local environment, racing fans expect ‘Global Hit’ to fully demonstrate its abilities this time.

Jockey Kim Hye-seon, who is currently back in Korea focusing on condition management and strategy analysis, plans to return to Dubai in the last week of February to ride ‘Global Hit’ again.

Let’s Run Park Busan-Gyeongnam of the Korea Racing Authority received great responses for the ‘Al Maktoum Challenge Preview Show’ live broadcast on YouTube last January, coinciding with jockey Kim Hye-seon’s race. The live broadcast, which lasted over six hours, attracted about 8,000 simultaneous viewers, sparking strong interest among fans for Korea’s first-ever live overseas horse racing broadcast.

Riding on the popularity of the January live broadcast, the Korea Racing Authority’s horse racing broadcast YouTube KRBC channel plans to deliver the excitement of the ‘Al Maktoum Classic’ race on March 1st live from the venue.