LetsRun Park Busan Gyeongnam, Emerging Short-Distance Powerhouse at Busan Ilbo Cup Main Race

'Vincero Cavallo' (trainer Seo Inseok) announced the emergence of a new short-distance powerhouse by winning the 19th Busan Ilbo Cup Stakes (G3, 1200m) held at LetsRun Park Busan-Gyeongnam on the 9th.

The Busan Ilbo Cup Stakes is the first gateway of the Sprinter Series, which selects the best short-distance horse. It drew much attention as 'Eomaeoma' and 'Ssonsal', both former short-distance champions, participated in the race.

The horse that attracted the most attention among the participants was 'Black Mamba', who led the race from the front throughout. Vincero Cavallo cleverly found space and surged ahead upon entering the home stretch, overtaking 'Black Mamba'. Vincero Cavallo widened the gap and secured victory with a time of 1 minute 11.0 seconds.

Vincero Cavallo is crossing the finish line.

Second place went to the 8-year-old veteran 'Mighty Go', while 'Black Mamba' finished third. This year as well, the Seoul-based Vincero Cavallo claimed victory, marking the seventh consecutive year that the Busan Ilbo Cup has been won by a horse from Seoul.

Jockey Cho Jaero, who rode the winning horse Vincero Cavallo, said, "I'm happy to overcome the disappointing result in the previous stakes race and win this time," adding, "Rather than insisting on leading from the front, I think the strategy of following from a stalking position and making a move from behind worked well."

Trainer Seo Inseok commented, "I'm pleased that the race strategy we anticipated led to victory," and added, "Instead of following the general racehorse entry cycle, I managed the entry schedule based on each horse's condition, which I believe contributed to the win."

The Sprinter Series, which determines the best short-distance horse, starts with this Busan Ilbo Cup and continues with the SBS Sports Sprint in April and the Seoul Owners Association Chairman's Cup Stakes in May. The horse that achieves the highest cumulative points across the three 1200m races in the series will receive an incentive of 100 million won and be selected as the best short-distance horse of the year.

Commemorative photo of the 19th Busan Ilbo Cup.