On June 29, at the Let’s Run Park Busan-Gyeongnam operated by the Korea Racing Authority, the 18th Owners Cup (G3, total prize money of 500 million won) took place. In this race, the four-year-old Korean-bred horse Hangang Class (jockey Kim Hyesun, trainer Koo Minseong, owner Kim Joeun) drew attention from fans by defeating American-bred horses to claim victory.
The Owners Cup is the first gateway of the Korea Premier Series and is a prestigious race that brings together top racehorses from both Korea and abroad. This year’s event featured a total of 16 horses, including 8 Korean-bred entries.
In the early stages, Clean One and Black Mamba set the pace, but Hangang Class calmly conserved energy in the third position. With 100 meters remaining to the finish line, Hangang Class launched a decisive sprint, easily overtaking Clean One and Black Mamba to cross the finish line four lengths ahead. The final time was 1 minute 34.8 seconds, a full second faster than its previous personal best.
In a post-race interview, jockey Kim Hyesun said, "The horse’s condition was so good that I was expecting a win," and added, "Our strategy of meticulously analyzing the track conditions, including temperature and humidity, on the day of the race proved to be effective."
Second place went to Despite Win (four years old), while Clean One, who had led the race early on, finished third. Despite Win, in particular, made a strong impression with a powerful late charge in the final stretch.
Speed Young (jockey Park Jaei), who was the most anticipated contender before the race, disappointed fans by finishing ninth. The horse struggled to keep up with the fast pace from the start and was unable to recover throughout the race.
This year’s Owners Cup held significance beyond a simple victory. Hangang Class broke a slump that had persisted since the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, lifting a major race trophy again after about a year and six months.
The Korea Premier Series will continue with the KRA Cup Classic in August, the Korea Cup and Korea Sprint in September, the President’s Cup in October, and the Grand Prix in November, marking the start of a year-long journey to crown the strongest horse in Korea.
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