Raon Forest gets up in KNN Cup
The five-year-old grey was stepping out in the third and final leg of the Queens' Tour (Spring/Summer) series, where she faced 12 rivals, including Gladius and Jeulgeounyeojeong.
Gladius won the first leg, the Listed Dong-A Ilbo Trophy (1,800m) at Seoul racecourse on March 23, while Jeulgeounyeojeong was the winner of the second leg, the Group 2 Ttukseom Cup (1,400m) in Seoul on April 27.
When the gates opened, Raon First's racing antics looked to have ruined her chances of winning, and many would have forgotten about the daughter of Hansen as speedster East Jump (Kim Tae-hun) set the early pace with Jeulgeounyeojeong (Seo Seung-un) in close attendance.
Into the home straight, it was Gladius (Kim Yong-geun) who took the lead, but the field was fanned across the track with the win still up for grabs at the furlong pole.
Jeulgeounyeojeong never really looked the winner. But Gladius did, and so did 2024 KNN Cup winner Wonderful Slew (Moon Se-young) as she launched her bid to defend her title from out wide. Yet, neither would finish in the top two.
After that dreadful start, Choi Bum-hyun, who was aboard Raon Forest ($39), had gathered his mount and taken her across to the inside. The pair began to run their own race, so did Bang Bang Bang (Kim Hye-sun), who came from second-last to make her pursuit.
It was Raon Forest and Bang Bang Bang who would ultimately scythe through the pack. Raon Forest gradually struck the front just inside the 100m and prevailed from Bang Bang Bang by half a length.
Wonderful Slew finished third, with Gladius a length away in fourth, and Jeulgeounyeojeong another 1¼ lengths behind in fifth.
The returning Lady Vader (Jin Kyum), who spent much of the first part of the race at the back with Raon Forest and Bang Bang Bang, ran a creditable sixth.
"More than anything, I'm happy we ended up winning," Choi told Korea Racing Broadcasting Channel (KRBC).
"I thought it was game over when the start went wrong and it messed up our plan.
"But she was calm. We took our time to get back into it and, by the third corner (the end of the back straight), I thought we were okay again. The inside was open, and she was running well.
"It feels a bit inconsequential to say it now, but even if she had broken well, we would have been patient. When it happened, I felt 'oh gosh', but I guess I'm a lucky guy today."
Choi is one of the most decorated Korean jockeys of all time, with the KNN Cup his 14th Group win.
That tally included two Group 1 Grand Prix Stakes (2,300m) - which he won with Dongbanui Gangja in 2008 and 2009 - and a Group 1 Korean Derby (1,800m) atop Final Boss in 2017.
In the past 12 months, Choi had only 70 rides, but he still chalked up a healthy return of 10 wins.
"This is my first time back in Busan for a year, so I had prepared very hard," he said.
"After all that preparation, everything changed at the start, but we got some luck and won.
"I haven't ridden very much recently, so I had to change my mindset, and I am ready to take the opportunities when they come."
A post-race examination found Jeulgeounyeojeong to be lame in her right fore, which may have accounted for her lacklustre run.
That extended a luckless streak for her at her home track.
The Colors Flying mare took a race-ruining bump in the back straight in the KNN Cup in 2024 when she finished ninth, and also suffered from her first bleeding attack in the Listed Breeders' Cup Queen (1,800m) last November.
Jeulgeounyeojeong has since bounced back and, with some luck, she can return to her best again.
The attention in Seoul would shift to finding the next generation of Queens' Tour contenders, as the Group 3 Gyeonggi Governor's Cup (2,000m) at Seoul racecourse on June 8 is the final leg of the Triple Tiara series.
Open to three-year-old fillies, the first two legs - the Listed Luna Stakes (1,600m) and the Group 2 Korean Oaks (1,800m) in Busan - were won by Fantastic Value.
Trained by Lim Keum-man, the daughter of Afleet Express will be a hot favourite to emulate Jeulgeounyeojeong, who claimed all three legs of the series in 2023.
The Queens' Tour (Fall/Winter) series will resume in late September, with the first leg, the Group 3 Jeju Governor's Cup (1,400m), to kick off in Seoul on Sept 23. SKY RACING WORLD
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