Japan Owner Eyeing Remake of Seoul-Stirring Cup Day Double

Gate 3 slashes Ramjet's odds in Korea Cup; Sprint may stay home

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SEOUL - The horses have arrived, the draws have been made, and everything is ready for the eighth OBS Korea Cup (1,800m) and OBS Korea Sprint (1,200m) at Seoul racecourse on Sept 7.

Both domestic Grade 1 races are sponsored by Ocala Breeders' Sales (OBS) and are Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In (WAYI)" races for the Championships at Del Mar later this autumn.

While there are no North American-trained horses in either starting gate this time around, six strong Japanese horses - three in each race - have made the short trip across the sea in a bid to follow Crown Pride and Remake, who won their respective races in the past two years.

The other overseas team hail from Hong Kong, which has a representative in each race, aiming to emulate Super Jockey, who won the first ever running of the Sprint in 2016.

Japan's Ramjet heads a field of 11 in the 1.6 billion won (S$1.48 million) Korea Cup. A winner of five from 12, the Majestic Warrior four-year-old has been running in elite company, finishing off his 3YO campaign with a third to Forever Young in the Grade 1 Tokyo Daishoten (2,000m) in Oi on Dec 29.

That win earned him a trip to both the Group 1 Saudi Cup (1,800m) and Group 1 Dubai World Cup (2,000m) running sixth and ninth respectively. He last ran sixth in the Listed Teio Sho (2,000m) behind Mikki Fight on July 2.

Trained by Shozo Sasaki and to be ridden by Kosei Miura, Ramjet will bid to give owner Koji Maeda a third consecutive visit to the Seoul racecourse winner's circle at the Korea Cup meeting.