Best Race salutes in Singapore Pools Trophy

Last-start winner Best Race scooted clear for another easy three-length victory in the 150 million won (S$139,000) Singapore Pools Trophy at Seoul's LetsRun Park racecourse on Sept 6.

Trained by Park Jee-heon, who made his training debut in July 2024, Best Race came off a similar effortless win at his last start in the Class 4 handicap (1,400m) on July 27, when he also scored a three-length win over Haksan Dark Horse, albeit with Lee Hyeok on board.

The Race Day three-year-old galloper had Choi Bum-hyun in the irons for the first time in the Open Special Weight B 1,200m contest at the Korea Autumn Racing Carnival.

It was the third race named after Pools by the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) since 2023, with the last two occasions also preludes to Korea's biggest race day, the Korea Cup meeting.

The meeting features the 1.6 billion Korean won international Group 3 Korea Cup (1,800m) and the 1.4 billion Korean won international Group 3 Korea Sprint (1,200m) on Sept 7.

The Singapore gaming company's delegation, comprising Pools chief product officer Simon Leong and board member and Tote Board chief executive Tan Choon Shian, graced the occasion and handed out prizes to the winning connections after the race.

"For the third consecutive year, the Singapore Pools Trophy at the Korea Racing Carnival celebrates the robust and growing partnership between Singapore Pools and the Korea Racing Authority," said Leong.

"This ongoing collaboration highlights our united drive to foster international ties and expand quality racing content offered to our fans."

Shortly after the start, Best Race was taken to the outside by Choi after a few bumps with the Park Jong-kon-trained More Than Joke (Jo Jae-ro), who jumped on his inside.

Favourite Silver Rain (Jeong Jeong-hee) dictated the proceedings at the head of affairs, but Star Trek (Furkan Yuksel) quickly took over the lead at the bend.

Geumbit Gangho (Kim Hyo-jung) followed in third while Best Race followed him in fourth.

Turning for home, Choi scrubbed up his mount for the final pursuit as Star Trek valiantly held on to the lead.

But the Cho Hyun-soo-trained Star Trek showed signs of weariness at the 200m, in contrast to Best Race ($24), who charged to the front at the 100m before easing down for his fifth win from 10 starts.

Silver Rain held on for second while Long Run Bulpae (Lim Gi-won), who had to be angled out wider to make his run at the 300m, stormed home a tad too late to finish another ½ length in third, just beating Star Trek into fourth.

Ex-Kranji jockey Wong Chin Chuen, who was on board Listed Sports Seoul Trophy (1,400m) winner Chan Famous, could only manage seventh.

His fellow Malaysian jockey A'Isisuhairi "Harry" Kasim, the rider of Magic Junior, finished a nose behind in eighth.

Harry, however, did bag one win on the day when he made every post a winning one atop the Choi Yong-goo-trained Royal Plus ($45) in the penultimate Class 4 Handicap (1,400m).

Owned by Juk Ma Union, Best Race finished second on debut in a Class 6 race (1,200m) last October, before three successive wins over the 1,200m and 1,400m in lower-grade events.

The grey colt then ran third to Chan Famous at his first attempt in the Listed Sports Seoul Trophy in February.

But he was unplaced at his next three starts in Group company - the Grade 2 Kra Cup Mile (1,600m), the Grade 1 Korean Derby (1,800m) and the Grade 2 Minister's Cup (2,000m) - before dropping back to Class 4 for another win last time.

The 11-race meeting also saw four other KRA partners lend their names to other Open Special Weight B races, underscoring their strong ties with KRA.

They were the Japan Racing Association, Selangor Turf Club, South America's OSAF - which promotes Thoroughbred breeding and racing in Latin and South America - and South Africa's Race Coast.

sharonzhang@sph.com.sg