Korea: Long shots Diktaean, Self Improvement earn BC bids
Japan-based Diktaean surged past Chancheng Glory to win Sunday’s Group 3, US$1.1 million Korea Cup by a half-length at LetsRun Park. With the win, Diktaean earned an automatic starting position in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Earlier in the program, Self Improvement shipped from Hong Kong to captured the US$1 million Korea Sprint (G3) and earn a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Owned by G1 Racing, trained by Katsunori Arayama and ridden by Takayuki Yano, Diktaean is a 7-year-old King Kamehameha gelding who won his 10th race in 30 starts. The winning time Sunday was 1:50.8 without a run-up for the 1,800 meters, 11 yards short of 1 1/8 miles. The sandy dirt surface was listed as wet.
Breaking well from post 7 in the 11-horse field, Diktaean (9-1 in the U.S.) saved ground in eighth place along the rail up the backstretch. A tightly packed group of horses contested the pace led by Great Winner with Iowa-bred, Hong Kong-based Chancheng Glory (5-1) and favorite Ramjet (1-1) in close pursuit.
Off the second turn Chancheng Glory and Ramjet moved prominently to the front. Out in the center of the track, Yano let Diktaean loose in the homestretch, and they caught Chancheng Glory inside the last 50 yards. The win earned Diktaean his first group-stakes triumph and his first victory of the year in four starts.
Diktaean returned $20.20 and $5.20, second-place Chancheng Glory $2.80 and third-place Ramjet $2.10 in each-way betting.
Self Improvement upsets Korea Sprint
Self Improvement (20-1) raced forward in the 13-horse field, just a neck behind pacesetter Super Finish (99-1) through three furlongs of the roughly six-furlong Korea Sprint.
On the turn for home, odds-on favorite Chikappa (2-5) sped to the front and took a half-length lead over Self Improvement. The duo battled side by side inside the last 30 yards before Self Improvement prevailed at the wire by a half-length. Super Finish held on to finish third.
Self Improvement paid $42.40 and $5.00, Chikappa $2.20 and Super Finish $20.80.
The final time was 1:10.5 for the 1,200 meters, eight yards less than six furlongs.
A 6-year-old gelding sired by Deep Field, owned by Chung Yin Won, trained by Manfred K L Man and ridden by Chun Lok Chau, Self Improvement earned his sixth win. He came into Sunday’s race off an 11th-place finish in the July 16 Lucky Patch Handicap going six furlongs at Happy Valley in Hong Kong.