Am-Bred Gives Korea First Cup Win

Nam Ki Tae’s Choegang Schiller (Artie Schiller) looked like the best chance to dethrone reigning champ El Padrino (NZ) (Mr. Nancho {Arg}) in Sunday’s $340,000 Asia Challenge Cup, and the locally trained gelding came up big for the home team to post the slight upset in the 1200-meter international event at Seoul Race Park. Foreign-trained horses won the first two editions of the Cup, including a smart victory by El Padrino 12 months ago, and winning trainer Ji Young Hun said he was thrilled his runner could secure an initial victory for Korea. “I ran second a year ago [with Wonder Bolt, 7th this year], so I’m really, really happy with this win,” he said. Ji said he thought Choegang Schiller was coming into the race in top form, “but I was very concerned about El Padrino.”

Hustled from post five under jockey Lee Chan Ho, Choegang Schiller angled in behind the sophomore colt Cheon Gu (Old Fashioned) and Super Gangja (Simon Pure) and tracked that dueling pair in the early stages. The latter began to fade in upper stretch and Cheon Gu drifted a touch, giving Choegang Schiller enough room to slip past to his inside. Choegang Schiller began to lengthen away 200 meters out, and while El Padrino kicked into gear down the middle of the track and made up good ground late, victory was already secure as Lee stood in the irons and pointed to the sky with his stick.

Choegang Schiller was making his sixth start of the year. He won a Class 2 event on debut back in January, then added a Class 1 two starts later in May. He came up a nose short to the good local horse Watts Village (Forestry) in the Mun-Hwa S. at Seoul July 12.

From the extended family of Chris Evert and Winning Colors, Choegang Schiller is the second stakes winner bred out of Changeable by the Clay family’s Runnymede Farm. Runnymede also bred the stakes winner and Grade II performer Savvy Hester (Heatseeker {Ire}).

In the other feature on the day at Seoul, the 5-year-old Chief Red Can (Fantasticat) won the 2000-meter KRA Cup, a local Group 3, for trainer Park Chun Seo. Bred in Maryland by Carol A. Kaye, Chief Red Can defeated Clean Up Cheonha (El Corredor) by three lengths.

Sunday, Seoul Race Park
ASIA CHALLENGE CUP (NB), w400,000,000 (US$338,972), 3yo/up, 1200m, 1:11.00, ft.
1–CHOEGANG SCHILLER, 126, g, 4, by Artie Schiller
1st Dam: Changeable, by Miswaki
2nd Dam: Changing Tunes, by Nijinsky II
3rd Dam: Missed the Wedding, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
($25,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP; $3,000 RNA wnlg ’11
KEENOV). O-Nam Ki Tae; B-Runnymede Farm Inc &
The Peter J Callahan Rev Trust (KY); T-Ji Young Hun;
J-Lee Chan Ho; w220,000,000. Lifetime Record:
13-7-2-1, w539,870,000. *1/2 to Savvy Hester
(Heatseeker {Ire}), SW & GSP, $290,219.
2–El Padrino (NZ), 126, g, 7, Mr. Nancho (Arg)–
Crownie (Aus), by Luskin Star (Aus). O-One Eight
Eight Stable; B-Assured Assets Pty Ltd (NZ); T-Alwin
Tan; J-Oscar Chavez; w84,000,000.
3–Cheon Gu, 126, c, 3, Old Fashioned-So Much Fun,
by Speightstown. ($11,000 yrl FTNAUG; $25,000
2yo ’14 FTMMAY). O-Cho Geum Je; B-Capistrano
Bloodstock LLC (NY); T-Seo In Seok; J-Yoo Seung
Wan; w56,000,000.
Margins: 2, 1 3/4, 3. Odds: 2.50, 1.80, 13.80.
Also Ran: Gabo Myeongun, Kogyo Douglas (Jpn), Super Gangja, Wonder Bolt, Valevole (Brz),
Taisei Legend (Jpn), Happy Money (Aus), Geumbit Hwanhui (Kor). Click for the result chart. VIDEO.