Lone Sailor, Harvey Wallbanger lead the lucrative Korea Cup

The fourth edition of the lucrative Korea Cup at Seoul Racecourse has lured a pair of U.S-based graded stakes winners. 

Among the 11 horses entered for Sunday's 1 1/8-mile contest, which carries a purse of approximately $829,925, were Harvey Wallbanger for trainer Ken McPeek and Lone Sailor for Tom Amoss. Both conditioners provided similar reasoning for sending their geldings on the long journey to Korea: the rich purse, 1,800-meter distance and a sand-based racing surface.

“He wants the extra distance,” McPeek said of Harvey Wallbanger, who is exiting a fourth-place finish in the Aug. 11 Ellis Park Derby at a flat mile. “I also think he will like the racetrack. We needed to find a good spot for him, and although there are a couple of 3-year-old races left we decided to put him in there and take a shot.”

McPeek has prior experience at Seoul Racecourse. In 2017, he made the trip to watch The Truth or Else run fourth in the six-furlong Korea Sprint.

“Everyone was very hospitable and things went smooth,” said McPeek, who this year will remain in Kentucky with the Keeneland September Yearling sale beginning Monday. “There were no hiccups anywhere and the facilities were fantastic.”

Amoss said he has never run a horse in the Far East in his distinguished 30-plus year training career. He had first planned to make the trip to Seoul, but an ominous weather forecast for the area persuaded him to remain home.

“I had every intention of going to this one, but at the last minute I changed my mind,” Amoss said. “I saw the forecast and how much bad weather they are having. But I'm disappointed. I wanted to go.”

Rain is forecast everyday through Sunday in Seoul, with a 50% chance of showers on race day.

Lone Sailor is winless in six starts this year but has managed to hit the board in three graded stakes, the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1), Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and New Orleans Handicap (G2). The son of Majestic Warrior exits a second-place finish behind highly-regarded Spinoff in a 1 1/8-mile allowance on Aug. 9 at Saratoga.

“The purse money is obviously very nice,” Amoss said of his decision to send Lone Sailor on an extended trip. “It came down to this was a chance to find a race like that, for good money, that we felt would suit him.”

McPeek is also a big fan of the dirt track at Seoul. He raved about the racing surface, noting “I wish every racetrack in America would run over sand like that.

“The surface over there is really unique, it's different than anything I've ever run over,” McPeek added. “It's different in a positive way. The way they clean the sand before the race, it's almost like its hypoallergenic. It's pretty amazing to look at. When you get out on the surface and actually reach down and pick it up, it's just not your conventional dirt racetrack. It's immaculate.”

Harvey Wallbanger and Lone Sailor will break side-by-side from posts No. 3 and 4, respectively. The former will be ridden by Jack Gilligan, while Gerard Melancon has the call on Lone Sailor. Amoss noted Melancon has previously ridden in Seoul and brings valuable experience given the unique racing strip.

Oddsmakers offshore have made Lone Sailor the 7-5 favorite and Harvey Wallbanger the 11-4 second-choice. Locally based Dolkong, who ran second to two-time winner London Town in last year's Korea Cup, is the 4-1 third choice. Many in the field were bred in the U.S., but were subsequently exported to Korea and show no race record on Equibase.

Both Lone Sailor and Harvey Wallbanger are confirmed closers on a track that many believe favors off-the-pace types.

“It's a closer's racetrack for sure,” McPeek said. “He'll be fond of it.”

This year's Korea Cup will not feature any Japanese-based runners, as those two countries are in the midst of an escalating trade dispute that precludes entry.

In addition to the Korea Cup, the U.S. will also be represented in the six-furlong Korea Sprint, which has the same purse of 100,000,000 Korean Wong (approximately $830,000), one race prior. 

Heartwood, who won the King Cotton Stakes earlier this year for trainer James Chapman, is among 11 entered in the Sprint. Also making the trip to the starting gate are Brazilian-bred, Keing Yiu Loh and Wai Kai Wong-owned Holy Legal from Arlington Park for trainer Ignacio Correas IV, and Fast Pass, a Grade 3-placed stakes winner based in Florida for trainer Peter Walder.

TVG is schedule to broadcast the races from Seoul beginning at 1 a.m. ET on Sunday. Post time for the Korea Cup is scheduled for 2:05 a.m. ET.

Korea Cup, 1,800 meters (1 1/8-miles)

1. Glorious Artist (Ire)

2. Harvey Wallbanger

3. Lone Sailor

4. King of Glory (Kor)

5. King of Ace (Kor)

6. Baengmunbaekdap (Kor)

7. Ambassadorial (GB)

8. Cheongdam Dokki (Kor)

9. New Legend (Kor)

10. Dolkong (Kor)

11. Moonhak Chief

Korea Cup Sprint, 1,200 meters (six furlongs)

1. Dia Socks (Kor)

2. Final Energy (Kor)

3. Fast Pass (USA)

4. Doraonpgyeongseon (Kor)

5. Holy Legal (USA)

6. Gaon Champ (Kor)

7. Heartwood (USA)

8. Spring Back (Kor)

9. Global Captain (Kor)

10. Today (Kor)

11. Pass the Vino (Ire)