Photo:

Alex Evers / Eclipse Sportswire

For the first time, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series comes to South Korea for two races this weekend, headlined by the Grade 3 Korea Cup at 1 1/8 miles and the Korea Sprint (G3) at six furlongs.

A field of 16 was entered for the Korea Sprint, with a post time of 2:20 a.m. EDT. After finishing fifth in the July 27 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar, Ilium Stables’s Anarchist will make a second attempt at gaining a free berth into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint approximately 6,000 miles to the west in South Korea.

Trained by Doug O’Neill, Anarchist was either first or second in eight starts last year, including victories in the Pat O’Brien (G2) at Del Mar and the Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) at Woodbine. He will be ridden by U.S.-based Edwin Maldonado.

Eoma Eoma, trained by Song Moon Gil, won the 2022 Korea Sprint (G3), among his 15 career wins. That performance lifted him to the Korean champion sprinter title. In his seasonal debut, the 7-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Algorithms finished third in the June 3 listed Owners Cup at Seoul.

Last year, Koji Maeda’s Remake won the Korea Cup by four lengths and is back to defend his title. Trained by Shintani Koichi, the 5-year-old son of Lani has won eight times in 17 starts, including a Feb. 24 win in Saudi Arabia in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3).

Kentucky-bred Jasper Krone finished 12th in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita after contesting the pace near the top of the stretch. Trained by Hideyuki Mori, the 5-year-old son of Frosted won two turf sprints in 2023, taking the Kitakyushu Kinen (G3) at Kokura and the CBC Sho (G3) at Chukyo.

The Korea Cup, which gives the winner an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Dirt Mile, drew an 11-horse field headlined by defending champion Crown Pride and two-time Korean horse of the year Winners Man. Post time is 3:30 a.m. EDT.

Five-year-old Crown Pride has been an international traveler, racing in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, the U.S. and in his native Japan for trainer Koichi Shintani. Crown Pride, a son of Reach for the Crown, won the 2022 UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan and finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby. Last year, he was prominent throughout in the Korea Cup, taking the lead at the top of the stretch and powering home to a 10-length victory. After finishing off the board in his next three races, Crown Pride returned to the winner’s circle on July 15 when he captured the listed 1 1/4-mile Mercury Cup at Morioka in Japan.

Five-year-old Winners Man has been Korea’s most dominant horse the last two years, with eight wins in 11 starts and taking home the 2022 and 2023 horse of the year awards, as well as champion older horse and champion stayer. Trained by Choi Ki Hong, the son Musket Man closed out last year with three consecutive wins, including listed scores at Seoul in the Nov. 19 Grand Prix at 1 1/4 miles and in the 1 3/8-mile KRA Classic Cup on Dec. 17. The 2022 Korea Cup winner, Winners Man finished third behind Crown Pride in last year’s renewal.

Lightly raced Global Hit finished second to Winners Man in the Grand Prix and in the KRA Classic Cup. Those performances helped lift the son of To Honor and Serve to the Korean 3-year-old colt championship. Trained by Bang Dong Suk, the 4-year-old Global Hit made his 2024 debut on May 26, finishing second by a neck in the listed 1 1/8-mile Busan Mayor’s Cup at Busan Gyeongnam.

Finishing third to Winners Man in last year’s Grand Prix, and making his 2024 debut, is Success Macho, Korea’s 2023 champion miler. Trained by Min Jang Gi, the 5-year-old son of the late Macho Uno has won 10 races in 19 starts.

Two other Japanese based runners of interest are 5-year-old Wilson Tesoro, who finished second in last year’s Champions Cup (G1) at Chukyo and in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1), and the Katsuyoshi Uchida-trained 7-year-old Light Warrior, who won the listed April 3 Kawasaki Kinen at 1 1/4 miles.

The Breeders’ Cup challenge series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive invitations to a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup, scheduled to be held Nov. 1 and 2 at Del Mar.