Korea Sprint

Korea Sprint
Previous: 2025 OBS Korea Sprint
September 7, 2025
Next: 2026 OBS Korea Sprint
September 6, 2025
ClassDomestic GI • International GIII
InauguratedSeptember 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)
Race typeThoroughbred
SponsorOBS
Websitekoreacup.kr
Race information
Distance1200 meters
(about 6 furlongs / 7⁄10 miles)
RecordRemake, 1:10.0
SurfaceDirt
TrackLeft-handed
Qualification3-year-olds & up, Thoroughbreds (safety factor: 16 horses; up to four foreign-trained starters are allowed in the race)
Weight3-year-old 56 kg / 4-year-old & up 57 kg
Allowances
Purse₩ 1,400,000,000 (as of 2025)
1st: ₩ 700,000,000
2nd: ₩ 280,000,000
3rd ₩ 140,000,000

The Korea Sprint (KG1; Korean: 코리아스프린트) is a group 3 horse race in South Korea held annually in September at LetsRun Park Seoul in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. It is a flat race run over a distance of 1,200 metres (0.75 mi) with a maximum of 16 horses.

First run in 2016, the Korea Sprint was created by the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) in order to strengthen the international economic power of Korean horse racing and promote exchanges with world-class horse racing countries.[1] It is often one of the most attended races of the year hosted by the KRA, regularly reaching 30,000 people in attendance.[2][3] Along with the Korea Cup, it is also the only international grade race hosted in Korea.[4] Within the domestic racing hierarchy, it holds the distinction of being the only Grade 1 sprint race held in Korea.

While this race is the youngest among Korea's graded stakes, it carries significant weight. Inaugurated to prove Korea's readiness for international competition, it boasts the nation's highest purse of roughly 1.4 billion KRW (approx. 1,000,000 USD) to attract top contenders and validate its status. In 2019, the race was temporarily converted to a domestic event due to the Japan–South Korea trade dispute,[5] and in 2020 and 2021, it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.[6][7] It was upgraded to an international Grade 3 race in 2022 along with the Korea Cup,[8] and was designated as a "Win and You're In" challenge race for the Breeders' Cup Sprint in 2024.[9]

Course

The Korea Cup is held at the LetsRun Park Seoul (known also as Seoul Racecourse), situated in the southern Seoul suburb of Gwacheon. At 1,200 metres long, the race is ran counter-clockwise around the Racecourse's oval dirt track.

Resembling a velodrome, the track features a straight finish line and an uphill section with a 2m elevation gain from the 4th corner. The curves are banked at about 1.5m. The track is 30m wide in front of the observation deck and 25m elsewhere. The surface consists of a 7cm layer of sand, sitting atop a base composed of decomposed granite and gravel, each about 30cm thick.[10] The sand track is deep.

Winner

Year Winner Age Time Jockey Owner Top 5 Purse Competition Rating Reference
2016  Super Jockey (HKG) 6 1:52.3  Karis Teetan (MUS)  Sun-Line Thoroughbreds (HKG) ₩630,000,000 (Domestic racing) [11][12]
2017  Graceful Leap (JPN) 4 1:50.7  Yutaka Take (JPN)  Shinji Maeda (JPN) ₩630,000,000 106 [13][14]
2018  Moanin (JPN) 5 1:50.6  Kanichiro Fujii (JPN)  Yukio Baba (JPN) ₩630,000,000 104 [15][16]
2019  Blue Chipper (KOR) 4 1:53.3  Moon Seyoung (KOR)  Choi Byung-bu (KOR) ₩900,000,000 105.25 [17][16]
International GIII Promotion (2022)
2022  Eoma Eoma (KOR) 4 1:53.1  Moon Seyoung (KOR)  Nasca (KOR) ₩900,000,000 106.75 [18][19]
2023  Remake (JPN) 4 1:51.5  Yuga Kawada (JPN)  Koji Maeda (JPN) ₩1,260,000,000 111 [20][21]
2024  Remake (JPN) 5 1:51.8  Yuga Kawada (JPN)  Koji Maeda (JPN) ₩1,260,000,000 109 [22][23]
2025  Self Improvement (HKG) 7 1:50.8  Jerry C L Chau (HKG)  Wong Chung Mat (HKG) ₩1,260,000,000 107.3 [24][25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'코리아컵' 글로벌 명마 한자리에...위상 높아진 K-경마". 2024.
  2. ↑ "[경마]짜릿한 박진감으로 3만 관중 압도한 '제8회 OBS 코리아컵·코리아스프린트(IGIII)' 성료". Nate (web portal). 2025-09-11.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ "2025 Korea Cup". 2025.
  4. ↑ "2026년 서울경마 대상특별경주 시행 계획". KRA.
  5. ↑ ""코리아컵·스프린트, 일본 경주마 배제는 스포츠 정신 어긋나"". 말산업저널 (in Korean). 2019-10-17. Archived from the original on 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  6. ↑ "한국마사회, 9월 코리아컵·코리아 스프린트 국제대회 취소". Yonhap News Agency. 2020-08-27.
  7. ↑ "한국마사회 '코리아컵'은 결국 취소, 4분기 경마 운영 계획은 ? : 부산경남마주협회". broa.co.kr (in Korean). 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  8. ↑ "한국경마는 비약 발전 중". HorseBiz. 2019-06-24.
  9. ↑ "DEFENDING CHAMPION CROWN PRIDE AND WINNERS MAN LEAD KOREA CUP". Breeders' Cup. 2024.
  10. ↑ "서울경마 경주로 구조". KRA.
  11. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  12. ↑ 미디어피아 (2016-09-24). 2016년 코리아컵 국제경주. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  14. ↑ 한국마사회 경마방송 KRBC (2017-09-09). 2017 코리아스프린트 서울 7경주. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  16. 1 2 한국마사회 경마방송 KRBC (2019-09-08). [ENG] 2019 Keeneland Korea Sprint. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
  17. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  18. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  19. ↑ KRBC RACE (2022-09-03). (서울) 22.09.04.7R [코리아스프린트(GI/IGIII)] 어마어마한 문세영, 어마어마한 한국의 스피드!. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  21. ↑ 한국마사회 경마방송 KRBC (2023-09-10). [2023 코리아스프린트] 리메이크 우승! 아쉬운 2위 벌마의스타!. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  23. ↑ KRBC RACE (2024-09-07). (서울) 2024.09.08 6경주 [코리아 스프린트(G1)/프리미어]. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ "경주마별성적 < 등록마혈통분석". studbook.kra.co.kr.
  25. ↑ KRBC RACE (2025-09-06). (서울) 2025.09.07 7경주 [코리아 스프린트(G1)]. Retrieved 2026-04-11 – via YouTube.
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