A length of the straight sprint had Japanese hero Diktaean claim victory in the Korea Cup for 2025, so what will he do in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on 1 November at Del Mar.
With Diktaean surging past the Hong Kong raider Chancheng Glory, he claimed the $1.1m Korea Cup Group 3 by a half-length for owners G1 Racing at Seoul’s LetsRun Park racecourse.
Ridden by Takayuki Yano for trainer Katsunori Arayama, this was Diktaean’s 10th race win from 30 starts, and earned a ‘Win ‘n’ You’re In’ start through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
In fact, it was assistant trainer Naoki Nigishi who stated that the race was clearly planned as “he’s not a front-runner, and so our strategy was to track and then pass. We are here to win.”
“The pace was so hot in the Teio Sho so it didn’t quite work out. He’s great, in the best condition, and in regional NAR racing in Japan he’s top class over long distances.”
Winning in 1:50.8m on a wet sand track over 1800m, he broke well from Barrier 7 of the 11 runners, but did not have the early race speed when racing past the winning post for the first time.
Making ground on the tightly bunched field along backstretch and into the home straight, it was Great Winner who first went for home, only to be captured by Diktaean on the line.
And with this being his first Group Stakes success, and his first win this year in four starts, he’s a four-times Listed winner including the Teio Sho at Oi in July, and is a son of King Kamehameha.
In viewing the elevated standard of this 6th Korea Cup with its IFHA Pattern rating and Breeders’ Cup Challenge status, its Chancheng Glory who is a mainstay of Hong Kong Group races.
The 5yo’s eight wins came in the Centenary Vase in January, having also being placed at Group 1 level on both sand and turf, and raced well previously in both the Cup and Sprint.
The third placed and race favourite Ramjet has won five from 12 starts in Japan, and being third to Forever Young in the Tokyo Daishoten also contested the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup.
Run the race prior, the $1m Korea Sprint of 1200m, is also Group 3, and it was Self Improvement from Hong Kong who earned a ‘Win ‘n’ You’re In’ for the $2m Cygames Breeders’ Cup Dirt Sprint.
Trained by Kenny Man for Chung Yin Won and Wong Lai Ngor it was Jerry Chua who had Self Improvement racing a neck behind Super Finish through the 600 metres of the 13-horse field.
Challenged by the race favourite Chikappa from Japan on the home turn and gaining a half-length break, Self Improvement again challenged to score by half-length on the wire.
Winning in a time of 1:10.5s on the wet sand, it was Jerry Chua who stated “I am very happy with that, as Yutaka Take was a great rider and that Chikappa was a great horse.”
“The key was getting to the front earlier, and not getting the kickback was helpful in the straight as my horse had a very big heart. When the horse passed him, he went again and fight back.”
Winning in a time of 1:10.5s and claiming his sixth race win, the 6yo Australian-bred Deep Field gelding was not fancied by racegoers as he was unplaced earlier over 1200m at Happy Valley.
