2019 will mark the third time in four years that horses trained in Korea have taken their chance at the Carnival. Korean horses first competed in the carnival in 2016 when Cheongu and Success Story arrived, the latter finishing third twice in his two runs.
Then in 2017, a larger five horse contingent arrived, with Main Stay making history by becoming the first Korean raider to win a carnival affair when claiming a handicap under Pat Cosgrave.
And this year four Korean raiders have once again been sent to plunder the Dubai Carnival conditioned by successful Korean trainer Simon Foster, who was lured to Korea by the lore of being part of the “sleeping giant of Asian racing” from Bunbury, Australia.
Ten Furlongs chats to the Foster, about his Dubai World Cup journey and is horse Dolkong:
Q: How have Dolkong and Choego Money taken the travel and the racing at Meydan?
A: Dolkong has travelled extremely well, he has adjusted to the warmer weather well and has thrived in his new environment. Unfortunately, Cheogo Money came down with travel sickness en route and for his well-being has stayed in Germany to fully recover and complete certain quarantine requirements. The DWC authorities have been extremely helpful with his rehabilitation and all the connections of the horse are extremely grateful for their ongoing assistance.
Q: What races are the horses pointed at during the carnival and on DWC night?
A: Dolkong has now had two UAE starts, his first we believe was a big learning curve for the horse as he seemed to struggle to handle the difference in footing early in the race. His last start was a lot more promising when he was able to race in a more forward position and close hard late for a promising 3rd.
While his next start is still in consideration I plan on giving him one more start then we will try to target the last leg of the Al Maktoum challenge over 2000m on Super Saturday.
Q: What made you decide that DWCC was the right opportunity for Dolkong and Choego Money? What is next for them once they return to Korea after the festival?
A: There were a number of factors, Firstly both horses ran in the Korean biggest feature in early December the Grand Prix. With both horses being rated highly in Korea the options of races over the winter period are limited. Also, I took into account that Seoul winters can be notoriously cold, so with these factors in mind and the opportunity to race in suitable class races and the extreme benefits of having the horses winter in a warm environment was the driving factors. Also, the KRA are aggressively trying to promote and improve not only the quality of the local racing stock but also have the Korean trained horses compete on the international stage, they offer not only financial support for travel but also managerial assistance to make the process of traveling and racing in Dubai much easier. While at the moment we have no set plans for Cheogo Money, Dolkong will have a break and come back with the International race the Korean Cup over 1800m in September his main target.
Q: What kind of horses are they to train? And how long have you been training them for?
A: Both horses are lovely animals to have in the stable yet with very different personalities. is still an entire and while he is very easy to handle he does have a self confidence to himself, He came off an 8-month break when he came to my Stable with a small chip in a fetlock. While we monitor and treat and work him accordingly he has never given us any issues with the old injury. Cheogo Money is an absolute gentleman in the stable. He is the athletic type who as a stayer dos not take a lot of work, He is a pleasure to ride and had built up a great association with my stable jockey David Breux and the two have a great understanding of each other.
Q: What are your personal travel plans? I understand you are returning to Korea this weekend? When will you be returning to watch your horses race?
A: Luckily enough with the scheduling of Seoul races being only Saturday and Sunday I have been able to manage to move back and forth at reasonably convenient times. This trip I was able to leave after the races on Sunday night and arrive in Dubai to watch Dolkong have his final gallop on Monday morning before Thursday's race and fly back to Seoul on Friday for the weekend meetings. It is a pattern that I will try and keep to for Dolkong next start as well.
Q: What made you take the decision to relocate from WA to Korea? Are you enjoying your stay? Did you have to learn Korean fluently in-order to take the role?
A: There were a few reasons for the move to Korea, The obvious one is the prizemoney levels in Korea are quite high so the financial side was a major factor but also the personal challenge of relocating and being able to train under different conditions was also a huge factor. There are a lot of different systems in place in Seoul that at times do make it a very challenging place to train from but overall I am really enjoying my time there. While I do prefer the quiet of the country I am finding Seoul a very easy city to live in and I have been lucky to have developed a very supportive client base. Luckily I haven’t had to learn too much Korean as the KRA supply me with a translator for my first two years of my contract. Haelee Nam has also made my transition into Korean life much easier. She has been instrumental in helping me find my way thru KRA systems and has forged a strong connection with my client base.
Q: Have you been to Dubai before? What do you enjoy about Dubai as a city and racing at Meydan?
A: No this was my first trip to Dubai and it is really an amazing city. I have been lucky enough to be able to have a good look around the city leading into Dolkong first start and was amazed at the variety of things there are to see and do. Meydan is tremendous, the facility’s that are available to the horses is second to none, and with the grandstand, it is obviously highly regarded worldwide but I would encourage anyone with an interest in racing to make the trip and experience it for themselves.
Q: What is a dream you have that you’ve yet to achieve?
A: To win that next race.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
A: To be honest they are too numerous to mention. But while not direct advice is was lucky to spend time as an apprentice with a small trainer in Sydney, David Mills. I did learn a lot about how to prepare horse and not just produce a product on race day, he has an uncanny ability to get inside a horses head and understand their individual needs.
Q: What is your hidden talent?
A: It must be well hidden because I can’t find it!
Q: And finally, outside of racing what do you enjoy doing?
A: Anyone that knows me knows I don’t mind a cold beer on a hot day. I still enjoy getting to some country and outback race meetings and enjoying a day out. In fact, my next trip after the Dubai carnival is with a group of old owners from WA to the iconic Warrnambool 3 day carnival in Victoria.
I’m also a big Australian Rules football fan and a tragic St Kilda Saints fan, the perineal underdogs I’m still waiting for our second premiership as I wasn’t around to see our first and only one in 1966.
Published In Dubai World Cup Gold Souvenir 2019
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Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com