Clean One carried out one of the most extensive demolitions in Korean racing history at Seoul Racecourse on Sunday. The three-year-old led from gate-to-wire to win the Grand Prix (2300M KOR-G1) by nine lengths, the largest winning margin in the traditional final G1 of the year in thirty years. Gangpungma was the distance 2i.e with Speed Young and Japanese visitor Yumeno Honoo a sprawling 3rd and 4e.
Relatively unexposed with a 3rd Placing in June’s Owners’ Cup (1600M KOR-G3), his only previous group racing experience, Clean One entered the race with four wins from eight starts. But although he hadn’t raced since a strong Class 1 win at the 2000M in August, the market didn’t miss him completely, with the public sending him at around 13/1 as sixth favorite among the sixteen runners.
The market’s chosen one was Yumeno Honoo. Making his second visit to Korea after his 3rd place in April’s YTN Cup, the Kochi star’s ability to keep his distance convinced punters to send him away on just the right side of the money. While Seo Seung-un and Global Hit followed his every step, Yumeno Honoo and Yoshihara Hiroto settled in midfield and off the track and as he closed in around the final corner, he did well to eventually encounter four setbacks.e place in a tumultuous race. He lost nothing in the defeat.
Gangpungma had started slowly but gradually grew into the race, sitting in the midfield and leaving the back straight, running on faster than all but the winner. Speed Young was in midfield early on before steadily improving and finishing as well as ever. Behind Yumeno Honoo, the recently out-of-form Tuhonui Banseok posted a strong 5e before Wonpyeong Storm and Global Hit. The gap of 1st to 5e was twenty-six lengths.
Clean One simply let the legs run off. Jockey Franco Da Silva took Clean One straight into the lead from gate eleven and by the time they were halfway home they already had a two-length lead. This would be expanded to four with three furlongs to run and five coming into the home straight. Still full of running, he continued to stretch and completed the final furlong in a faster time than anyone else, including Gangpungma.
Not since Ka Shock Do landed the 2i.e of her two Grand Prix in 1995, a horse had won the major race by such a margin and only Po Gyeong Seon in 1985 and 1986 has surpassed this (in all three of those races the Grand Prix was held at a shorter distance).
“I don’t have many words because I’m speechless,” winning jockey Franco Da Silva told KRBC. He found a few right away: “The plan was that I would always go with the horse’s speed, without worrying about anyone else. I talked to the trainer and he let me ride very freely, so I told him that if I go forward it shouldn’t be a problem and if the pace is too fast, I can sit.”i.e.”
“I was lucky, I took the lead easily and from then on I just had to control the pace and make sure no one could overtake me.”
“I always knew he was a very talented horse since he was two years old; unfortunately I didn’t ride him in his first few starts, so I’m lucky he has now shown his potential.” About how far Clean One can go: “I think he is a very special horse. I still think he has enough to offer, although of course we never know for sure.”
Clean One is owned by the Healing Farm Union and trained in Busan by Moon Hyeon-cheol. Moon is a third-year trainer who earned his first group race win last week with Supex Winner in the Breeders’ Cup Rookie. The juvenile was also ridden by Franco Da Silva, who achieved his ninth Korean group race success and second G1 with Clean One. The 46-year-old Brazilian rider is just short of 540 Korean winners in nine seasons in the country.
The American-bred Clean One is a son of Bernadini and out of No Fault (by Blame). He was a $22,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The 2025 Graded racing schedule may be over, but the racing isn’t stopping. Action returns to Busan next Friday and Sunday and to Seoul next Saturday and Sunday.
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