Kingscote is keen to hold court in Korea
English jockey keen to add new country to CV with HK’s Gorgeous Win ride in Group 3
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Gorgeous Win working on the sand at the Seoul racecourse ahead of his run in the Grade 3 Korea Sprint (1,200m) on Sept 6, which also features two other Hong Kong runners, defending champion Self Improvement and Beauty Waves.
PHOTO: HKJC
SEOUL – The well-travelled Richard Kingscote is looking forward to adding another country to his international riding resume when he rides in South Korea for the first time, linking with trainer Danny Shum’s Gorgeous Win in the 1.4 billion won (S$1.3 million) Grade 3 Korea Sprint (1,200m, sand) at Seoul on Sept 6.
Kingscote, who won the 2022 Epsom Derby on Desert Crown, has also won Group 1 races in Ireland and has ridden in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, France and Bahrain among other jurisdictions before completing his first full season based in Hong Kong in 2025-26.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s nice to be asked – it’s a place I’ve not been to ride yet, and I’ve been lucky to ride in a lot of places,” said Kingscote.
“The horse goes on the dirt here. It’s a different surface for him in South Korea, but he’s a nice, big powerful horse.”
Gorgeous Win is the least credentialled of Hong Kong’s three-pronged assault on South Korea’s most-lucrative dash, which also comprises Group 3 winner Beauty Waves and last year’s triumphant Self Improvement – the second Hong Kong-trained horse to capture the contest after Super Jockey ran away with the inaugural edition in 2016.
Gorgeous Win, an 86-rated gelding, is a Class 2 winner in Hong Kong on both turf and dirt, with six wins from 36 starts overall. He has made only two dirt course appearances at Sha Tin, topped by a quality success last December.
The Press Statement six-year-old was ninth in a barrier trial on rain-affected dirt in preparation for his travels, clocking a comfortable 1min 13.42sec under Kingscote at Sha Tin on Aug 21.
“I’ve done a bit of trackwork with him – he’s very well within himself. He’ll come forward for that trial,” said Kingscote.
“As we know with all of the rain here, the track probably wasn’t to his liking that day, but he’s fresh.
“I’ve seen videos of him in South Korea and they’re happy with him. Fingers crossed for a solid run.”
Gorgeous Win faces several new obstacles in his Korea Sprint assault, including Seoul’s sandy beach-like surface, the relentless kickback and racing left-handed.
“There’s lots of unknowns for a horse like him – he wouldn’t have travelled a great deal, he’s on a new surface and he’s racing in the opposite direction,” said Kingscote.
“But he’s a hardy horse and Danny obviously knows what it takes to travel a horse, and he feels that he’s the sort of horse who can do it – it’s a nice opportunity.”
Japanese runners Dragon Welds and American Stage complete the international representation in the Korea Sprint against the home contingent. American Stage brings global experience, having finished fourth in the 2025 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (1,200m, dirt) and sixth in the 2025 Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1,200m, dirt).
Vincero Cavallo, a 12-time winner, along with the front-running Born Dia and Winner Clear, appear to lead the Korean challenge.
The trio ran the trifecta in the Grade 2 SROA Chairman’s Sprint (1,200m, sand) in Seoul on May 17, with outsider Born Dia scoring an upset victory over Winner Clear and Vincero Cavallo respectively.
The Korea Sprint will be simulcast as Race 14 on the Singapore Pools Korea race card on Sept 6 at 3.20pm (Singapore time). The other feature and main highlight, the 1.6 billion won Grade 2 Korea Cup (1,800m) will be run as Race 15 at 4.10pm. HKJC
