LetsRun to even more fun at new Yeongcheon racecourse
South Korea’s 4th racecourse and Yeongnam’s 2nd after Busan is latest jewel in KRA’s crown
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An aerial view of the new Yeongcheon racecourse.
PHOTOS: KOREA RACING AUTHORITY
Michael Lee
The idea of a first turf racecourse in South Korea was mooted, but ultimately, the country’s climatic and agronomic realities have brought the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) back down to sand.
On Sept 13, LetsRun Park Yeongcheon is all set to become its fourth racecourse after Seoul, Busan and Jeju, and like these predecessors, it is an all-sand track.
The KRA did explore the possibility of an outer turf track, which has always been an appealing alternative, especially from an international standpoint, but Mother Nature had the last say.
“During the initial planning stage, constructing the outer track as a turf track was actively reviewed,” said a KRA spokesperson. “However, due to the local climate and soil conditions being unsuitable for year-round turf growth and continuous maintenance, it was ultimately designed as a single sand track system.”
Built at a cost of 180 billion won (S$170 million) for its Phase 1 on 145 hectares in Geumho-eup in the North Gyeongsang province, Yeongcheon racecourse is 1,700m long and 25m wide. It can accommodate up to 11 horses for races of 1,200m, 1,300m, 1,400m, 1,800m and above distances and 10 horses for 1,600m races.
The track is made up of 8cm of sand sitting on top of a 45cm thick substrate of decomposed granite, crushed stone and gravel.
If the promise of “greener grass” will have to wait, the tradeoff of a fourth racecourse is a first “regional rotating race system” benchmarked against leading racing countries like Hong Kong and Japan.
“Through this, we aim to maximise synergy with the existing Busan racecourse, while driving the diversification and efficiency of domestic horse racing operations,” said the spokesperson.
Racing at Yeongcheon will be conducted in the exact same style as Busan and will replace the Sunday time slots in which Busan races were previously held.
However, no horses are permanently stabled at Yeongcheon as the six stable blocks of 100 stalls are meant for travelling horses.
Similar to Happy Valley in Hong Kong, horses are transported to and from Yeongcheon for races, primarily from Busan racecourse, thanks to a travelling racing management system.
KRA has built 13 state-of-the-art, vibration-free, 13.5-tonne horse floats, complete with air-conditioning, automatic ventilators, custom-made partitions and even GPS tracking.
The spanking new facility complete with a five-storey grandstand that can seat 5,000 people, will be officially launched on Sept 13 with a meeting of six races. From thereon, another 11 meetings will be held every Sunday until Dec 6.
Singapore Pools will be part of this new programme, including the inaugural meeting which kicks off at 12.45pm (11.45am Singapore time). Race cards will be labelled as “Yeongnam”, with individual venues (Busan or Yeongcheon) specified as the venue.
After three mock race meetings of three races each were held in Yeongcheon, two of them on July 18 and 25, it is all systems go for a new era of Korean horse racing.
The payoff goes beyond the emerging industry. The Yeongcheon racecourse will become an integrated leisure and tourism landmark for the Yeongnam region, especially with the planned 2030 extension opening of Daegu Metro Line 1.
As such, a community-oriented horse-culture festival will also run from Sept 12 through 20 under the slogan “Horses Run! Yeongcheon Gallops!”, bringing together local small-business owners and residents to mark the park’s opening.
Everybody will be engaged and well looked after, from first-time racegoers to families and children alike.
Fantasy Horse Land, a horse-themed experience zone, will feature hands-on activities like miniature horses feeding and a handicraft corner.
Children will get a chance to feed miniature horses at the Yeongcheon racecourse.
“LetsRun Park Yeongcheon will go beyond a simple racing facility to become a new growth engine that injects vitality into Yeongcheon and the broader regional economy,” said Woo Hee-jong, chairman of the KRA.
“We will reproduce the proven economic ripple effects and our win-win expertise in Yeongcheon and work for regional development, including job creation.”