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Korea Racing Authority Responds To Equine Welfare Critiques, Restricting Imports Due To COVID Uncertainty

Following is a statement from the Korea Racing Authority regarding its racing program through COVID-19 and equine welfare issues.

The matter of equine welfare in Korea gained national attention on Dec. 16 when The Stronach Group endorsed People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' call to ban the sale of Thoroughbreds to South Korean racing interests, in the wake of a video revealing that former U.S. stallion Private Vow was sent to slaughter in the country.

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KRA has temporarily restricted foreign-bred horses imported after Nov. 15, 2020 from being registered to race at Korean racetracks next year.

This measure is valid for the year of 2021, and was implemented with the following background;

1. KRA has tried to walk in line with the Korean government's quarantine policies by minimizing overseas traveling related to purchasing of foreign-bred horses.

2. Owners have suffered a reduction of purchasing power due to the reduced number of races and prize money that resulted from the COVID-19 outbreak and strict social distancing rules.
* The total number of races in Korea have been reduced by 56 percent
* Total prize money for owners has been reduced by 27 percent

3. Demand for race horses has dropped dramatically due to the uncertainty over racing next year. The expected return of buying and owning a horse has been significantly reduced under the KRA Emergency Racing System.
* KRA Emergency Racing System: Racing fixtures will be released only on a quarterly basis with a reduced number of races (number of races planned for first quarter of 2021 has been reduced by 38 percent and the total owner prize money by 60 percent year on year).

4. The Korean breeding industry is in a state of near-collapse, as the non-racing period continued longer than expected, and was in desperate need of protective measures.

With regard to aftercare for retired Thoroughbreds, the KRA has established and is operating the Retired Racehorse Management Program. It has benchmarked aftercare programs worldwide. It includes funding for professional institutions that re-train retired racehorses to help them transition into a second career. The fund to run the program comes partially from prize money and partially from a donation from the KRA.

Among other initiatives, KRA regularly hosts a “Best Retired Thoroughbred” competition to expedite the career transition of racehorses. Prizes are awarded to those who have successfully transitioned to equestrian horses, and these competition and prizes are intended to provide more opportunities for retired racehorses to be better utilized as equestrian horses.

To enable better management, KRA is developing a registry system to keep track of not only horses currently registered for racing or breeding, but to also include retired horses to be monitored.

KRA has released an Equine Welfare Guideline, which serves as the fundamental basis for management and usage of all horses in Korea and provides ongoing education on the guidelines for horse connections.

An Equine Welfare Committee has been established by the KRA which includes external members from animal welfare/behavior specialists and animal protection groups with a mission to create and monitor an advanced equine welfare policy.

KRA also takes part in the IFAR (International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses), and has hosted international seminars with overseas equine welfare specialists in an effort to improve the equine welfare level in Korea.

Equestrian competitions have had their qualification criteria amended so more retired racehorses can participate. KRA has also hosted a new equestrian competition open only to retired racehorses to expand the demand and market for them.

No horse is imported to Korea for slaughter purposes. While slaughter is legal in Korea and is carried out in regulated facilities, the Animal Protection Act covers the mistreatment of horses during that process. Those involved in the previously highlighted cases of mistreatment have been legally punished earlier this year.

As mentioned above, KRA has established base guidelines for retired horses, and they are regularly released to educate horse connections. Notwithstanding the above, the ownership of horses and the right to dispose them belong to owners and are not subject to external intervention. Horses owned by the KRA are strictly managed under welfare guidelines. Retired KRA stallions have their welfare assured for the rest of their natural lives and are commemorated after death for their contributions.

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Grade 2 Winner Race Day Exported To Korea

Race Day, a multiple Grade 2-winning son of Tapit, has been exported to continue his stallion career in Korea.

According to Korea Racing Authority records, the 9-year-old was imported to his new home on Dec. 9. He previously stood at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., where he began his stallion career in 2016.

Race Day's top runners include stakes winners Gee She Sparkles, Mom's Red Lipstick, and Race Home. He is also the sire of Puerto Rican Group 3 winner Consultora.

On his own accord, Race Day won six of 12 starts for earnings of $748,000. His career was highlighted by victories in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap and Fayette Stakes, along with the G3 Razorback Handicap. He also finished third in the G3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes.

Race Day is out of the winning More Than Ready mare Rebalite, whose four foals to race are all winners, also including multiple stakes-placed Banded. His extended family includes Kentucky Oaks winner Lite Light.

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Illness Claims Grade 1 Winner Archarcharch In Korea

Archarcharch, a Grade 1 winner and veteran sire, died in Korea on Oct. 15, per Korea Racing Authority records.

According to Alastair Middleton of the KRA, who spoke with representatives of Sungsoo Farm where Archarcharch resided, the 12-year-old son of Arch had spent an extended amount of time battling an illness believed to be caused by a parasitic infection. He was treated over the autumn, but his condition worsened, and the decision was made to euthanize the stallion.

Archarcharch had resided in Korea since late 2017, and he covered his first book of mares there in 2018, making his oldest Korean-sired crop yearlings of 2020. Prior to that, he stood at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky, where he began his stud career in 2012.

Domestically, Archarcharch has sired six crops of racing age, with 274 winners and combined progeny earnings of $23.2 million.

Archarcharch's top runner to date is Next Shares, who won the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes and continues to compete against high-level turf competition. His other runners of note include Grade 2 winners Mr. Misunderstood and Ivy Bell, and Grade 3 winner Toews On Ice. Internationally, the stallion has been led by Irish-born Qatar Man, who was named Singapore's Horse of the Year in 2018 (where he competed under the name Elite Invincible) and finished in the money in a U.A.E. stakes race.

Archarcharch stood three seasons in Korea at Sungsoo Farm in Icheon, just south of capital city Seoul, primarily covering the farm's own mares. He saw 35 mares in his debut season in the country, and he followed up in 2019 with 48 mares. The report of mares bred for 2020 has not yet been released.

While those numbers might seem fairly low compared to some of the other notable U.S. stallions who have been sent to Korea – five U.S.-born stallions covered more than 100 mares in 2019, led by To Honor and Serve at 164 – there are a few factors that explain it.

Icheon is about 270 miles over land and sea away from Jeju Island, Korea's southernmost point, which serves as the heart of the country's Thoroughbred breeding industry. Furthermore, the Korean government owns and subsidizes many of the country's most notable stallions, allowing breeders to to send their mares to them at minimal cost, which drives up their numbers.

As a private-standing stallion far from the country's hub of activity, Archarcharch went against the current, but Middleton said the stallion's number of mares bred was actually quite high considering that criteria.

During his own on-track career, Archarcharch won three of seven starts for earnings of $832,744. He was bred in Kentucky by Grapestock, and he raced for for Robert and Val Yagos, who bought him as a yearling for $60,000 from the Paramount Sales consignment.

After finishing second in his debut start, Archarcharch broke his maiden in the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds. Two starts later, he established himself on the Kentucky Derby trail with a wide-running victory in the G3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

He remained at Oaklawn for the remainder of his Derby prep races, finishing third in the G2 Rebel Stakes, then formally punching his ticket to Churchill Downs by taking the G1 Arkansas Derby by a late-running neck at odds of of 25-1.

Archarcharch drew the dreaded inside post during the 2011 Kentucky Derby, and he finished a non-threatening 15th. He pulled up lame after the race and was vanned off after suffering a condylar fracture in his left-front leg. The colt underwent surgery soon after the race and his retirement was announced shortly thereafter.

Archarcharch currently has one son at stud in the U.S., Toews On Ice, who resides in New Mexico.

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