Holidays are over for the two Korean horses running in Sunday’s Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1200m) with their local preparation having geared up into full swing since Monday.

Choegangja

After their arrivals from Seoul on Friday morning, both Choegangja and Zentenary were restricted to hand-walks around the International Stables compound over the next two days, but things got more serious on Monday when they were put through their paces during their special time slot of 5 to 5.45am.

The duo did one lap of easy canter first before stepping it up a notch on Tuesday morning.

Ridden by Kranji jockey Erasmus Aslam, Choegangja, the higher-rated of the two on 105 points versus Zentenary’s 93, cantered one lap before galloping over the last 600m in 43 seconds. Zentenary, who had his groom/work rider, Kim Young Hoon up, did not gallop, but cantered one lap and then did pacework in the next.

Former Kranji and Seoul trainer Brian Dean was on hand to supervise the Korean pair, as he has done from the first day they landed.

“Choegangja worked well. He already had a nice first feel of the track yesterday with one lap of light canter,” said the Australian handler who used to train the US-bred four-year-old by Silver Train (five wins for him) before handing over to new Seoul trainer Jun Seung Kyu when he left last month.

“I was very happy with that piece of work. He pulled up good and has no weight problem; he is now on 488 kilos, up four kilos from his last start.

“The other horse looks fit and well, too. He also had one lap of canter yesterday and did a little more today, just a bit of pacework and his lad (Kim) said there was no change in his weight.”