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75 Retired Racehorses Compete in Final; Delpini Named Top Dressage Horse
· 2 min read
Seventy-five horses competed in the final of the Korea Racing Authority's retired racehorse show and riding competition, and Delpini was named dressage horse of the year. The field grew from 60 horses in last year's final.
The Korea Racing Authority (한국마사회, KRA) announced on October 11 that it had completed the 2026 Retired Racehorse Show and Riding Competition Final (KRTC), held from October 2 to 4 at Seoul Racecourse Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Seventy-five retired racehorses that had come through two qualifying rounds, in April and July, competed in the final.
Results by event
The horses competed in a conformation show, an in-hand class (judged with no rider on the horse), dressage and show jumping. Two new events were added to this year's final: Six Bar, in which the obstacles are raised one after another, and Knock Out, in which two riders ride the same course and the faster one goes through.
- Dressage: Delpini (델피니) placed first in the C and D classes and second in the F class, and was named dressage horse of the year. It was the horse's first year in the retired racehorse competition, and it performed consistently from the qualifying rounds onward.
- Conformation show: Idanaeun, retired in June 2025, took first place.
- In-hand class: Breedo King Star, retired in April this year and now in training at Korea Horse Racing and Livestock High School, took first place.
- Show jumping: Must Man took first place.
Cho Yong-hak, chairman of the Seoul Racehorse Owners Association, said that Thunder Tiger, a horse he had owned, finished second in the 80 cm class of the final. Lee Han-jun, who has owned Delpini since its racing days, marked the win by making equal donations to the Thoroughbred Welfare Fund, which supports horse rescue, and to the Community Chest of Korea, which supports therapeutic riding for people with disabilities.
Background and significance
The competition shows the results of retraining racehorses that have left the track to become riding horses. Last year's final ran for three days, ended on September 28, 2025, and had 60 horses. This year's final had 75, 15 more than last year, and new events were added. Last year's competition was funded by the Thoroughbred Welfare Fund, set up jointly by the Seoul Racehorse Owners Association, the Busan-Gyeongnam Racehorse Owners Association and the KRA.
KRA chairman Woo Hee-jong said the competition confirmed again the results of the KRA's work to support safe retirement for racehorses and their transition to riding horses, and that it gave an opportunity to extend attention to the welfare of horses after they leave the track.
Related news
The KRA announced on October 1 that it would hold the 54th KRA Chairman's Cup Equestrian Competition from October 8 to 11 at the 86·88 Equestrian Stadium in Gwacheon. In that competition, domestically bred riding horses that passed the qualifiers compete in 23 divisions across 14 events. The equestrian events of the 107th Korean National Sports Festival will take place from October 16 to 18 at the Equine Industry Professional Training Center of Jeju National University.
Sources
- 세계일보(2026년 10월 11일) (in Korean)
- 국제뉴스(2026년 10월 12일) (in Korean)
- 스타뉴스(2026년 10월 11일) (in Korean)
- 매일일보(2025년 10월 4일) (in Korean)
- 스포츠조선(2026년 10월 5일) (in Korean)
- 파이낸셜뉴스(2026년 10월 12일) (in Korean)