Diktaean, Dragon Welds win key South Korea races, gain Breeders' Cup berths

Two shippers from Japan – the 8-year-old gelding Diktaean and the Kentucky-bred Dragon Welds – won lucrative stakes in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday, earning berths to Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

Diktaean, who paid $6.20 in American pools, closed from the rear of a field of nine to win the $1.17 million Korea Cup by six lengths over even-money favorite Sunday Funday at Seoul Racecourse.

Diktaean, who has won 12 of 34 starts, earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Dirt Mile. Diktaean won the 2025 Korea Cup, but was not sent to Del Mar for that year’s BC Dirt Mile.

In Sunday’s race, Diktaean was wide throughout and was aggressively ridden by jockey Takayuki Yano through the last half-mile. Diktaean caught Sunday Funday in early stretch before rapidly pulling clear.

Sunday Funday finished five lengths clear of Amazing Khan, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Jimmy Creed.

Diktaean, who is by King Kamehameha, won the Grade 1 Tokyo Daishoten at Ohi Racecourse in Japan last November. He was honored as the 2025 Horse of the Year for the National Association of Racing tracks in Japan, the country’s second circuit to the Japan Racing Association venues.

Dragon Welds was always near the front in the $1.032 million Korea Sprint at six furlongs, and won by two lengths over American Stage, another Kentucky-bred.  Dragon Welds earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Sprint.

Vincero Cavallo, based in Korea, finished third in the field of 16. Self Improvement, who won the 2025 Korea Sprint, finished 14th.

Dragon Welds, who was ridden on Sunday by Keita Tosaki, paid $4 as the favorite in American pools.

A 4-year-old colt, Dragon Welds is by Frosted. He has won his last four starts, including three races in Japan earlier this year. The Korea Sprint was the first start for Dragon Welds since a win in the listed Tokyo Sprint in April.

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