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Some of the best locally bred fillies and mares get the opportunity to race for a big prize on Sunday afternoon as Korean Oaks winner Uaryung heads a strong set of three-year-olds who take on their elders in an ultra-competitive Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup.

Then race is a an amalgam of what would have been the original Gyeonggi Governor's Cup, which was scheduled for September, and the Jeju Governor's Cup, usually run in November and while top local older filly Dia Road is absent with a ligament injury, there is plenty of intrigue in the 1400M test.

An also-ran in the Luna Stakes over a mile in July, Uaryung  was considered an outsider in the Korean Oaks at Busan a month later at two-furlongs further. Instead, she dominated, taking up the running three-furlongs from home and going on to win by almost three-lengths on the line. Returning to Seoul Uaryung proved she could win at one turn too with an even more dominant four-length win over today's distance at class 3 level.

Victory for Uaryung along with a double for Touch Star Man in the KRA Cup Mile and Minister's Cup means three Classic wins in what has been a break-out year for their sire, Testa Matta.

RAON FIRST set the early pace in the Luna Stakes but weakened for 4th and skipped the Oaks in favour of taking the older fillies and mares in the Ttukseom Cup at this distance in August. She led that day too and it took Dia Road to stop her from winning while the likes of Silver Wolf (ineligible today) were back down the track behind her. She has strong chances again this time.

One filly who did run in the Oaks is WISH ME. She finished a solid 4th that day before returning to Seoul and burning up the track in an eight-length romp over 1400M in October. That was by far the fastest any of the runners have completed the distance and would win her most class 1 races at it. Her jockey in both those races was Lee Dong-ha but with the young rider having begun his mandatory military service since her last race, Antonio Da Silva gets the mount.

GO UP, GEOSEN JILJU and WHITE QUEEN are among other three-year-olds who look firmly in the frame, but it looks a tough ask for the older fillies and mares. CLEAR GEOM won the race of the same name last year but that was over 2000M and her form of late has been poor, leaving WONDERFUL TRUTH as the only seemingly credible contender amongst the older generations.

The Gyeonggi Governor's Cup is race seven on a nine race-card at Seoul Racecourse which immediately follows a six race-card at Busan. The big race is off at 17:00 Seoul time.