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Champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins writes a new chapter in his career this afternoon when he saddles up Riven Light in the Korean Group One Korea Cup over 1700m at Seoul.

A household legend in Ireland, Mullins has become a little more adventurous in recent years travelling abroad to several countries including Australia where Max Dynamite was placed in the 2015 and 2017 Melbourne Cups.

Mullins has trained group one winners in Ireland, Britain, France and Japan but by far his biggest challenge awaits in the KRW1,000,000,000 2018 Korea Cup where he saddles up the handy Riven Light who races on sand for the first time.

A lightly raced gelding who normally travels midfield and closes late comes to Korea off the back of an emphatic fresh up win at Galway over 1721m late in July.

On that occasion he carried 64kgs to victory in very quick race time but his record suggests that he should be even better second up.

Riven Light travelled to Australia last year and ran seventh just under five lengths behind Gailo Chop and Johannes Vermeer in the Group One Caulfield Stakes over 2000m which in hindsight was an excellent effort as he suffered an injury during the race which forced the abandonment of the remainder of his Australian campaign.

Timeform weight adjusted ratings puts him as the horse to beat with the proviso that he handles the sand track, although connections have no fear on that score pointing to the fact that he has worked at home in such conditions.

Interestingly Riven Light is undefeated at this distance from three runs and has notched up three of his seven race victories left handed.

British trained Forest Ranger rates strongly as one of the main dangers along with last year’s Korea Cup winner, Japanese raider London Town.

Cheongdam Dokki and Dolkong rate best amongst the local contenders but would need the higher rated visitors to run below form to be serious threats of winning, something that cannot be ruled out as they have the local experience.

Like Mullins, leading UK trainer Richard Fahey will be presenting his first horse to race in Korea and while it will be a strange experience for Forest Ranger, it is hard to deny he has superior form to most of his rivals.

Already a group three winner on turf at Newmarket in the Earl Of Sefton Stakes over 1810m, Forest Ranger comes here off the back of two disappointing efforts in the Group One Coral Eclipse Stakes and Group Two York Stakes but those form lines are several pounds superior in class to what he meets today.

A three-time left handed winner plus a one for one on the Newcastle all weather are other important stats that build a strong case for the lightly raced four year old.

Like the Korea Sprint, there seems to be an abundance of early speed and while Forest Ranger normally settles off the speed, his ability to cope with the sand kick-back will be crucial to his winning prospects.

If Forest Ranger does adapt, then he will take plenty of holding out.

2017 Korea Cup winner London Town comes to Korea this year with a slightly inferior form line to where he was at last year, but off the same preparation.

Before winning the Cup last year, London Town had easily won the Elm Stakes on dirt at Sapporo, however this year he finished a fourth in the Elm Stakes rating several pounds below his best figures.

While he needs to lift, the benefit he does have in his favour is experience on the Korean sand and that may well carry him a long way towards a back to back win.

The lightly raced Dolkong could not have been more impressive last start over this course and distance winning effortlessly by eight lengths in a race time 1.5 seconds inside standard.

The win came on the back of two barrier trials and further improvement is expected again – certainly his Timeform rating suggests more to come.

Dolkong has won six of his nine race starts, the last five coming in as many starts.

A rising star of Korean racing, Dolkong is unbeaten this course and distance and from barrier two can take up a handy position from the outset.

Dolkong’s ardent rival and current Korean champion stayer Cheongdam Dokki is also in the best form of his career. He has won his last three runs since resuming by a combined margin in excess of 10 lengths including his last win at this course and distance in a time around three seconds quicker than recorded by Dolkong in his recent win.

Cheongdam Dokki is Korea’s leading stayer having won 11 of his 16 races. He is unbeaten fourth run back from a spell in two attempts, however his wide barrier draw is not ideal, given that a lot of speed is drawn underneath him – a fact which may work against him early in the race.

That being the case Dolkong may yet prove superior to his local rival this afternoon and extend his 2 to 1 head to head match up stat.

Ends…