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He was quite outstanding in his first two starts and even in defeat in his subsequent pair, he still looked very good.

On Sunday at Seoul, exciting US import Spring Back should kick off his three-year-old season with a return to the winner’s circle.

Spring Back debuted last July with a facile nine-length win in a sub-one-minute time (fast for the Seoul sand) over five furlongs. The Gemologist gelding then proceeded to record one of the fastest times of the year over 1400M when following up with a three-length score at the beginning of October.

Sent off at long odds-on the following month, he would suffer his first defeat as Cheongdam Jewang pulled off an impressive victory on his way to class 1. Spring Back then concluded the year by running 4th in an excellent Nonghyup Chairman’s Trophy, finishing within a length of the winner.

He’s back into class 3 on Sunday for the 1200M race 10 and with Moon Se Young in the saddle, Spring Back should be returning to winning form. Among the eleven rivals he faces, Munhak Tsunami, an also ran in that Nonghyup Chairman’s Trophy, looks the biggest danger.

Spring Back is one of several live mounts for former champion jockey Moon on the day. He’ll be expected to kick things off with a winner in race 1 on the previously unraced Choin Bolt while he also partners Pro Hamseong, who looks hard to beat in race 4.

Moon doesn’t get on the favourite in the day’s finale and feature though. Instead, Park Byeong Yun keeps the ride on Panorama Show in the 1400M class 1 race 11. A gelding by Yes It’s True, Panorama Show has won four of his last five and five from eight in total and the four-year-old can continue his progress on Sunday.

There are 11 races at Seoul on Sunday, running from 10:45am to 6pm local Korea time.