U.S. Bred, Korean Champion Dolkong Dies at 9

Blogger and Korean race caller Alastair Middleton recently reported the death of Korean champion Dolkong, a United States-bred son of Afleet Alex, who became the first Korean runner to compete in an international group 1 stakes. "He was euthanized this morning following a breakdown in trackwork on Thursday," Middleton tweeted April 1. "He won the Curlin Handicap at the DWCC in 2019 and ran 3rd in the Al Maktoum Challenge R3. … He last ran in December's Grand Prix." Ellen B. Kill Kelley bred Dolkong in Kentucky out of the Broken Vow winner Swampoodle. Wayne Detmar bought him for $52,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale and then sold him through Mayberry Farm for $35,000 to K.O.I.D. at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in 2016. Racing for Tae In Lee, Dolkong won nine of 22 starts and earned $1,408,864. At 5 in 2019, Dolkong was sent to Dubai where he won the listed Curlin Handicap by nine lengths and next out was third in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (G1) to Capezzano and Thunder Snow. He started in the Dubai World Cup (G1) but finished 11th. He finished the year with a win in the Busan Mayor's Cup (G2) and KRA Cup Classic and was named the country's 2019 champion older horse. DolKong had been in training at Let's Run Park Seoul.