Woodbine Racetrack’s third leading rider of 2019, KAZUSHI KIMURA, just 1 1/2 years into his race riding career, will hope to ride some races at the prestigious Gulfstream Park meeting this winter.
Kimura, who is from Japan and got his start in race riding at Woodbine in 2018, recently won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice in America. He also won the 2018 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice and is odds-on to win the same trophy at the 2019 Sovereigns on April 16.
Now a journeyman as he ended his apprentice time in October of last year, Kimura was getting on horses for Woodbine trainer Bill Tharrenos on Jan. 31, Friday morning, at Gulfstream.
Kimura’s agent in Canada, Jordan Miller said riding at the biggest race meeting of the winter was not originally in the plans for his young, star rider.
“When he went to the Eclipse Awards [at Gulfstream] he liked the people so much he wanted to go back.”
Kimura is likely to at least be riding some horses for Tharrenos and his talent figures to get him on additional horses at the meet.
Kazushi Kimura gets set to work Lapochka for trainer Bill Tharrenos at Gulfstream on Friday morning, Jan 31 – photo courtesy Bill Tharrenos
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