Woodbine’s leading rider for the past 2 seasons, KAZUSHI KIMURA will have his first mounts at Santa Anita racetrack on Monday, December 26. Kimura, the Sovereign Award winning jockey in 2021 and a contender for the same honour for 2022 has a trio of rides including two in Grade 1 stakes races.
Kimura joined the Woodbine jockey colony just four years ago, in 2018 as an apprentice rider. He quickly showed he was one of the best jockeys in Canada with 104 wins in his first year. He was named Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and also won the Eclipse Award for top apprentice.
After a COVID-19-shortened Woodbine season in 2020, Kimura racked up 140 wins in North America in 2021 and he has 175 wins in 2022.
The young rider from Japan drove his car from Woodbine to Santa Anita soon after the Woodbine season ended and he begins his California dream in race 4 on Monday aboard the maiden gelding Jam Session for trainer Michael McCarthy.
Kimura will partner Kirstenbosch in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for trainer John Sadler and Duvet Day (Ire) in the Grade 1 American Oaks for trainer McCarthy.
Luis Contreras, also a Woodbine-based jockey, is set to winter in California as well and he rides in race 7.
Among the famous riders that Kimura and Contreras will be meeting at the ‘Great Race Place’ are Frankie Dettori, John Velasquez, Mike Smith, Joel Rosario and J J Hernandez.
Malibu Stakes the feature
A winner of this year’s Grade I Santa Anita Derby, the Bob Baffert-trained Taiba, heads a field of nine sophomores going seven furlongs in Santa Anita’s signature opening day feature Monday, the Grade I, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes. Baffert will also saddle Canadian-bred MESSIER in the Malibu. Messier (Empire Maker) won the Robert B Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita in February, was second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) but 15th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He came off a layoff for an allowance race at Keeneland on Nov. 5 but was eased after a bleeding incident.
Most recently third in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Classic, finishing 8 ¾ lengths behind presumptive Horse of the Year Flightline, Taiba, who took the Grade I Pennsylvania Derby two starts back on Sept. 24, will be seeking to become the only 3-year-old colt or gelding to win three Grade I wins on the year and will thus try to make a late case for an Eclipse Award as top 3-year-old Male.
A $1.7 million purchase out of a 2-year-old in training sale in March of last year, Taiba is owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc. and will be ridden by Mike Smith, who has been aboard for his last five races, all of which have been around two turns.
A first-out winner here going six furlongs under John Velazquez on March 5, Taiba attended the early pace and won the Santa Anita Derby April 9 in only his second career start.
Baffert, who will also be sending out multiple graded stakes winner Messier, will be seeking his fifth win in the prestigious Malibu, which was taken last year by presumptive Horse of the Year Flightline.
A winner of both the Grade II San Vicente Stakes and the Grade II San Felipe here earlier this year, Richard Mandella’s Forbidden Kingdom was subsequently dispatched as the even money favourite in the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9, but he went to the sidelines after finishing sixth and last.
Off at even money in his comeback race, the Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 1, Forbidden Kingdom showed the way to the top of the lane but tired to finish fifth, beaten 3 ¾ lengths. Most recently third, beaten a half length in a six furlong allowance at Del Mar, Forbidden Kingdom will try to stop a three-game skid as he seeks his first Grade I win.
A chestnut colt by 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Forbidden Kingdom is owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC. Ridden by Juan Hernandez in all eight of his starts, he has three wins, a second and two thirds.
Trainer Wesley Ward looms dangerously in the Malibu with Kentucky shipper Nakatomi, who comes off a big allowance win going 6 ½ furlongs at Keeneland Nov. 5. A chestnut gelding by Firing Line, Nakatomi will be ridden back by Tyler Gaffalione. Owned by Bottle Rocket Stable, Qatar Racing Limited and Marc Detampel, Nakatomi, who is 8-4-1-1 overall, will be trying seven panels for the first time.
With Flavien Prat climbing aboard for the first time, the Dallas Stewart-trained Strava also rates a big chance on Monday shipping in from New Orleans. A big 6 ½ length allowance winner going a one-turn mile in the Churchill Downs slop Nov. 27, Strava, who was off the board in his only graded stakes try this year, earned a lofty 98 Beyer Speed Figure on Nov. 27 and looks to be a hot commodity.
Owned by WinStar Farm, LLC, Siena Farm, LLC, former two-time NCAA Division Champion and Hall of Fame basketball coach Denny Crum, Strava was a first-out winner going six furlongs at age two and is 9-3-1-3 overall.
-with files from Santa Anita media
THE GRADE I RUNHAPPY MALIBU WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 10 of 11 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT
Forbidden Kingdom—Juan Hernandez—122
Messier—John Velazquez—122
Apprehend—Ramon Vazquez—120
Nakatomi—Tyler Gaffalione—120
Hoist the Gold—Joel Rosario–120
Taiba—Mike Smith—124
Perfect Flight—Ricardo Santana, Jr.—120
Strava—Flavien Prat—120
Straight No Chaser—Edwin Maldonado—120
Special early first post time for an 11-race card that includes six graded stakes on opening day is at 11 a.m
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