Canada’s champion jockey KAZUSHI KIMURA finished up his first Del Mar meeting with a flourish, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes on Saturday, September 7. On the meet’s final day, the young rider had two second-place finishes on two-year-olds in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf.
The Debutante and Mabee were Kimura’s first stakes wins at Del Mar, which is hosting the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on the first weekend in November.
Kimura rode the Bob Baffert-trained filly Tenma to victory in the Debutante as the second favourite.
“I rode her the other day when she won first time out and she did well closing,” said Kimura. “The plan was to try to do the same thing today. I saw those two fillies up front working on each other and I was happy with my spot. She closed well for me. I think she’s going to want to run farther.”
Tenma is by Nyquist and is now two-for-two in her career.
Kimura also got Hang the Moon up to win the Mabee at 20-to-1 later on Saturday. Trained by Phil d’Amato, Hang the Moon is a four-year-old filly by Uncle Mo.
‘KK’ is now headed back to Ontario where he will ride favoured Midnight Mascot in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on Tuesday. He will then be riding at Woodbine until the end of the month before heading back to Santa Anita.
Kimura won 17 races at the Del Mar meeting.
