JIMMIES BIG DAY had another big day as Paul Buttigieg’s homebred four-year-old streaked to his second straight win at Woodbine, taking the final race of the 2023 season with the meet’s leading rider KAZUSHI KIMURA doing the riding.
Woodbine had 128 racing days in 2023 (there were a few cards lost to weather and air quality) and for the third straight year, Kimura, 24, led all riders by wins. The young horseman won 161 races, the most he has ever won at a Woodbine meeting, in just his sixth full season of riding since coming from Japan. ‘KK’ is now headed to Santa Anita where he will ride once again this winter.
SAHIN CIVACI, who rose fast through the rider standings in 2023, was second with 129 victories and RAFAEL HERNANDEZ collected 119 wins.
MARK CASSE won his 15th training title with 113 wins while MARTIN DREXLER had a career year, winning 86 races to finish second.
On the owner’s list, GARY BARBER had his biggest year since he began racing horses full-time at Woodbine. Horses solely owned by Barber won 22 races from 96 starts and $1.38 million but he also had horses in eight partnerships that won 15 races and another $2 million in purses. In fact, not since Sam-Son Farms earned $4.2 million in 2004 has an owner earned as much as Barber’s horses and those owned in partnership. which collected $3,465,693 (US) at Woodbine this year from 37 wins, which includes 10 stakes wins.
Barber raced the year’s leading earner, PARAMOUNT PRINCE, with Mike Langlois and that gelding won the King’s Plate and Plate Trial.
Bruno Schickedanz led by wins with 58 from 397 starters.
PATCHES O’HOULIHAN (Reload) was the winningest horse with six victories for owner and breeder Frank DiGuilio, Jr.
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