Japanese import Mandarin Hero arrived at Barn 121 at Santa Anita Friday morning after spending the previous two days at a quarantine facility near LAX.
Mandarin Hero is set to become the first horse from Japan's National Association of Racing to compete in the U.S. when he goes postward in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 8. Trained by Terunobu Fujita, Mandarin Hero was a perfect 4-for-4 last year at Oi Racecourse near Tokyo and was a fast-closing second by a neck in his lone start this year on Feb. 2, also at Oi.
Mandarin Hero will be ridden in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby by Japanese native Kazushi Kimura, which was first reported by Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen on Thursday.
“I'm really proud of this opportunity,” Kimura said Friday morning.
Kimura's agent, Brandon O'Bryan, said he was contacted by Mandarin Hero's connections shortly after the GII San Felipe on March 4 inquiring about riding the Santa Anita Derby. Kimura and O'Bryan agreed to the ride on Tuesday.
“What I like about this horse is his consistency. He likes to win,” O'Bryan said Friday. “And the Japanese have obviously been winning races everywhere they go the last few years. We don't know exactly where this horse will fit here, but the Derby is likely to be a short field and you can't win from the jock's room.”
A dark brown colt by Shanghai Bobby, Mandarin Hero will remain under quarantine conditions at Santa Anita with restricted access. Joining him on the trip from Japan were both his groom and exercise rider. Mandarin Hero will also need to be accompanied by a veterinarian each morning when he visits the track. Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Jason Egan said Mandarin Hero is scheduled to train between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. each morning.
Kimura, North America's Eclipse Award Apprentice Jockey in 2019, has ridden full time at Santa Anita during the Classic Meet after being the leading rider at Woodbine the last two years. In 99 mounts here entering Saturday, Kimura had 10 wins including three stakes. He is scheduled to ride at Santa Anita through April 9 before returning to Toronto to prepare for Woodbine's meet opener on April 22.
O'Bryan said the plan is for Kimura to occasionally return to Santa Anita this spring for specific stakes assignments. First up will be the weekend of April 29-30. Kimura is slated to ride both Duvet Day for trainer Michael McCarthy, likely in the G3 Santa Barbara, and Kirstenbosch in the G2 Santa Maria for trainer John Sadler. Kimura won the Astra Stakes aboard Duvet Day here on Jan. 21 and the G3 La Canada with Kirstenbosch on Jan. 15.
“I'm so satisfied with my time at Santa Anita,” Kimura said Friday. “To ride with guys like Frankie Dettori and John Velazquez has been like a dream. With some nice stakes horses also, it's just been great.”
Entries for the Santa Anita Derby, as well as the remainder of the April 8 card, will be taken on Wednesday. Other stakes on tap that day are the G2 Santa Anita Oaks, G2 Charles Whittingham, G2 Monrovia and both the Echo Eddie and Evening Jewel for statebreds.
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