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Eclipse Award Winner Kazushi Kimura To Ride In Saudi Arabia Through Mid-March

The Eclipse Award-winning Champion Apprentice Jockey of 2019, Kazushi Kimura has plans to ride in Saudi Arabia during the winter of 2020-2021, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. A 21-year-old native of Japan, Kimura will primarily ride for Prince Sultan bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz.

Kimura finished third in the standings at Woodbine this year with 83 winners, and celebrated his first Grade 1 victory with Gretzky the Great in the Summer Stakes. He has ridden just two starters thus far in Saudi Arabia, finishing unplaced in both, but has more mounts in the coming weeks.

“I've been getting good experience [in Saudi Arabia] so far,” Kimura told the TDN. “I'm gonna ride in Saudi Arabia until the middle of March, then I will be back to Woodbine before the opening day.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Kazushi Kimura to Spend Winter in Saudi Arabia

Grade I-winning jockey Kazushi Kimura, who was named the 2019 Eclipse Award Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, will spend the winter of 2020/21 riding primarily for Prince Sultan bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz in Saudi Arabia, he confirmed to the TDN on Sunday.

“Yes,” Kimura told the TDN regarding his Saudi Arabian posting. “I’m gonna ride in Saudi Arabia until the middle of March, then I will be back to Woodbine before the opening day.”

Kimura, who was also Canada’s Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2018, celebrated four graded winners in 2020 led by Gretzky the Great (Nyquist) in the GI Summer S. His other graded victories include Lady Grace (Kantharos) and Artie’s Princess (We Miss Artie) at Grade II level and Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) in the GIII Ontario Derby. From 2,152 total mounts, the Japanese-born reinsman has booted home 337 winners (16%) with an in-the-money percentage of 44%. His mounts’ earnings stand at $11,163,055 in North America.

Through Jan. 3, Kimura has already had two rides at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. Kimura rode the unplaced G K Chesterton (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) for Nawa Faihaan Almundeel on New Year’s Day. His first run for his patron Prince Sultan bin Mishal was a 13th aboard Shuman (KSA) (Commissioner) in a local maiden on Jan. 2. However, it is surely only a matter of time before the young jockey returns to the winner’s circle.

“Yes, I’ve been getting good experience [in Saudi Arabia] so far,” the 21-year-old added.

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Artie’s Princess Holds Off Boardroom For Bessarabian Success

Artie's Princess, a 3-year-old daughter of We Miss Artie, won her second straight stakes at Woodbine, and notched her first graded crown, in taking the $197,750 Bessarabian (Grade 2) at the Toronto, Ontario, oval on Saturday.

The trio of Jakarta, Souper Escape and Artie's Princess zipped out of the gate in the seven-furlong Bessarabian, matching strides through an opening-quarter mile in a swift :22.31. It was Jakarta who eventually assumed command with her other two rivals tracking her every move. Artie's Princess, who came into the race off a sharp score in the Ruling Angel Stakes on September 12, sat in third for Kazushi Kimura.

Jakarta continued to call the shots on the front end, taking her rivals through a half-mile clip in :44.41, as Princess Artie kept the pacesetter well within her sights.

As the field turned for home, Artie's Princess surged to the lead, holding a two-length advantage at Robert Geller's stretch call. Looking like a lock mid-way down the lane, the Wesley Ward trainee had to fend off a late-race meeting with hard-charging Boardroom, who fell a head short of collaring the winner. Our Secret Agent rallied to net third, while Amalfi Coast, last year's Bessarabian champ, finished fourth.

“Basically, if I could go to the front I wanted to go to the front, but I knew that just the two horses wanted to go to the front, and it looked a little bit fast that's why I was just patient, watched from behind,” said Kimura, who earlier in the card teamed with Field Pass to take the Grade 3 Ontario Derby Stakes. “She was just so comfortable today.”

The final time was 1:20.90.

“I felt [jockey Luis Contreras and Boardroom coming] but she wasn't that tired and kept going,” offered Kimura. “I felt I could win.”

The ultra-consistent filly, bred and owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, now has three wins from four outings in 2020. Last year, the Ontario-bred went 2-1-0 from three starts, taking her first two races before a runner-up effort in the Frost King Stakes in November.

Her sire, We Miss Artie, also owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, won the 2014 Plate Trial at Woodbine before finishing third in the Queen's Plate.

Sent off as the 5-2 choice, Artie's Princess paid $7, $3.80 and $3.30. She combined with Boardroom ($5, $3.90) for a 4-2 $34.40 exactor. Our Secret Agent ($4.30) completed a 4-2-7 triactor worth $156.90. Amalfi Coast rounded a 4-2-7-5 $1 Superfecta that returned $277.35. Outburst was scratched.

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Field Pass Edges Belichick For Lemon Drop Kid Exacta In Ontario Derby

It looked as though Field Pass would be standing on the sidelines rather than the winner's circle, but a late burst of speed netted the son of Lemon Drop Kid top prize in a thrilling edition of the $134,000 Ontario Derby (Grade 3), Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Ridden by Kazushi Kimura, Field Pass found a seam in deep stretch and recorded a one-length win as the 5-2 second choice, as he held off Breeders' Stakes champ Belichick (also by Lemon Drop Kid) and a game Malibu Mambo to win the 1 1/8-mile added-money event. Mutuel favorite, Mighty Heart, who won the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes, finished fourth.

It was Mighty Heat who seized control of the 3-year-old race early on, with Malibu Mambo, Field Pass and Dune of Pilat keeping tabs on the Maryland-bred grey through an opening quarter-mile in :24.30 and a half-mile clocked in :47.92.

As Rafael Hernandez urged Mighty Heart to continue his front-running ways, Malibu Mambo, under Justin Stein, and Belichick, with Luis Contreras in the irons, began to circle in on the leader. Meanwhile, Field Pass found himself in traffic trouble, as Kimura worked to find an opening with the Three Diamonds Farm silk bearer.

In deep stretch, Kimura and Field Pass bulled their way between Belichick and Malibu Mambo en route to the Michael Maker trainee's sixth career win in 15 starts.

The well-traveled colt covered the distance in an impressive 1:48.35, just missing the track record of 1:48.24 established by Global Access on September 28, 2019.

“My planning was that I didn't want to get too forward, but I didn't want to send him to the front,” said Kimura. “That was the perfect position, just waiting for room.”

The win was the fifth from nine starts on the campaign for Field Pass, who now has a trio of Grade 3s (the others are this year's runnings of the Jeff Ruby Steaks, and Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes).

He arrived for his first Woodbine start after back-to-back finishes in a pair of Grade 2 events, the American Turf Stakes on September 5 at Churchill Downs, and the Twilight Derby on October 18 at Santa Anita.

With the Ontario Derby win, Field Pass, who broke his maiden in his second start on July 13, 2019, at Saratoga, is 6-2-3 from 15 starts.

“Such a classy horse,” praised Kimura. “I've watched him many times, winning replays. He's nice, a nice horse.”

Field Pass paid $7.70, $4.50, and $2.80, while Belichick returned $5.30 and $3.40. Malibu Mambo, the 2020 Queen's Plate winter book favorite, paid $3.90 to show. The 1-2 exactor paid $27.60, while a 1-2-8 triactor came back $144. A $1 Superfecta of 1-2-8-6 (Mighty Heart) returned $214.55.

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