Chasing Greatness: Woodbine ‘Just Feels Like Home’ For Leading Jockey Kazushi Kimura

The distance between Hokkaido, Japan, and the winner's circle at Woodbine Racetrack is approximately 9,461 kilometres, give or take a few horse lengths.

These days, Kazushi Kimura might be what seems a world away from Canada's Showplace of Racing, but his deep connection and affinity for the world-class horse racing facility, he shared, has never felt stronger.

There is a genuine sense of joy in the 22-year-old jockey's voice, the product of a hugely successful season in the saddle at Woodbine, home to one of Thoroughbred racing's most competitive riding colonies.

His 2021 Woodbine campaign produced a wealth of impressive numbers, punctuated by his leading 138 wins at the meet, putting him 54 victories ahead of nearest rival. He also topped the earnings chart with $6,360,203.

Kimura also became the first Japanese-born rider to win the Toronto oval riding title.

Soon after the curtain closed on the meet, Kimura headed back to his native land. Home to over 5.2 million people, Hokkaido, the northernmost of the four main islands of Japan, is bordered by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the west, the Sea of Okhotsk to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south.

It's the place where his horse racing journey began and where his family still resides.

In between watching movies, listening to music and grabbing a few naps, the 16-plus hour flight from Toronto to Hokkaido afforded Kimura plenty of time to reflect on the most impressive year of his career to date.

The more he recalled those moments, the bigger his smile grew.

“I had so many great memories with many trainers, owners, and horses,” Kimura said. “I'm very grateful for them.”

From catching up with his relatives, to seeing old friends, to enjoy home-cooked meals, Kimura is making the most of his time in Hokkaido, the place where his parents run a horse training center.

“I've been spending great time with friends and family, and I'm also enjoying Japanese foods,” added Kimura. “I've also been hanging out with friends, catching up on everything that is going on in their lives.”

Every year he returns to Japan, Kimura has new and exciting chapters to share with those he's closest to.

Questions about Woodbine have become commonplace.

“Everybody wants to know about Woodbine and that's why I am always happy to answer them,” he said. “Woodbine has so many nice people, it's a beautiful track and location with high-quality racing.”

It didn't take long for Kimura, who didn't speak any English when he arrived on the Woodbine backstretch, to realize any of that.

The man who had graduated from Japan's jockeys' academy joined the Woodbine jockey colony as a 19-year-old apprentice in 2018 and made a strong first impression. He finished his first Woodbine campaign sixth in the standings with 89 wins and his mounts totaled more than $2.3 million in earnings. His first victory came aboard 70-1 longshot Tornado Cat, and his first stakes win came aboard Speed Soul in the 2018 Muskoka Stakes.

Kimura earned Eclipse Award honors as North America's outstanding apprentice in 2019, and also won the Sovereign Award equivalent in both 2018 and 2019.

One of his most treasured memories was riding for Queen Elizabeth II when he teamed with Magnetic Charm to finish second in the 2019 edition of the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes.

Last year, Kimura won eight stakes at the Toronto oval, including Corelli in the G3 Singspiel Stakes, Our Secret Agent in the G3 Hendrie Stakes, Frosted Over in the G3 Ontario Derby, and Swinging Mandy in the Victorian Queen Stakes.

His own personal highlight came last August.

Teaming with Gretzky the Great, a bay son of Nyquist bred by Anderson Farms Ontario, Kimura guided the Mark Casse trainee to a thrilling score in the Greenwood Stakes, set at seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“It's a special achievement, and it was one of my dreams,” said the 22-year-old Kimura. “Everybody wants to be a leading rider, but it's not easy. We just need great riding skills and good horses, good support from the trainers and owners for the whole season to be able to get the title. This year, I'd say I improved, and I got good support from trainers and owners. I appreciate that help for me to get the riding title.”

Canada's champion 2-year-old male in 2020 eked out a head score for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber.

“I would say that win was the top one for me last year,” Kimura said. “That was a perfect race.”

Still at his family's house in Hokkaido, Kimura will soon head back to Canada and Woodbine, places that have very much come to feel like home.

There is no hint of complacency in his demeanor as he readies to begin defense of his crown.

No doubt he's ready for that challenge along with the other goals he's lined up for 2022.

“I'm always thinking about horse racing,” he said. “I would like to get over 200 wins and winning a few Grade 1 races. Also, I want to win the Queen's Plate. Of course, I need first place once again, which means leading jockey.”

If he were to achieve those objectives, Kimura would, at some point, likely add a tattoo or two to his current collection of ink.

His tattoos, now standing at four, each symbolize something different, yet are connected on some level.

“I have one on the left wrist that reminds me to think positive, to always have a positive mind,” Kimura explained. “The second one is that everything happens for a reason, but like the first one, it is a reminder to keep a positive outlook. The third one is inside of my upper arm, which I call infinity luck. It's an infinity mark and horseshoe and four-leaf clover. The last one is sunshine and inside that is a human hand and horse leg, which is on my right shoulder. Sunshine means victory, passion and vitality. That's everything I need with horses.”

Before he considers adding more art, Kimura will put his energy into stamping himself as the top rider at Woodbine for the second straight year.

Nearly 10,000 kilometres away, he's already been envisioning the walk to the place he visited 138 times last year, the picture-perfect spot that is never far from his thoughts.

“I dream that I will be champion jockey again and win a few Grade 1 races,” Kimura said. “Unfortunately, that didn't come true last year, but I'm wishing for that in 2022. I'm going to do my best to achieve all of that in a place that feels just like home for me.”

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‘I Just Need The Opportunity’: Determined Castellano Making Gulfstream Winter Home Again

Five winters have passed since his reign as the Championship Meet's dominant rider came to an end, but Hall of Famer Javier Castellano still comes to South Florida with the same level of enthusiasm.

This year, he also comes with a message.

“I need to have the opportunity and that's what I'm looking for: building the relationship with the trainers and hoping they give me the opportunity and they support me a little bit,” Castellano said. “I know how to do this. I know how to win races. I know how to get it done. I just need the opportunity from the trainers and I'm not going to let them down.”

No one won more races at Gulfstream Park than Castellano during a five-year span between 2011-12 and 2015-16, when he led the jockey standings with an average of 114 wins and set a then-record 132 in 2013-14. The mark has been surpassed twice since, by Luis Saez (137) in 2017-18 and Irad Ortiz Jr. (140) last year.

Besides Castellano, only three other riders have led the jockey standings as many as three consecutive years – Ortiz (2018-19 to 2020-21), Jorge Chavez (1999-2001) and Jeff Fell (1977-79). Ortiz will be back this year looking to make it four straight.

“I'm very excited. I feel like Gulfstream is my home. I've had a lot of success at Gulfstream,” Castellano, 44, said. “Five titles in a row is a great achievement. I'm very lucky and fortunate to be in that spot.”

Castellano got off to a late start at last winter's Championship Meet after having arthroscopic surgery to clean up some debris in his right leg, near the hip, last November. He didn't ride between Nov. 15 at Aqueduct and his Feb. 17 return at Gulfstream, finishing with 15 wins and $599,560 in purses from just 66 mounts. Among his victories was the March 27 Ghostzapper (G3) aboard Eye of a Jedi, a race named for the Hall of Fame horse that helped launch Castellano's career to new heights.

“It took a while to recover. That's what they predicted. The doctor told me I had to be out for three or four months. I was out three months and a half and came back to ride late at Gulfstream,” Castellano said. “It's been a long year for myself. Thank God I still win a lot of races … and I had a couple of Grade 1 winners, but not competitive with past years for me. I think it's partly the momentum [after] the surgery, building up a little bit of my business again.”

Castellano gave brief consideration to staying in New York for the winter, but ultimately decided to follow the blueprint that has proven successful for many years.

“I feel like that's the best way to do it. Thinking about more in the future, building my business and my relationship with trainers and look toward the spring and the summer and those big races,” Castellano said. “The only way you can build a relationship [and] be loyal with them is to go with the flow with the horses. When the horses go to Florida, I want to follow the horses and hopefully those maiden races help get the momentum building [and] the relationship with those trainers.

“I think that's the best way to go. Why do I need to change something that's been working for many years for myself?” he added. “I thought about it and I made my mind up that that's the way to go, that it's supposed to be like that. Go to Florida and ride the good horses.”

South Florida is where Castellano first landed when he came to the U.S. in 1997 and rode his first domestic winner before moving to the New York circuit in 2001. In the midst of his Eclipse run he set single-season career highs of 362 wins in 2013 and a then-record $28.1 million in purse earnings in 2015.

One new wrinkle at the Championship Meet is the addition of all-weather Tapeta to the dirt and turf courses, making Gulfstream the only track in North America to race on three different surfaces.

“I'm excited because we have a new surface with the [all-weather] track. It's an opportunity for those horses to develop and I think I have more options,” Castellano said. “In New York, unfortunately, in the winter, we don't have turf racing and we don't have synthetic. We have only one dimension and it's racing on the dirt, and you don't know how the weather's going to be. They only race four days a week.

“Hopefully we can find a nice 3-year-old to have for the year,” he added. ““I'm looking forward big time for this winter at Gulfstream. Gulfstream is amazing because that's where I started riding horses when I first came to this country. It opened the door for me. It gave me the opportunity and look where I am now more than 20 years later.”

Castellano has won the Preakness (G1) twice, the Travers (G1) a record six times and 12 Breeders' Cup races. He (2013-16) and fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey (2000-03) are the only jockeys to win four consecutive Eclipse Awards as champion rider. Castellano ranks second all-time with more than $364 million in purses earned and has won more than 5,400 races.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, Castellano owns 463 career graded-stakes victories. Nine of them have come this year, including the Acorn (G1) and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1).

“You always have to compete and you always have to work hard. I don't take anything for granted. Unfortunately I had a bump in the road in my career with the surgery but I've put it behind me. I feel 100 percent. The reason I did the surgery is because I want to extend my career. I want to ride more years ahead and the only way I can do that is to refresh my body and take care of my body. I'm looking ahead to another five, six, seven years, maybe 10. Who knows?” Castellano said. “I love this game and I love to keep doing what I'm doing. I love racing and I'm trying to enjoy it.”

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Jockey David Cabrera Nabs Fourth Straight Riding Title At Remington Park

Jockey David Cabrera was honored Thursday night, winning his fourth consecutive Pat Steinberg Leading Rider award at Remington Park.

Cabrera had long since clinched the riding title as he finished the night with 90 wins on the season, 31 ahead of second-place Stewart Elliott at 59.

“I want to thank all the trainers and owners who give me a chance; I want to thank God and Remington Park and my agent Jose Santos,” Cabrera said. “This is home. I feel like I'm with family. It is an honor to ride here. I also want to thank all the grooms, hotwalkers and gate crew. They all do a great job.”

Cabrera's biggest night of the meet came on Nov. 13 when he won five races, including the 1,500th of his career. He took five of the nine races on the card that night. His winners were Quinn Ella (6-5) in the first, Mr B Quiet (3-1) in the fourth, Fred'stwirlincandy (2-1) in the sixth, Bobbin Tail (even) in the seventh and My Golden M (2-5) in the ninth for the 1,500th in his career.

Another highlight of Cabrera's fourth title in a row included riding Welder to his final win at Remington Park, the 16th such victory for the now retired all-time winningest horse here. Welder, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Okla., and trained by Teri Luneack, only won one race this meet but it was a significant one as he broke the tie of 15 wins all-time with Highland Ice and Elegant Exxactsy. Cabrera booted the 8-year-old gray gelding home on Aug. 27 in Welder's first start of the season.

The most wins Cabrera ever had in one meet at Remington Park during this skein was 96 last year. The 29-year-old jockey came to Jones, Okla., to live with his aunt Marti Rodriguez, a trainer at Remington Park, when he was 14 years old, moving from Mexico. He worked his way up from mucking stalls to becoming a jockey in 2013. He had 46 wins to start his career that year.

Cabrera's best year thus far was 2018 when he won 236 times. He has 216 wins thus far in 2021. In his nine-year riding career, he has won 1,526 times for earnings of $35,348,847, according to Equibase stats. His best year in horse earnings has been this year with $7,646,957.He has averaged $6,834 per start this year, compared to $1,372 per start in 2013 when he began.

The leading jockey award is named after Pat Steinberg who was a dominating jockey in the early years of Remington Park, winning nine riding titles before passing away in 1993.

There is only one more day of racing at Remington Park on Friday, Dec. 17. The final night of the season includes the cornerstone race for 2-year-olds at Remington Park, the $400,000 Springboard Mile, with horses eligible for Kentucky Derby points. It goes as the 12th race on Friday. The other stakes are:

Race 8, $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 9, $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 10, $100,000 She's All In Stakes, 3-year-olds and older, fillies-mares, 1m-70 yds
Race 11, $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, fillies, 2-year-olds, 1 mile

The last night of the season gets underway at 5pm-Central.

 

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Jockey Of The Week: Arnaldo Bocachica Dominates Charles Town Standings For Fourth Year In A Row

With the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town 2021 meet quickly coming to a close, Arnaldo Bocachica has again run away with the leading jockey title. Last week he added eight wins to his already lofty total to earn the title of Jockey of the Week for Dec. 6 through Dec. 12. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

The hard-working, personable Bocachica, known as “Boca” at the track, has led the jockey standings at Charles Town in wins and purse earnings for the last three years and is poised to make it four years in a row with 252 wins, 150 more than his closest competitor and nearly $5 million in purse earnings through Dec. 12. His winning percentage is a lofty 35 percent. The Charles Town meet closes this Saturday, Dec. 18.

Riding since 2006, the 33-year-old native of Puerto Rico has made Charles Town his home track riding first call for leading trainer Jeff Ronco as well as other top trainers at the track. The Ronco/Bocachica pair post a 37 percent win rate, and Bocachica won career race 2,000 on March 6, 2021 for Jeff Ronco.

Bocachica began the week on Wednesday by winning two races for Jeff Ronco and one for trainer Anthony Farrior. With no wins on Thursday, Bocachica won three on Friday, one for Ronco and two for Farrior. He continued his winning ways on Saturday with a win for trainer Victor Espinosa and one for Farrior.

Bocachica's weekly statistics included eight wins from 15 starts for 53.3 percent winners and 80 percent in-the-money finishers with total purse earnings of $127,060.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Dylan Davis who won the Garland of Roses at Aqueduct, Mario Gutierrez who pulled the upset win in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity, Colby J. Hernandez who won the Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds and Luis Saez who won the G3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park.

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