Gulfstream Park
Eclipse winner Kimura has first U.S. winner
Julie Wright Because of visa restrictions, Kazushi Kimura will only be allowed to ride for Canadian-based trainers.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Kazushi Kimura, the 2019 Eclipse Award winner for outstanding apprentice, had his first winner in the United States when guiding Pink Lemonade to an 11-1 victory in the last race Thursday at Gulfstream.
Kimura, a 20-year-old native of Japan, had ridden 252 winners, all of them in Canada, since his first ride in May 2018. When Woodbine ended its season in mid-December, he took a brief respite before coming to Florida to ride for several Canadian outfits. Pink Lemonade is trained by John Mattine, who winters in Florida but otherwise is based at Woodbine. The 5-year-old gelding represented Kimura’s 13th mount at the meet.
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