Kimura sidelined after leg surgery

Jockey Kazushi Kimura was scheduled to undergo outpatient surgery in Southern California on Thursday to stabilize a leg injury sustained in a starting gate incident at Santa Anita on Jan. 16.

Kimura’s agent, Brian Beach, said on Wednesday that the recovery time is expected to be 30 to 45 days.

“He has a lower leg fracture that needs to be addressed,” Beach said. “It’s something the doctor said would heal faster if they put a screw in it. It would be the better option.”

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The doctor “thinks a month minimum would be a timeline,” Beach said.

Kimura, 25, has won five races at the current Santa Anita winter-spring meeting which began on Dec. 26.

Kimura has earned three Sovereign Awards as Canada’s outstanding rider – in 2018 as an apprentice, and in 2021 and 2022 in the overall category. He was recognized with the Eclipse Award as the 2019 outstanding apprentice jockey throughout North America.

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