Kimura's adrenaline flowing after two graded stakes victories on same day

DEL MAR, Calif. - Kazushi Kimura did not sleep well on Saturday night.

He blamed the excitement of a memorable afternoon at Del Mar when, for the first time in his career, Kimura won two graded stakes on the same day in the United States.

“I had too much adrenaline,” Kimura said.

Kimura won his first Grade 1 in the United States aboard Tenma in the $301,000 Del Mar Debutante for trainer Bob Baffert, and later in the day won the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes on turf with Hang the Moon for Phil D’Amato.

Even before the big wins, Kimura, a native of Japan, was having a celebratory weekend. He turned 25 on Friday.

“It was a great moment for me,” Kimura said.

The Del Mar Debutante, he said, was “kind of a late birthday present.”

There was no sleeping late on Sunday, either. Kimura was up early to work horses for trainers D’Amato and Mark Glatt.

“They always need a rider to help,” Kimura said. “I don’t mind that.”

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Kimura rode at Del Mar for the first time this summer, leaving his well-established base at Woodbine, outside of Toronto.

Kimura was the leading rider at Woodbine for three consecutive years from 2021 through 2023, and ranked third in the standings when he left for Del Mar in mid-July.

Because of his move to Del Mar, Kimura has slumped to seventh in the Woodbine standings. Through Saturday, Kimura ranked sixth in the standings at Del Mar with 18 wins, well behind leading rider Juan Hernandez with 47.

On Monday, Kimura was scheduled to return to Canada, where he will ride until the weekend of Sept. 27-28, when he plans to have mounts in leading stakes at Santa Anita.

Through the next few months, Kimura will ride occasionally in California, he said, seeking mounts for Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar on Nov. 1-2.

Chances are Kimura will be at Santa Anita on Oct. 5 to ride Tenma in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, and Hang the Moon in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Kimura rode 20-1 Hang the Moon for the first time in the $251,000 Mabee Stakes.

Kimura rode Tenma to a win in a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 18. The victory surprised Kimura, who thought Tenma would need more ground to be effective.

In the Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs, Tenma closed from fifth in a field of seven to win by a nose over stretch leader Vodka With a Twist.

“We thought she was doing really well and was getting better,” Baffert said on Sunday. “There was a good chance there would be a pace duel, but I was proud of the way she ran.

“She’s screaming for two turns.”

Baffert won the Debutante for a record 11th time, and had two runners in the field of seven. The Baffert-trained Nooni, winner of the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at six furlongs on Aug. 10, was the 4-5 favorite. She set the pace before fading through the stretch, eventually finishing fifth.

Both Nooni and Tenma are candidates for the $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes. Baffert said Nooni deserves another chance after the loss on Saturday.

“I think you can draw a line through it,” he said of the Del Mar Debutante.

“She’s very fast. We’re learning about her. She’s a bit headstrong. We learned a lot from that race.”

Baffert, along with a few other prominent trainers in Southern California, was influential in convincing Kimura to relocate to Del Mar for the summer. Of Kimura’s 18 winners through Saturday, he won four times for trainers George Papaprodromou and Tim Yakteen, three times for Glatt, twice for Baffert, and once for Simon Callaghan, D’Amato, Ryan Hanson, Craig Lewis, and Bill McLean.

“I’m happy for him,” Baffert said. “I talked him into coming. I’m glad he won” the Debutante.

“I told him if you want to be great you’ve got to come to California and ride. He’s a nice kid.

“He gets along with horses and he’s getting better and better. He rides with confidence. Good horses make you better.”

Kimura was at his best in the final two weeks of the meeting leading to Sunday’s closing day, winning eight races from Aug. 29 through Sunday. He described the two-month season as a success.

“I got calls from so many different trainers, not only one guy,” he said. “It was great.

“I know Del Mar is the same as Saratoga. It’s tough to keep winning.”

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