Woodbine champ Kimura to have first mount of the year

Kazushi Kimura, by far the leading jockey at Woodbine in 2021, is scheduled to have his first mount of the year when he rides Halo of Fire in the last race Wednesday at Tampa for trainer Wesley Ward.

Ward said Kimura, 22, has been exercising horses for him in recent weeks at both Palm Meadows and Turfway Park after spending time in his native Japan after the Woodbine meet ended in early December.

Halo of Fire runs in the second of two co-featured allowances on a nine-race card that starts at 12:15 p.m. Eastern, with the first going as race 5. Sunshine and a high of 85 are in the local forecast.

Purses increased again

Tampa management has raised purses for the second time this month. Effective Friday, another $1,000 is being added to all overnight races, marking the second raise of about 6 percent since Feb. 11.

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Track officials said an uptick in wagering handle is responsible for the hike. All-sources wagering on the last major stakes date (Feb. 12) was more than $12.1 million. Vice president Peter Berube said in a track release that he is optimistic a record Tampa Bay Derby Day handle to exceed the $15.2 million bet on the corresponding 2021 card can be had.

◗ Gerald Bennett leads the 2021-22 meet with 21 wins and 139 starts, but it’s been the production of a couple of other top-five trainers in the Tampa standings that catches the eye. Tony Granitz won another race Sunday to move his local record to 12 for 37, while Chad Brown has won 12 of 26.