Eclipse-Winning Apprentice Kimura to Ride at Gulfstream
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Photo: Photos by Z
Kazushi Kimura accepts his Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey
Kazushi Kimura, two weeks after accepting the Eclipse Award as the champion apprentice of 2019 at Gulfstream Park, will ride for the first time in South Florida in the Feb. 6 10th-race finale.
Kimura, 20, is named on 4-year-old gelding Seemee for trainer Kevin Attard in the one-mile turf claimer for 4-year-olds and up. They drew post 12 with just main-track-only entrant Colin a Winner to their outside.
In 2019, Kimura led all bug riders in purse earnings with $3.7 million and had 117 wins from Jan. 1 until his apprenticeship ended Oct. 26. Voted the Sovereign Award as Canada's champion apprentice of 2018, he is expected to repeat that honor when winners are announced April 16.
Kimura galloped his first horses at Gulfstream Jan. 31 and plans to use his time in Florida to prepare for the start of Woodbine's season April 18. Kimura topped all Woodbine apprentices and ranked third overall with 146 wins last year.
A native of Hokkaido, where his father runs a Thoroughbred training center, Kimura left home to attend the Japan Racing School in Shiroi, about 25 miles east of Tokyo. He won his first North American race June 8, 2018 on 70-1 long shot Tornado Cat at Woodbine.
Kimura is represented in Canada by agent Jordan Miller. He is also named to ride 4-year-old gelding Miriam's Sky in the sixth race Feb. 7 at Gulfstream, a one-mile claiming event for older horses. Miriam's Sky is trained by Mike DePaulo who, like Attard, is based in Canada and winters in South Florida.