Kimari Calls the Shots in Gallant Bloom
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher
Kimari wins the Gallant Bloom Stakes at Belmont at the Big A
Kimari turned the dirt into a runway Sept. 25 at Belmont at the Big A.
The 5-year-old daughter of Munnings strolled into the Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) entirely at ease, and had no problem displaying her confidence throughout every stride of the 6 1/2 furlongs.
Fresh off of a win in the July 27 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) at Saratoga Race Course, regular rider Joel Rosario matched the mare's attitude.
With only four other contenders, Rosario angled the favorite into a good striking position sitting behind Lady Rocket , who led through early fractions of :23.55 and :46.98.
Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Lady Rocket whizzed into the final turn with Kimari waiting for her cue as the two drew further away from the rest of the field.
Lady Rocket still led by a length after 6 furlongs in 1:10.50, but Kimari pounced to gain the advantage 70 yards from the finish. While Ortiz rode his mount hard down the lane, Rosario kept his filly to a hand ride as Kimari crossed the wire first 1 1/4 lengths ahead in a time of 1:16.58.
"She's special. She runs hard all the time and she ran a good race again today," Rosario said. "She was very comfortable. She was loving what she was doing out there.
"For a second, I was worried the horse in front of me (Lady Rocket) would keep moving forward, but my filly kept gaining and I had a lot of confidence."
Lady Rocket came second, with Sterling Silver 9 1/2 lengths back for third.
Kimari ($3.20) improved her record to 9-2-2 from 16 starts and pushed her earnings over the million mark to sit at $1,118,827 for owners Jonathan Poulin, Westerburg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor.
The connections of Kimari in the winner's circle after the Gallant Bloom Stakes
She was a $2.7 million purchase by M.V. Magnier from the Eaton Sales consignment to the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. The multiple graded stakes-winning mare has been trained by Wesley Ward for all of her starts.
Following the Gallant Bloom, Ward said he will be pointing her toward the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1).
"That's what you want to see, right? We were excited, and this race set up beautifully for her time-wise to get from here to the Breeders' Cup," Ward said.
"The timing gave her a couple of extra weeks. She always relishes the time between starts. For her, it should work out perfect. Whether she's good enough, we'll find out."
Kimari was bred in Kentucky by China Horse Club out of the grade 3-winning Cozzene mare Cozze Up Lady . The mare has two winners from four foals to race. She also has a 3-year-old Quality Road colt named Imola, a yearling colt by Constitution , and a 2022 Tiz the Law colt. She was bred back to Charlatan for 2023.