Jumping into Southern California horse racing stirrups-deep is like stepping into a monsoon in a bathrobe for those unaccustomed to that type of competition and spotlight.
It’s where the only two Triple Crown winners since Affirmed were trained and blazed historic trails: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018, following a near Crown miss by California Chrome in 2014.
It’s the home of hall of fame trainer Bob Baffert and equally legendary jockey Mike Smith. It’s the legacy of Santa Anita Park and Del Mar.
Then again, Japanese jockey Kazushi Kimura is not the flappable type.
The 24-year-old will make his Del Mar meet debut when the track unrolls the seersucker suits and gravity-defying hats Saturday.
Kimura moved to Canada at 18 without knowing English, without a bank account to soften the landing, and without a single comfort from home. And he’s won and won and won some more.
“There’s a spark of brilliance there,” Baffert said.
Kimura dove in nose-first because proving yourself in racing means proving yourself in North America and the U.S. in particular. He is the three-time reigning riding champion at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.
California, though? That’s where racing legacies are forged.
“I like the challenge,” Kimura said. “When I came to Canada, I didn’t want to bother my family (for money). This was my decision. I had just enough to survive a couple months. If I didn’t get a racetrack job, I would not be able to stay.
“I’ve been riding horses on the farm since I was 3 years old. I went to racing school (in Japan). I thought I better go to Canada first, but North American racing is similar.
“And the West Coast is beautiful, the history, the big races. When I got an offer to go to California, I was very excited. Why not?”
Kimura could be exactly the type of talent infusion the circuit desperately craves.
Star rider Flavien Prat moved east, along with more and more jockeys, trainers and operations, to chase bigger purses and, according to many, fewer regulations and needling protocols.
Kimura has got “a big future,” Baffert said of the jockey who already has riding experience at Santa Anita the last two winters. “The thing about Woodbine, they run on the synthetic (surface). It’s a different vibe there. He wants to take it to another level.”
Baffert considered signing up Kimura for even more jobs on Del Mar’s opening weekend, but a horse aimed for the Haskell Stakes was not ready in time.
That means Juan Hernandez, the top rider in the west, will be back to gobble up mounts.
“Hernandez can’t ride them all,” Baffert said. “There will be work for (Kimura).”
Kimura padded his blossoming resume with a fifth-place finish aboard Japanese entry T O Password at the 150th Kentucky Derby in May.
Bigger stages. Bigger opportunities. Bring on the pressure.
“In this business, I’m always dreaming,” Kimura said. “My dream is to be the best jockey in the world. I want to break records. I’m greedy.”
Apparently.
Kimura is a three-time winner of the Sovereign Award, Canada’s version of the Eclipse. He’s won one of those, too, as outstanding apprentice jockey in 2019.
Boyish looks aside, he’s banked more than $36.1 million in earnings and sewn up three Grade I stakes races.
“He’s got good hands,” Baffert said. “Horses run for him. He’s smart. He’s patient. He’s an athlete who rides with a lot of confidence. He’s great out of the gate, which you need in California with California speed.”
Acclimating to his brief time in California has proved easy. In addition to increased Asian influences, he’s able to follow Japanese baseball players like Yu Darvish, Shohei Ohtani and others.
In fact …
“(Jockey Joel) Rosario and a few of the older guys call him Ohtani in the jock’s room,” said Brian Beach, Kimura’s agent. “Not sure if they can’t remember his name or what.”
Baffert said his learning curve will be accelerated in California.
“When you’re riding with guys like Mike Smith, you learn from them,” Baffert said. “Like golf, if you play with better players, you’ll get better.”
Beach labeled Kimura a “workout fiend” who sometimes hits the gym twice a day. He’s already figured out the discipline needed for those in horse racing who count calories.
Asked if he shoveled down poutine, a rich mess of fries, cheese curds and brown gravy popular in Canada, Kimura laughed.
“I’m a jockey right?” he said. “I tried, but not too many times. Maybe a cheat meal.”
The good news: There’s no poutine at Del Mar.
• 2024 racing season: Saturday through Sept. 8
• Where: Del Mar racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.
• Post times: Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from July 21 through Aug. 29, 2 p.m.; Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Aug. 31 through Sept. 8, 1:30 p.m.; Fridays from July 26 through Aug. 9, 4 p.m.; Fridays from Aug. 16 through Sept. 6, 3 p.m.; special start time on Sept. 2, 1:30 p.m.
• General admission: Daily: $8, Diamond Club: $4; tickets free for kids 17 and younger and active military. Note: Opening Day is sold out.
• Parking: Opening day: General: $15: Preferred $30: Valet $40; General: $10; Preferred: $20, Valet: $30;
• Information: (858) 755-1141, dmtc.com
