Jockey Kazushi Kimura, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2019, has begun riding in Saudi Arabia for the winter and will stay through mid-March before returning next spring to Woodbine, agent Jordan Miller said.
Kimura, 21, a native of Japan, is riding for owner Prince Sultan bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, for whom Kimura won a race at Woodbine last summer on Lili's Song for trainer Mark Casse. His first two mounts in Saudia Arabia came last week at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, and both were unplaced in large fields of more than 20 horses, according to Miller.
"It is just a little bit different, with a learning curve," Miller said from Saudi Arabia. "We just figured it would be a great experience and it (would be a good opportunity) to already be over here before the (Feb. 29) Saudi Cup in case riders from North America didn't want to travel across and quarantine there and quarantine back at home. We just thought we'd take the shot, get the experience, and go from there."
🙌 Welcome, Kazushi Kimura! 🙌
— The Saudi Cup (@thesaudicup) January 5, 2021
2019 Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey to ride in Saudi Arabia during the 2020/21 winter.
The 21yo will primarily ride for Prince Sultan bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz.
🇯🇵 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/NNXaiud7ie
Also Canada's Sovereign Award-winning apprentice rider during his first year of riding in 2018, Kimura was the fifth-leading jockey at Woodbine that year before finishing third there in both 2019 and 2020, the last year entirely as a journeyman rider. This past year he finished with 83 victories from 588 mounts at Woodbine during a COVID-19 shortened season in which he captured the Summer Stakes (G1T) on the Casse-trained Gretzky the Great for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber.
Last winter he rode 30 horses in February and March at Gulfstream Park in Florida, primarily for Canadian stables, before the onset of the pandemic.
