Multiple Sovereign Award-winning jockey Kazushi Kimura left his summer base at Woodbine to pursue opportunities and showcase his riding skills in California.
Those skills were on full display Sept. 7 at Del Mar when the 25-year-old won three races, including both of the day's graded stakes: the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) aboard the Bob Baffert-trained Tenma and the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) on the Phil D'Amato-trained Hang the Moon. These were his first stakes wins at the seaside oval.
Tenma won as the second favorite, but Hang the Moon's win was a surprise. Dismissed at odds of more than 20-1 in a $251,000 race that included grade 1 winners Anisette and Didia, she outran expectations under a ground-saving trip from Kimura. Rallying from last and following Anisette's inside bid, she found a split between horses in midstretch, caught that rival, and outlasted wide-rallying stablemate Lucky Girl by a half-length. She was clocked in 1:48.50 on a firm turf course after fractions of :24.65, :48.39, and 1:12.85 set by Royal Charter, who would fade to fifth.
Hang the Moon paid $43 to win.
"This is the first time I have gotten to ride her," Kimura said. "But in this race I know who the best horse is, and I tried to finish up strong. Today it seemed best just to follow Anisette and my filly seemed pretty comfortable throughout."
Favored Didia finished fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind show finisher Anisette. The former lacked her customary acceleration while perched outside in a stalking position, and the latter's bid seemed to stall after she rallied to take the lead with an up-the-fence trip. She finished a head behind the second-place finisher.
Lucky Girl's runner-up finish gave trainer D'Amato, Southern California's most successful turf trainer, a 1-2 finish in the Mabee. D'Amato won the Mabee for a second time after initial success with Raymundos Secret in 2020.
CJ Thoroughbreds owns Hang the Moon, a 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly out of the Malibu Moon mare Moondance. Repole Stable bred her in Kentucky, and CJ Thoroughbreds purchased her for $200,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The Mabee win provides a big update to the catalog page of Hang the Moon's City of Light half brother. The yearling colt is cataloged as Hip 1701, consigned by Brookdale as agent, in the upcoming Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The Mabee was Hang the Moon's first stakes win after two earlier stakes placings. Last year at age 3 she ran third in the Hilltop Stakes for trainer Michael Stidham and this summer she had been second for D'Amato in the Osunitas Stakes behind the speedy Ag Bullet, subsequent winner of the Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs. Hang the Moon also won the allowance optional claimer in one other start for D'Amato.
"She came to me to run in these kind of races, and I thought she just improved from race to race," D'Amato said. "She ran a really good second to Ag Bullet last time, and Ag Bullet came back and won a million-dollar race at Kentucky Downs, so I think she was a little overlooked here.
"Give a big shout out to KK (jockey Kazushi Kimura). He got her into a big stride there, saving all the ground for the last quarter-mile. She showed a really nice turn of foot to beat a couple of grade 1 winners today."
Uncle Mo, who stood this past breeding season at Ashford Stud in Kentucky for $150,000, is a top-10 sire by progeny earnings. Adare Manor and Kingsbarns are two of his progeny that are grade 1 winners in 2024.
