A number of Sovereign Award-winning jockey Kazushi Kimura left his summer time base at Woodbine to pursue alternatives and showcase his using abilities in California.
These abilities have been on full show Sept. 7 at Del Mar when the 25-year-old received three races, together with each 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 Hold the Moon . These have been his first stakes wins on the seaside oval.
Tenma received because the second favourite, however Hold the Moon’s win was a shock. Dismissed at odds of greater than 20-1 in a $251,000 race that included grade 1 winners Anisette and Didia , she outran expectations underneath a ground-saving journey from Kimura. Rallying from final and following Anisette’s inside bid, she discovered a break up between horses in midstretch, caught that rival, and outlasted wide-rallying stablemate Fortunate Woman by a half-length. She was clocked in 1:48.50 on a agency turf course after fractions of :24.65, :48.39, and 1:12.85 set by Royal Constitution , who would fade to fifth.
Hold the Moon paid $43 to win.
“That is the primary time I’ve gotten to trip her,” Kimura stated. “However on this race I do know who the perfect horse is, and I attempted to complete up sturdy. In the present day it appeared greatest simply to comply with Anisette and my filly appeared fairly comfy all through.”
Favored Didia completed fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind present finisher Anisette. The previous lacked her customary acceleration whereas perched exterior in a stalking place, and the latter’s bid appeared to stall after she rallied to take the lead with an up-the-fence journey. She completed a head behind the second-place finisher.
Fortunate Woman’s runner-up end gave coach D’Amato, Southern California’s most profitable turf coach, a 1-2 end within the Mabee. D’Amato received the Mabee for a second time after preliminary success with Raymundos Secret in 2020.
CJ Thoroughbreds owns Hold the Moon, a 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly out of the Malibu Moon mare Moondance . Repole Steady bred her in Kentucky, and CJ Thoroughbreds bought her for $200,000 on the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The Mabee win offers a giant replace to the catalog web page of Hold the Moon’s Metropolis of Mild 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 Hold the Moon’s first stakes win after two earlier stakes placings. Final yr at age 3 she ran third within the Hilltop Stakes for coach Michael Stidham and this summer time she had been second for D’Amato within the Osunitas Stakes behind the speedy Ag Bullet , subsequent winner of the Girls Turf Dash Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs. Hold the Moon additionally received the allowance elective claimer in a single different begin for D’Amato.
“She got here to me to run in these sort of races, and I assumed she simply improved from race to race,” D’Amato stated. “She ran a extremely good second to Ag Bullet final time, and Ag Bullet got here again and received a million-dollar race at Kentucky Downs, so I believe she was slightly ignored right here.
“Give a giant shout out to KK (jockey Kazushi Kimura). He acquired her into a giant stride there, saving all the bottom for the final quarter-mile. She confirmed a very nice flip of foot to beat a few grade 1 winners as we speak.”
Uncle Mo, who stood this previous 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 which can be grade 1 winners in 2024.
