Kazushi Kimura
In 2021, Japan horse racing made a splash at the Breeders’ Cup here at Del Mar. They won two of the races, the Filly & Mare Turf with Loves Only You and the Distaff with Marche Lorraine, quickly capturing the attention of racing fans worldwide. Japanese-based racing outfits began winning big races at other major venues, too, taking down the prestigious Dubai World Cup with Ushba Tesoro in 2023, for instance.
The emergence of Japanese racing in the U.S. wasn’t limited to the horses they were bringing overseas. A couple of jockeys took the plunge and not since the legendary Yutaka Take has any Japanese rider made more of an instant impact than Kazushi Kimura. The 24-year-old took Woodbine by storm and two winters ago he decided to give Santa Anita a try. Now he’s riding daily at Del Mar. He stands 5’ 6” and tacks 118 pounds.
“Two years ago I joined California racing for the winter time,” Kimura says. “It seems like it offered more options. Many people said I was better to stay in addition to finding nice horses for the Breeders’ Cup races. Everything worked out well.”
One of those ‘people’ advising Kimura to stay in California was Bob Baffert.
“I told him to come out here,” Baffert says. “He’ll pick up nice horses. That’s how he’s going to get the better horses, they’re out here. He’s getting there slowly.”
Kimura is an ambitious young man who hopes to achieve greatness in the sport he loves. He’s well on his way. Six years into his career and Kimura is just seven wins away from 900.
“In my situation,” he says, “if I want to stay high on the leaderboard, anyplace I go it’s going to be a difficult move. But at my age, I wanted to try something different.”
In Canada, Kimura was cleaning up. Beginning in 2021 he won three straight riding titles at Woodbine, the country’s premiere track in Toronto. He collected three Sovereign Awards, Canada’s equivalent to America’s Eclipse Awards. One was for Top Apprentice Jockey in 2018. The other two were for top jockey in 2021 and 2022. He also won the Eclipse Award for top apprentice jockey in 2019.
“They have their Oaks, a half a million dollar race, but I said ‘No.’ I have to remain focused and stay here. Maybe I’ll go back for the King’s Plate but just for the one day.”
Born in Hokkaido, Kimura is native Japanese.
“My father owned a farm for training baby horses and when I was three I would jump on the baby horses,” he remembers. “I started with pony racing and then quarter (horse) riding and eventually equestrian and show jumping. I did everything upon a horse. I went to racing school in Japan for about 2 ½ years learning the process of becoming a jockey.”
Breaking into racing in Japan is difficult. Not so much because of the talented riders there but because of government restrictions. So Kimura moved to Canada. He was only 18 when he got his first license to ride. Kimura’s first winner was a horse named Tornado Cat that he booted home at 72-1.
“I was interested in North American racing and at the time I thought Canada was a better option for immigration,” he said.
Now fast forward six years and Kimura is beginning to get a foothold in Southern California. Last Sunday he had mounts on all but one of the 11 races that day.
“This racing colony is one of the best in the world,” Kimura notes. “Good people, they are so nice and a beautiful location. I’m really happy with the quality and everything. I was here in the wintertime so I know some people.”
It’s only a matter of time before everyone will know Kazushi Kimura.