In a starry winter Santa Anita . Park jockey colony, Kazushi Kimura put the skills earned him twice in a row Honeysuckle riding title is fully displayed during test drive Kirstenbosch for a close win on January 15th worth $200,000 Canadian Stakes (G3).
PICTURE DONE!
#1 KIRSTENBOSCH ($8.60) beat #3 Ganadora for $200,000 La Canada Stock (G3) at Santa Anita Park. A bet win is graded for @kazushi0096. @sadlerracing Midnight Lute’s daughter training. pic.twitter.com/N4UbPzjW9H
– TVG (@TVG) January 15, 2023
Undefeated in 16 starts since arriving in Santa Anita, Kimura took her first Southern California win in a dramatic fashion, overtaking Hall of Fame racer John Velazquez on board. Ganadora Down the line in Sunday’s feature. Recipient of the 2019 Eclipse Award for Trainee Driver, Kimura journeyed to Santa Anita hoping to compete among North America’s best racers until Woodbine opened its doors in April.
“It was amazing (to get this win). I hope it continues,” Kimura said. “If there is an opportunity, I will pursue it. I took my chance today (in graded bets) and I just hope for more opportunities.”
Kimura arrived at La Canada with a slight advantage up his sleeve, having overtaken Keith Abrahams’ Kirstenbosch to finish in third place on December 26 La Brea Stakes (G1) in the Santa Anita Oval.
Kimura said: “I knew when I rode her in La Brea, she was the horse I would have to push all the way. “She is a one-beat horse. But she kept digging and I just tried to stick with Johnny. She has good motivation for me.
Kirstenbosch, the progressive 4-year-old daughter of Midnight music , got up to speed from the start in La Canada, just as she did at La Brea. As expected, Ganadora, one of coach Bob Baffert’s two favorites, took the lead under Velazquez and produced opening fractions of :23.12 and :47.18. Facing equal pressure from Angel Nadeshiko , Ganadora repelled a tough challenge from that opponent at the top of the lane while Kirstenbosch, who had maintained a steady driving streak under Kimura, gathered late in the middle of the track. Reaching for the rope, Kirstenbosch shoved her nose in front of the game’s Ganadora just in time, stopping the clock at 1:44.19 for a 1 1/16 mile run on the fast main track.
Smoothlikebuttah came in third place, 2 3/4 of the way behind the top two.
Stable friend of Ganadora, under the stars , was equalized by driver Juan Hernandez in the far leg. The double-classified bet winner left the track after the race. natural color first launched in La Canada, has also been relaxed and dropped.
A hybrid of Abrahams and coached by John Sadler, Kirstenbosch ($8.60) improved his bankroll to $334,480 with his first graded bet and third win in 10 career start.
Kirstenbosch is out of bets graded Belong to Me mare Llandudno, who made three winners from three ponies to race. her half-sister Constantia (Munnings ) won the 2021 Mizdirection Stakes and finished second in the San Monrovia Stakes (G2T) that same year for Abrahams and Sadler. Llandudno has a weaning sibling with Kirstenbosch.
Videotapes: La Canada S. (G3)
