After a 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Purple Martin Stakes Saturday in her 3-year-old debut, Kimari is expected to return to England, according to trainer Wesley Ward.
Jockey Channing Hill rode the daughter of Munnings past favored Frank's Rockette on the outside in deep stretch for her fourth win in six lifetime starts for owner Ten Broeck Farm Inc.
Ward said that the tentative plan for the bay filly is to run the Grade 1 Commonwealth Cup on June 19 at the Royal Ascot meeting while aiming for the Grade 1 $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
"She's going to be just a pure sprinter, dirt or turf," Ward said after his first career victory at Oaklawn. "We'll probably try to stick a little bit to the grass to keep her sound because the ultimate goal would be the Breeders' Cup Sprint. I've told them all along that I feel so strongly about this filly. Plus, Keeneland is my home base and hers as well, so we would like to go against the boys. It's a six-furlong (dirt) race. I think she's really going to jump up as we get through the season, and numbers-wise she'll be right up there as a serious contender for the Breeders' Cup Sprint against the boys."
A two-time stakes winner on grass, Kimari was making her first start since a fourth-place showing against males in the Grade 1 $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.
Kimari's only previous dirt start saw her take a 15-length victory over males in her career debut last April at Keeneland. Ward said that based on a pair of swift March workouts at Gulfstream Park West (formerly Calder) he decided to return her to dirt, aiming for the April 5 Grade 3 $150,000 Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland, but when COVID-19 forced Keeneland to cancel its spring meeting, Kimari was rerouted to Oaklawn.
"Since we gave her the winter off, she came back completely sound," said Ward, noted for his success with 2-year-olds, particularly sprinting. "I took her to Calder, which I think is the best dirt surface, as far as being very, very safe and horses coming back sound from their breezes. I gave her a work from the gate. She worked (five furlongs) in :58 flat. That's the first horse I've ever had do that there. Just was a real eye-catching breeze. After that day, I switched from thinking about running her on the grass at Keeneland to the dirt at Keeneland."
Kimari covered six furlongs in 1:10.57 over a sloppy track Saturday to bring her career earnings to $351,646. She was a $152,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling sale purchase.
• Martin Garcia picked up three wins Saturday to move into second place in the rider standings after 42 days of Oaklawns 57-day season.
Garcia won Saturday's seventh race aboard Cardamon ($20.40) for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, the eighth race aboard Finnick the Fierce ($14.40) for trainer Rey Hernandez, and the 10th race aboard Don Vito Corleone ($52.60) for trainer Rick Hiles.
Garcia, with 38 victories, trailed leader Joe Talamo by two wins entering Sunday while defending champion David Cohen and six-time leader Ricardo Santana Jr. were tied for third with 36. Santana was expected to return to the track Sunday after missing the last eight racing days due to a COVID-19 self-quarantine.
Garcia was a fixture in southern California before relocating to the Midwest last fall with new agent Jey Fedor.
"He's the happiest jockey I've ever worked for," Fedor said last month. "He loves everybody. He loves his job."
Fedor said Garcia will ride through the remainder of Oaklawn's season, which is scheduled to end May 2, before returning to Churchill Downs.
Sports on 04/06/2020