Kimari (no 16)
China Horse Club’s American breeding operation continues to frank its credentials as a source of elite performers when its graduate Kimari became its second G1 winner in the last six months. The athletic bay, best known for repeated placings at Royal Ascot, showed her undoubted versatility when returning to dirt and annexing the USD300,000 Madison Stakes at Keeneland (USA).
Success at the highest level was the one missing piece in a curriculum vitae of genuine significance. The Wesley Ward trainee rose to fame when flying to Britain and all but winning the 2019 G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot at only her second career start. She returned to U.S. shores to secure black-type at Saratoga, Keeneland, and Oaklawn Park before a second tilt at the famed royal meeting. In front of empty stands in 220, Kimari was immense yet again. After an awkward start, the filly closed hard for a clear second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, the premier sprint for three-year-olds in Europe.
Following her G1 Madison Stakes victory, it remains to be seen whether a third tilt at Royal Ascot is in the planning for Kimari or whether her programme will be simplified to focus on this year’s Breeders’ Cup Championships.
“[Kimari] has run real well the last couple years at Ascot,” Ward told media post-race.
“But she has such an affinity as well for the dirt, and the Breeders’ Cup being in California this year at Del Mar, I’ll sit down with Ben McElroy who bought her, we’ll go back and forth and figure out a plan. It may be that she just stays Stateside.”
Valiance
Kimari joins Valiance, victress of the 2020 USD400,000 G1 Spinster Stakes, on the G1 graduate honour roll of China Horse Club’s USA breeding operation. Interestingly both Cozze Up Lady, dam of Kimari, and Last Full Measure, dam of Valiance, were both sourced from the 2014 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in the China Horse Club’s first foray into the U.S. broodmare market.
The former was initially sourced to participate in the 2015 CECF Singapore following back-to-back placings in the G2 John C. Mabee Stakes and G2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes in the second half of 2014. However, a minor setback prevented her from continuing her racing career, directing her immediately into the Club’s breeding operation. Kimari is just Cozze Up Lady’s second foal.
Cozze Up Lady delivered a colt by boom sire Constitution in February and will be covered by Tiz The Law in 2021.
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