Kimari Gets Well-Earned Grade I In Madison

Munnings’ superstar daughter Kimari (4f Munnings x Cozze Up Lady, by Cozzene) earned a well-deserved Grade I victory in the Madison Stakes on Saturday.

Breaking strongly in the seven furlong race, Kimari was rated under jockey Joel Rosario as he kept her in second down the backstretch. Around the turn, he let her show off some of her speed to catch up to the leader and entered the stretch head-and-head with that rival.

Kimari had to work hard down the stretch to wear down the leader but once she got past her, she opened a length on the field. The filly put in a gutsy performance in the final furlong to stay in front of oncoming rivals and win by three quarters of a length in her second Grade I attempt.

Everything went our way,” said trainer Wesley Ward. “As soon as she turned for home, (Rosario) started riding her. I was a little worried the last part; I wasn’t sure seven-eighths (of a mile) is really her game. But this is her track, and this guy (Rosario) is on fire. So we had all the luck with us today.”

Trained by Ward for Ten Broeck Farm, Kimari’s first Grade I attempt came against males at Royal Ascot when she was second in the Group I Commonwealth Cup. In all, the filly has just finished off the board in one of her 10 starts with all but her maiden coming in stakes company. That lone off-the-board start was a close fourth in the 2019 Grade II Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

A $152,000 purchase by Eaton Bloodstock from the Bluewater Sales consignment at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Summer Yearling Sale, Kimari was bred by China Horse Club. She is out of the Grade III winner and Grade II-placed Cozze Up Lady with the pair coming from the family of Group I winner Giant Killing.

One of 19 graded stakes winners and 76 stakes horses for top sire Munnings, she is one of his five stakes winners this year with the stallion also having 12 stakes performers.