Mandarin Hero arrives from Japan for Santa Anita Derby

Japan import Mandarin Hero arrived at barn 121 at Santa Anita on Friday morning after spending the previous two days at a quarantine facility near Los Angeles International Airport.

Mandarin Hero is set to become the first horse from Japan’s National Association of Racing to compete in the U.S. when he goes postward next Saturday in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, a 100-40-30-20-10 points prep for Kentucky Derby 2023.

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Trained by Terunobu Fujita, Mandarin Hero was 4-for-4 last year at Oi Racecourse near Tokyo and was a fast-closing second by a neck in his lone start this year on Feb. 2, also at Oi.

Mandarin Hero will be ridden in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby by Japan native Kazushi Kimura. The assignment reported first Thursday by Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen.

“I’m really proud of this opportunity,” Kimura said Friday morning.

Kimura’s agent Brandon O’Bryan said he was contacted by Mandarin Hero’s connections shortly after the San Felipe (G3) on March 4 inquiring about riding the Santa Anita Derby. Kimura and O’Bryan agreed to the ride on Tuesday.

“What I like about this horse is his consistency. He likes to win,” O’Bryan said Friday. “And the Japanese have obviously been winning races everywhere they go the last few years. We don’t know exactly where this horse will fit here, but the (Santa Anita) Derby is likely to be a short field, and you can’t win from the jock’s room.”

A dark brown colt by Shanghai Bobby, Mandarin Hero will remain under quarantine conditions at Santa Anita with restricted access. Joining him on the trip from Japan were both his groom and exercise rider.

Mandarin Hero also will need to be accompanied by a veterinarian each morning when he visits the track. Santa Anita racing secretary Jason Egan said Mandarin Hero is scheduled to train between 10:30 and 11 a.m. EDT each morning.

Kimura, North America’s champion apprentice jockey in 2019, has ridden full time at Santa Anita during the current meet after being the leading rider at Woodbine for two years in a row. From 99 mounts Kimura had 10 wins including three stakes. Kimura is scheduled to ride at Santa Anita through April 9 before returning to Toronto to prepare for Woodbine’s meet opener April 22.

O’Bryan said the plan is for Kimura to occasionally return to Santa Anita this spring for specific stakes assignments. First up will be the weekend of April 29 and 30. Kimura is slated to ride Duvet Day for trainer Michael McCarthy, likely in the Santa Barbara (G3), and Kirstenbosch in the Santa Maria (G2) for trainer John Sadler. Kimura won the Astra Stakes aboard Duvet Day on Jan. 21 and the La Cañada (G3) with Kirstenbosch on Jan. 15.

“I’m so satisfied with my time at Santa Anita,” Kimura said Friday. “To ride with guys like Frankie Dettori and John Velázquez has been like a dream. With some nice stakes horses also, it’s just been great.”

Entries for the Santa Anita Derby as well as the remainder of next Saturday’s card will be taken Wednesday. The Santa Anita Oaks (G2), Charles Whittingham (G2), Monrovia (G2) are the other graded stakes that day.