Gr.1 winner Kimochi has officially been retired.
Purchased from the 2024 Inglis Chairman’s Sale following a win at Gr.2 level and multiple Gr.1 placings, the four-year-old mare was found to have a tendon injury when inspected by vets ahead of her planned run in Saturday’s Gr.1 BRC Stradbroke Handicap.
“Lucky it’s not a major injury, she’s not retiring in any pain, but it’s time for her to go to the breeding barn.
“I look forward to maybe training one of her babies to win a Group 1 as well,” trainer Gary Portelli said.
The daughter of Brave Smash (JPN) added the Gr.3 Toy Show to her record on her first start in the Yulong silks, with credible runs in the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes and Gr.3 Silver Eagle following. Her biggest win came in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield, running down favourite Another Wil to secure her first Gr.1 win.
The first Gr.1 winner for her sire, Kimochi was originally sold as a weanling by Valiant Stud at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale for $21,000 to Hall Of Fame Bloodstock and won the Gr.2 Light Fingers Stakes at three before her sale to Yulong.
She is the second foal for unraced mare Summer Fun (I Am Invincible) whose first foal is Listed Singapore Derby-placed Hole in One (Spieth {NZ}).
Kimochi retires to Yulong with a race record that includes four wins and 10 placings from 22 starts, and over $2.1m in prizemoney.
