By Hank Wesch

 

 

With two wins Friday, the second aboard Patriotic Diamond in the  $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes, Rafael Bejarano enters the final eight days of the meeting with an eight-victory margin over Joe Talamo atop the rider standings and tied with Gary Stevens with five stakes scores.

 

A fourth straight Del Mar riding title may not be in hand but it is looming on the horizon. And if it happens, it would be another in a long string of meeting championships since the 33-year-old became a regular on the Southern California circuit.

 

Bejarano swept the riding titles at all five major Southern California race meets in 2008, his first full year in California. Subsequently, he won the jockey championship at the Santa Anita winter/spring meeting seven consecutive times through 2015 and has secured the Del Mar championship each year since 2012 with win totals of 52, 46 and 42 and margins over the runner-up of nine, 18 and 10.

 

In light of those facts, you might ask “So what else is new?” The answer: his agent, Tora Yamaguchi.

 

Yamaguchi, 38,  worked for the past 14 years in the racing office and was the assistant racing secretary at Del Mar through the 2014 season and said he thought it might be a lifetime career. But when Bejarano’s longtime agent, Joe Ferrer, decided to retire, Yamaguchi decided to make a career change.

 

“(Ferrer) had been talking about retiring for awhile, we’d developed a relationship over the years, and it sort of all came together when he did,” Yamaguchi said. “I knew it was an opportunity that if I let pass one time it wouldn’t come back.”

 

Yamaguchi reports that Ferrer is “playing tennis every morning and watching over his grandchildren,” while Tora walks the backstretch beat.

 

Yamaguchi took over Bejarano’s book near the end of the Santa Anita meeting, after completing commitments in the racing office there. The summer here,  his first  full-time major meeting as an agent, was a litmus test for him.

 

“It’s a very competitive business and I didn’t want to take anything for granted,” Yamaguchi said. “I knew I’d have to work hard every day to keep things going. It was tough for us the first couple weeks, but we kept at it and we’re thankful for the support of the horsemen that got us through.”

 

Asked how he’s managed to win so many meet titles, Bejarano cites the hard work of his old and new agents and the support of the horsemen. A better assessment might be that of former jockey and Jockeys’ Guild representative Darrell Haire.   

 

“I think it’s his discipline,” Haire said. “He works hard. He loves to interact with the fans. He’s very motivated all the time. He’s got a good way about him and he’s got a positive attitude all the time.

 

“He gets his sleep and takes his job seriously and he’s a good example of what a rider should be. He enjoys life but he’s disciplined when it comes to his job.

 

“He’s had great people behind him. Joe Ferrer was a great agent and they worked well together. Now with Tora taking over – Joe planned it that way – and they’ve just continued and carried on the same way.”

 

After Patriotic Diamond’s Generous Portion victory, trainer Patrick Biancone referred to Bejarano as “the best rider in town.” Again.

 

 

Undefeated (3-for-3) Big Book, winner of the $200,000 Fleet Treat Stakes on July 25, faces the biggest challenge of her young career in multiple graded stakes winning Stellar Wind in Sunday’s 38^th running of the Grade III $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

 

Stellar Wind has victories in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, Grade II Summer Oaks and Grade III Santa Ysabel Stakes while earning $493,200 from six lifetime starts. Big Book has earned $178,400 from three starts for owner George Krikorian.

 

“You certainly have to give all kinds of respect for (Stellar Wind),” said Tim Yakteen, trainer of Big Book. “But our filly is training very well and we expect she’ll run a good race.”

The field from the rail: Stellar Wind (Victor Espinoza, 6-5), Big Book (Rafael Bejarano, 5-2), Roksana (Felipe Valdez, 8-1), Rattataptap (Tyler Baze, 3-1), Hone In (Mike Smith, 12-1) and Ultimate Holiday (James Graham, 10-1).

 

 

 

Radio and TV sports  talk show host Jim Rome, whose racing endeavors have included a partnership in 2014 TVG Pacific Classic winner Shared Belief, was in the stable area Saturday morning with his 10-year-old son.

 

“I now have a piece of the filly Stays In Vegas, who’s going to run in the (Grade I $300,000) Del Mar Debutante,” Rome said. “She worked this morning and I wanted to come out and meet her and watch her move.”

 

Stays In Vegas worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who is looking to saddle three runners in the Debutante – Songbird, Surfside Tiara and Stays In Vegas. Songbird worked 6 furlongs in 1:13.20 on Tuesday, Surfside Tiara went five furlongs in 1:01.20 Saturday morning.

 

Rome was asked for his thoughts about American Pharoah in Saturday’s $1.6 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

 

“I don’t know how you beat him right now,” Rome said. “Other than the big mare (Beholder) I don’t see anybody who can do it.”

 

 

 

The Saturday morning scratches of  Iron Fist and Verraco reduced the field for today’s 41^st running of the El Cajon Stakes to five.

 

Iron Fist, a Kentucky-bred son of Tapit trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, last raced on August 1, finishing fourth in the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park. He was the 3-1 second choice on the morning line to 4-5 favorite Gimme Da Lute.

 

Verraco, a Kentucky-bred son of Old Fashioned trained by James Cassidy, has two wins from seven starts but has been off since May when a well-beaten fifth to El Cajon rival Fame and Power. Verraco was 15-1 on the morning line.

 

 

 

CLOSERS – Back-to-back wins by Gangnam Guy ($13.00) and Minster’sadventure ($4.60) in Friday’s fourth and fifth races boosted trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s total to 18 for the meeting, opening a four-win advantage over Peter Miller atop the trainer standing. Hollendorfer, who will saddle four on Saturday’s program, and Miller, who has five, were co-champions of the 2014 meeting with 20 wins each … Selected works from 165 officially timed Saturday morning: Tara’s Tango (5f, 1:00.60), Swipe (5f, 1:01.00), Surfside Tiara (5f, 1:01.20), Stays in Vegas (5f, 1:01.60), Ralis (5f, 1:02.00), Uzziel (4f, :49.20), Taris (4f, :48.00), Sammy Mandeville (4f, :48.40) and Gomo (4f, :49.80).

 

 

Jockey Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 28, 2015 Inclusive)
Jockey	Mts	1st	2nd	3rd	Win%	Money Won
Rafael Bejarano	172	32	34	23	19%	$2,095,974
Joseph Talamo	152	24	13	13	16%	$1,382,928
Tyler Baze	172	22	24	26	13%	$1,352,980
Flavien Prat	145	20	22	22	14%	$1,680,094
Santiago Gonzalez	137	19	13	17	14%	$1,095,996
Mario Gutierrez	104	18	10	10	17%	$1,051,086
Martin Garcia	116	16	12	14	14%	$1,055,810
Corey Nakatani	72	15	9	4	21%	$679,026
Kent Desormeaux	81	14	10	11	17%	$733,874
Tiago Pereira	85	11	7	6	13%	$475,560

 

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 28, 2015 Inclusive)
Trainer	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Win%	Money Won
Jerry Hollendorfer	73	18	8	9	25%	$1,121,622
Peter Miller	106	14	17	14	13%	$1,040,560
Doug F. O'Neill	88	13	17	11	15%	$1,054,640
Philip D'Amato	66	12	9	9	18%	$870,732
Richard Baltas	59	12	6	12	20%	$608,388
Bob Baffert	52	10	8	8	19%	$804,320
John W. Sadler	44	10	4	5	23%	$521,084
Robert B. Hess, Jr.	47	10	1	6	21%	$292,972
Mike Puype	64	9	4	8	14%	$526,160
Mark Glatt	51	8	4	7	16%	$394,590

 

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Friday, August 28, 2015 Inclusive)
Winning favorites	82	279	29.39%
Winning favorites on dirt	61	192	31.77%
Winning favorites on turf	21	87	24.14%
Winning odds-on favorites	16	33	48.48%
In-the-Money favorites	164	279	58.78%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites	30	33	90.91%

 

 

Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793