Business as Usual for Bejarano at Del Mar

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).