Peruvian jockey Rafael Bejarano joined horse racing royalty when he became the first rider since Laffit Pincay (in 1979-1981) to win three consecutive Santa Anita Park riding titles. He is 28 years old. He credits the late Bobby Frankel for opening doors for him in California. Bejarano is known to be loving, kind and never abusive to his horses. (Photos).
Race horse Bourbon Bay became the first horse in 17 years to sweep Santa Anita Park's trio of marathon graded turf stakes races with a half-length victory in the $150,000 Grade 2 San Juan Capistrano Handicap on closing day of the track's 75th anniversary meeting. The jockey was Rafael Bejarano, the first jockey since Laffit Pincay, Jr. in 1978-1981 to win three consecutive Santa Anita Park riding titles.
Five things to watch for at Santa Anita Park's Autumn Meet: 1. Riding excellence by jockey Rafael Bejarano, 2. Magic touch of Bob Baffert, 3. Beholder, the first female to win Pacific Classic at Del Mar, 4. Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah will be seen training, 5. Derby hopeful Nyquist.
Santa Anita Park opens 2012-2013 winter/spring meet on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. World class jockeys like Joe Talamo, Rafael Bejarano, Garrett Gomez, Mike Smith, among others, will be competing.
Pat Diroll recaps opening day of Santa Anita Park's 74th season as a social event. In attendance (and photographed) were actress Bo Derek, jockey Rafael Bejarano, Gary and Barbara Kovacic, Robert and Patsy Harbicht, trainer Bob Baffert, Joe Harper, Adrienne Haines, Roger Chandler, Don and Debbie Penman, Andrea Van de Kamp, and Sandra Chillingworth.
Breeders' Cup Recap. Attendance on Friday, November 1 was 41,243. Turn blinkers are worn by Storm the Court and the horse wins the $2 million Juvenile race in the Breeders' Cup. In photo jockey Flavien Prat riding Storm the Court and jockey Javier Castellano riding British Idiom.
Man gets 64 years for sexually assaulting three workers at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia. Diego Cervantes, 37, of San Gabriel is a former maintenance supervisor at the mall. He was found guilty of rape and other sexual offenses.
Successful opener. Jockey sets stakes record on first day of Santa Anita Park meet. Jockey John Velazquez won both the Chandelier Stakes and the American Pharoah Stakes, riding Bast and Eight Rings, respectively. Both horses are trained by Bob Baffert.
Santa Anita Handicap takes place tomorrow. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith is going for a record third straight Big 'Cap Victory, riding Shared Belief, a fan favorite.
Four Arcadia High School students honored by the College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program for their academic excellence. They are Eva Molina, Ryan Chavez, Samuel Iovine, and Rafael Gomez-Carrasco.
Breeders' Cup: racing's elite at the annual world championships this weekend at Santa Anita Park. See also commentary by Mark Whicker, p. B1, B7 and other Breeders' Cup coverage on p. B6.
Race horse Shared Belief wins. Jockey Mike Smith rides Shared Belief to take the lead to beat jockey Victor Espinoza on race horse California Chrome in the San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita Park yesterday.
Santa Anita Park hosts Breeders' Cup World Championships. Coverage by Art Wilson (p. B1) and Kevin Modesti (p. B6). Goldencents, Beholder, and Fort Larned are some of the race horses mentioned. See also Pasadena Star News, p. B6, November 1, 2013.