Rafael Bejarano, Del Mar's leading rider two summers who
missed most of the 2009 season when he was injured on opening-day a year ago,
booted in his fourth winner of the afternoon Friday aboard Wickedly
Perfect in the featured $150,000
Sorrento Stakes for two-year-old fillies.
Wickedly Perfect, sent postward at 5-1 in a field of seven
fillies, forged to the front in the upper stretch and then continued on gamely
to win by a length over 3-1 A Z Warrior, with 3-1 Izshelegal third, a head
behind the runner-up. Previously unbeaten Final Mesa, the 9-5 favorite, faded
to sixth.
Wickedly Perfect, a daughter of Congrats owned by STD Racing
Stable et al and trained by Doug O'Neill, accomplished the 6 1/2 furlongs in
1:17.18 returned $13.80, $4.80 and $3.20 after her second win in as many races.
The winner's share of the purse was $90,000.
A Z Warrior paid $5.40 and $3.80, while Izshelegal returned
$3 to show. Alienation was scratched from the original field.
Bejarano's quartet of winners moved him to within five
victories of leading rider Joel Rosario, 21-16. Rosario's lone winner on the
program came in the opener aboard Tropic Storm via the disqualification of
original first-place horse Amazombie.
With no perfect tickets in Friday's Pick Six, there will be
a carryover of $130,980 for
Saturday's card which features unbeaten champion Zenyatta in the headlined
Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. Post time for the first of ten races
is 2 p.m.