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Posted: Sunday, December 21, 2008 8:37 PM

Bejarano completes Southern California sweep


Photo: Jockey Rafael Bejarano won riding titles at all major Southern California meets for 2008.
RAFAEL BEJARANO
Shigeki Kikkawa photo

Rafael Bejarano officially completed a sweep of the riding titles for the five major Southern California meetings with 52 winners at Hollywood Park’s 40-day autumn meet, which concluded Sunday.

Bejarano did not ride on closing day but already had sealed the title.

Bejarano’s impressive run began in December 2007, when Santa Anita Park’s winter-spring meet began. The 26-year-old Peruvian was the leading rider at that meet, and also led all riders by wins at Hollywood’s spring-summer meet, the Del Mar meeting, and the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita.

He became just the third jockey to sweep the five meetings, joining racing Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron (1983) and Patrick Valenzuela (2003).

“I just think I am going to have a big meet every meet and always try to do my best,” Bejarano said this week.

Doug O’Neill broke his own autumn meet record of 24 wins, which he set in 2006, by saddling 30 winners, including three winners on Sunday. The title was the seventh for O’Neill at Hollywood Park and his fourth during the autumn meet. He also won autumn titles in 2002 and ‘04.

O’Neill’s spring-summer titles at Hollywood came in 2003, ’05, and ‘07.

“This one is something special,” O’Neill said. “We started the meet kind of slow. And a few weeks ago, we still weren’t surging. But the last few weeks we have been on a good run. We’ve got a great team here.”

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