Del Mar: Lady Ten gives Bejarano ninth stakes win of meet

DEL MAR, Calif. – Jockey Rafael Bejarano edged ever closer to the single-season stakes record at Del Mar by piloting Lady Ten to victory on Friday night in the $88,100 Sandy Blue Handicap for 3-year-old turf fillies.

The win was the ninth this meet in a stakes for Bejarano, who is now just three away from tying the record of 12, and there’s still nearly three weeks to go in the meet.

“I’d love to,” Bejarano said when asked if he’d like to break the record. “I would like to do that.”

Lady Ten ($9.40) won a cavalry charge to the wire to prevail by a neck over Grazer, who was a half-length in front of Cozze Up Lady, who nosed out 3-2 favorite Byrama for third. Customer Baze was a head farther back in fifth. Don’tgetmadalexis, the early pacesetter, stopped badly in the final quarter-mile and finished well back of the other five.

Lady Ten covered one mile on firm turf in 1:34.05. After dueling with Don’tgetmadalexis for the early lead, she was challenged on all sides down the stretch, and came back on again in deep stretch after being passed.

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Bejarano said Lady Ten “didn’t want to take off.”

“The others came to pass her,” he said. “Finally, at the end, she came running. I knew I had a lot of horse. But she wouldn’t take off.”

Lady Ten, a daughter of Rock Hard Ten, was bred and is owned by Ernie Moody’s Mercedes Stable. Bob Baffert trains her. This was her first stakes win. Lady Ten has won three times in nine starts, and has finished in the money every time.