Broken Sword much the best in Tranquility Lake

DEL MAR, Calif. – Both jockey Rafael Bejarano and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer have finished this meet with a flourish, and both padded their expanding leads in their respective races on Sunday at Del Mar when combining for an easy victory with Broken Sword in the $94,750 Tranquility Lake Stakes for older females.

Broken Sword ($3.40) was heavily favored off her second-place finish in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch here on Aug. 2. Against a far easier field in the Tranquility Lake, she went right to the front and never looked back en route to a 5 1/4-length victory in the one-mile race.

Oscar Party finished second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of third-place Scooter Bird.

Broken Sword set fractions of 22.68 seconds, 46.05, and 1:10.32, and was geared down late by Bejarano when completing the mile on Polytrack in 1:36.18.

The win was the fourth on the day for Bejarano, who won four on Saturday and was nearing a double-digit lead over his rivals in quest of the jockey title. He and Hollendorfer combined to win the race following the Tranquility Lake, too.

“I’m feeling better,” said Bejarano, who was off for more than two months prior to this meet following a nasty accident at Santa Anita. “I’m more confident, healthy. And I’m riding better horses.”

Hollendorfer, who scored his biggest win of the season in the Pacific Classic with Shared Belief, also was atop the trainer standings heading into the final two days of the meet Monday and Wednesday. If he holds on, it would be his first Del Mar title.

“I’m hoping to finish strong,” he said. “You’ve got to be strong here.”

Broken Sword has now won 4 of 11 starts, including the Grade 2 Bayakoa last fall at Hollywood Park. She is owned by a partnership including Dr. Mark Dedomenico, at whose Pegasus Training and Equine Rehabilitation Center Broken Sword convalesced earlier this year.

“We sent her to Pegasus to freshen her,” Hollendorfer said. “I guess we did the right thing.”

Hollendorfer said Broken Sword would be pointed to the Grade 1 Zenyatta at Santa Anita on Sept. 27, which is the scheduled return race for two-time champion Beholder.