DEL MAR, Calif. - Del Mar set an all-time ontrack attendance record of 44,907 for Wednesday's opening-day program, but the handle figures failed to keep pace with 2008.

The attendance figure was higher than the previous record of 44,181 set for the 1996 Pacific Classic, and higher than the 2008 opening-day audience of 43,459, the previous record for opening day. Ontrack attendance for opening day has risen annually since 2005.

"I was pleased with the crowd," track president Joe Harper said. "I thought it would be smaller than it was."

DEL MAR, Calif. - Jockey Rafael Bejarano, injured in a terrifying accident at Del Mar on Wednesday, underwent surgery early Thursday morning on his fractured left cheek and jaw. It went so well that he could be back in action by the middle of Del Mar's meeting next month, his agent, Joe Ferrer, said Thursday morning.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Afleet Eagle was sent from California to Toronto in the spring to start in two synthetic track stakes at Woodbine. He missed both races because of illness.

It turns out his first stakes win occurred where his career started, back in Southern California. Making his stakes and turf debut, Afleet Eagle stormed clear in the final furlong of Wednesday's $112,800 Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. - They came from near and far for opening day at Del Mar on Wednesday, from the valleys to "The Hills."

Audrina Patridge, of the MTV series "The Hills," without co-star Lauren Conrad - certainly without Heidi and Spencer Pratt - was among the parade of celebrities and wanna-bes parading around Del Mar on Wednesday, when the track kicked off its 70th summer season on a warm afternoon.

DEL MAR, Calif. -- Jockey Rafael Bejarano suffered multiple facial fractures on Wednesday's opening-day card at Del Mar when his mount, Mi Rey, broke down badly and dropped the rider in the stretch run of the third race.

Bejarano was taken to Scripps Hospital in nearby La Jolla, where X-rays revealed he had fractures of the jaw, nose, and orbital bones, according to Dr. Philip Sanderson, who examined Bejarano in the track's first-aid station before he was taken to the hospital.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Double Malt ($13.70) came charging from off the pace to prevail in her first turf try Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $125,800 Passing Mood Stakes.

Executive Deed and Koonunga Hill linked up on the lead in the seven-furlong sprint, dueling through splits of 22.70 and 45.54. Double Malt commenced a rally from about five lengths back at the head of the stretch, and she overtook Executive Deed late to win by a half-length, in a time of 1:22.53.

Fergal Lynch, the leading rider at Philadelphia Park this year, was banned from the track last Friday for one year after the jockey reached a plea deal with British horse racing authorities in which he admitted to holding a horse in 2004 in England, according to Pennsylvania regulators.

ELMONT, N.Y. - With Rachel Alexandra facing the boys in the $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2, the racing office here had no problem filling Saturday's Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park, drawing a contentious field of eight.

Steve Klesaris, trainer of Oaks contender Livin Lovin, was obviously happy that Rachel Alexandra did not have the $300,000 CCA Oaks on her agenda.

"Obviously the objective was to be somewhere where she wasn't," Klesaris said. "I think that's everybody's objective."

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Two weeks away from Arlington's Aug. 8 International Festival of Racing, the Arlington Million is coming together with a very solid core, while the annual international contingent for Arlington's three Grade 1 grass races is beginning to take shape.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Trainer Joe Petalino will be running some of the best 2-year-olds in his barn over the final three days of the Lone Star Park meet. Sophanda is up first in Friday night's third race, a maiden special weight at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf. Lone Star Cowboy is set to run Sunday, in the closing-day $75,000 Middleground Stakes. And sometime in between those two races, Petalino hopes to find a spot for Cosmo Girl.