DEL MAR, Calif. - Even by his standards, Rafael Bejarano is off to a spectacular start at Del Mar this summer.

Through Thursday, the eighth day of the 43-day meeting, Bejarano had 13 wins from 41 mounts, a staggering strike rate of 32 percent. He has already won riding titles at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting and Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting in his first full year of riding in California.

"I feel very confident," he said. "I love Del Mar. I want to be leading rider. We'll see if that happens."

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Dino Condilenios is hoping to pull off a couple of upsets in the $50,000 Stellar's Jay and the $100,000 British Columbia Cup Classic. Both races are among seven stakes that make up B.C. Cup Day on Aug. 4 at Hastings.

Condilenios really likes his chances with Coachman in the Stellar's Jay, which is restricted to B.C.-bred 3-year-olds. Krazy Koffee figures to be a strong favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race.

EDMONTON, Alberta – Zuri Mwana has run well in each of his three starts in Alberta since arriving here from California as part of a six-horse stable owned by Ken and Joan Amthor and trained by their son, Gordon. The Amthors campaigned here over 20 years ago, and they have returned from the U.S. with a strong contingent.

Zuri Mwana has speed, draws a good post, and is the one to catch in Sunday’s featured seventh race, an allowance/optional $32,000 claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs, which attracted seven 3-year-olds.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Trainer John Anderson figures Conga Kaye is in the same situation in Sunday’s $50,000 Wine Country Juvenile Fillies Stakes that she was in her debut.

“I think Broadway Hennessey is still the horse to beat,” he said.

Conga Kaye beat Broadway Hennessey, the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained 1-5 favorite, by 1 1/2 lengths in her debut, the Juan Gonzalez Stakes at Pleasanton on July 6.

AURORA, Colo. – Vannacide appears the best suited in a field of nine fillies and mares to handle the 1 1/16-mile distance of Sunday’s $20,000 Columbine Stakes.

Vannacide has yet to win this year in two outings, both in stakes, but had a highly successful campaign here last summer. A 7-year-old Colorado bred trained by Kenneth Gleason, Vannacide won 3 of 5 starts here last year. The most impressive was a seven-length romp in the 1 1/16-mile Spicy Stakes on closing day, Aug. 12.

DEL MAR, Calif.-Del Mar's Friday evening program features a one-day pick six carryover of $115,402.

The pick six covers the third through eighth races on a program that begins at 4 p.m. Pacific. The feature race is the $85,000 Wickerr Handicap over a mile on turf. In a positive switch from a majority of the programs in the first 10 days of the meeting, there is only one maiden claimer in the pick six, the third race.

There are several scratches in the pick six races.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - When Wednesday night's $125,000 Passing Mood was moved from grass to the main track due to a soggy turf course, trainer Steve Roberts exercised his option.

It was on to the $250,000 Wonder Where for Lady d'Wildcat, the

3-year-old filly whom Roberts trains for the Shyman Stable of Stuart Hyman.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Poor Da' Tara. He had just won the biggest race of his career, the Belmont Stakes, but he was merely an afterthought, because all anyone wanted to talk about was not who won, but who lost.

As Da' Tara posed for pictures in the Belmont winner's circle on June 7, the media posse left him to chase after Big Brown and his sweat-soaked trainer, Rick Dutrow. It was an understandable reaction, being as Big Brown was going for the Triple Crown, and all Da' Tara had done, up to that point, was win a maiden race.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Though he has won four races, including a graded stakes, Grasshopper - who runs in Saturday's Whitney Handicap - is best known for a race he lost.

In last year's $1 million Travers, Grasshopper set the pace and when Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense came to him, Grasshopper did not yield. Instead, Grasshopper fought on through the stretch, before finally succumbing late to lose by a half-length to Street Sense, trained by Carl Nafzger.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Authenicat blew away a decent field of Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies here Wednesday night in the $125,400 Passing Mood Stakes.

The seven-furlong Passing Mood was scheduled for the grass but was moved to the Polytrack because of the soggy condition of the course after heavy rainfall in the days leading up to the race.

Authenicat, who has never tried the grass, obviously benefited the most from the surface switch. She made a wide bid for the lead on the turn and hit the front at the three-sixteenths pole before pulling away to score by 5 1/2 lengths.