Rafael Bejarano is a champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He trained at the Peruvian national riding school before embarking on his professional career in 1999. Having met with success, including winning the apprentice riding title at Hipódromo de Monterrico in Lima, he emigrated to the United States in the spring of 2002 and settled in Louisville, Kentucky. He got his first win on July 10 that year at River Downs in Cincinnati, Ohio and went on to major race wins in Kentucky and on the New York Racing Association circuit.

The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000.