Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Fipke ordered to pay Rosario
Prominent owner Charles Fipke has been ordered by the California Horse Racing Board to pay jockey Joel Rosario $110,000 as a result of a situation that developed last fall when Rosario was given the call to ride Forever Unbridled in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar, but was replaced days before the race by John Velazquez.
Forever Unbridled won the BC Distaff, earning $1.1 million in prize money.
Fipke was ordered last fall by Del Mar stewards Grant Baker, Scott Chaney, and Kim Sawyer to pay a double jockey mount to Rosario and Velazquez before the BC Distaff was run. Fipke later fought the stewards’ order, leading to an appeal in March before hearing officer Patrick Kane, a San Diego-based attorney.
Kane upheld the stewards’ order and presented his proposed decision to the racing board earlier this month. The racing board approved Kane’s decision in an executive hearing last week.
Last fall, Del Mar stewards determined Rosario had been given the call to ride Forever Unbridled by trainer Dallas Stewart only to be replaced by Velazquez at time of entry. The stewards determined that the late change from Rosario to Velazquez prevented Rosario from gaining a mount in the lucrative race.
Hollendorfer churns out wins
Jerry Hollendorfer has the hot stable in California this summer.
Last Saturday and Sunday at Santa Anita, Hollendorfer won with six consecutive starters. Hollendorfer had four winners Saturday, the sixth occasion a trainer has had a four-bagger at Santa Anita since the start of 2013.
Hollendorfer had two starters in Saturday’s second race, winning with Graycaster ($4.40) and finishing fourth with Italiano. Later on Saturday, Hollendorfer won with his next three runners – Sheer Flattery ($58.60), Facts Matter ($22.40), and Our Slick Chick ($9).
On Sunday, he won with his only runners – the sixth race with Be a Lady ($5.20) and the seventh with Vasilika ($3.40).
For Hollendorfer, Saturday was his first four-win day since achieving the milestone at Golden Gate Fields in October 2014.
“The races come together pretty good for us,” he said.
The streak could continue Thursday, opening day of the three-week Los Alamitos summer meeting. Hollendorfer expects to have an active stable at Los Alamitos and particularly at Del Mar, which begins its summer meeting July 18.
“We’ve got the whole book marked,” Hollendorfer said of Del Mar’s races in the first two weeks. “We’ll have runners at Los Alamitos, too.”
Hollendorfer said his stable will have runners in two of the three stakes at the Los Alamitos summer meeting – Grecian Fire in the $100,000 Bertrando Stakes for California-bred milers on July 4 and Turkish Tabby in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs on July 7. Hollendorfer said Sunday that he does not expect to have a runner in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 14.
Vasilika won her fourth consecutive race in a starter handicap for fillies and mares who raced for claiming prices of $25,000 or less in 2017 or this year. Vasilika was claimed for $40,000 in February. A 4-yearold filly, Vasilika ran in two $25,000 claiming races at Gulfstream Park in early 2017.
Since being claimed, Vasilika has earned $120,128.
“She’s doing good right now,” Hollendorfer said. “It’s worked out.”
Vasilika, who races for All Schlaich Stables, Gatto Racing, George Todaro, and Hollendorfer, will be considered for the $75,000 Osunitas Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf July 20 at Del Mar.
Solomini turned out
Solomini, who was 10th in the Kentucky Derby and third as a heavy favorite in the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes on June 10 at Santa Anita, has been turned out at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, trainer Bob Baffert said over the weekend.
“He went off his form,” Baffert said.
Owned by Zayat Stables and the Coolmore partnership that owns Ashford, Solomini has one win in eight starts and earnings of $764,000. Last fall, Solomini was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. He later finished first in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity, but was disqualified and placed third for causing interference in the stretch.
Earlier this year, Solomini was third to Magnum Moon in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
Baffert said he plans to start Ax Man in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 14. Ax Man, owned by Hal and Patti Earnhardt, won the Sir Barton Stakes on May 19 at Pimlico, but was a well-beaten third as 1-2 favorite in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes on June 16 at Churchill Downs.
Baffert won the 2017 Los Alamitos Derby with West Coast, who later won the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga and was named champion 3-year-old male.