Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Hollendorfer closing out year well stocked in stakes races
CYPRESS, Calif. – From 2-year-old colts to established 4-year-olds, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has runners in several stakes at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita for the remainder of the month.
On Sunday, closing day for the Los Alamitos winter meeting, Hollendorfer will start Galilean in the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds at a mile. Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Denise Barker, and William Sandbrook, Galilean was second in the Golden State Juvenile at seven furlongs, finishing a neck behind Cruel Intention after disputing the pace throughout.
By Uncle Mo, Galilean was purchased for $600,000 at the Barretts 2-year-olds in training sale at Del Mar in April. The colt has run only in stakes, having won the Barretts Juvenile as the 9-10 favorite in his debut here in September.
Cruel Intention, who is unbeaten in two starts, will not run in the King Glorious.
“He had a little setback and he needs another 30 days,” trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday.
After Sunday’s program, there is no daytime Thoroughbred racing in Southern California until the Dec. 26 program at Santa Anita. On that afternoon, Hollendorfer will start Kanthaka in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs, and Battle of Midway in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes, a $300,000 race at 1 1/8 miles for older horses.
Kanthaka has not raced since winning the Grade 3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs at Santa Anita in June. Last Sunday at Santa Anita, Kanthaka worked six furlongs in 1:12 in preparation for the $300,000 Malibu Stakes.
“We’re coming along really well with him,” Hollendorfer said.
Battle of Midway, 4, won the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 25 for his second consecutive stakes win. Battle of Midway, retired to stud last winter but found to be subfertile. He returned to training in the spring and resumed racing in late August.
Battle of Midway worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds on Sunday.
“He looked fabulous,” Hollendorfer said.
On Dec. 28, Hollendorfer intends to start Flying Scotsman in the $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf. Flying Scotsman won the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at a mile on turf by a convincing 4 3/4 lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 25 in his stakes debut.
The San Antonio Stakes will be the California debut of Gift Box, who was bought earlier this year by Pete and Kosta Hronis and is now trained by John Sadler. Gift Box has shown a steady pattern of workouts since the first of October at Santa Anita, including six furlongs in 1:14 on Nov. 28.
Previously trained by Chad Brown, Gift Box has not raced since an 8 3/4-length win in an optional claimer at a mile at Aqueduct on March 24.
“I think he’s training really well,” Sadler said.
Rematch possible in La Brea
Spiced Perfection and Just Grazed Me were first and second in the Betty Grable Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at Del Mar on Nov. 11. They might meet again in a more difficult setting – the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
Spiced Perfection won the Betty Grable Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths over Just Grazed Me, who returned to win an optional claimer at six furlongs by four lengths at Los Alamitos last Friday under jockey Tyler Baze.
“She did that as easy as she had in any race prior,” D’Amato said. “It was like Tyler said, it was a paid workout. I’m very happy with the performance.”
Trainer Phil D’Amato said he is considering running Just Grazed Me in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs and the $150,000 California Cup Sprint against statebred males at six furlongs on Jan. 26.
“We’ll monitor how she is and come up with a game plan,” he said.
Just Grazed Me has won 3 of 6 starts, all for owner and breeder Nick Alexander, including the Fleet Treat Stakes for Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies at Del Mar in July.
Spiced Perfection, trained by Brian Koriner, worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 at Santa Anita on Saturday. Koriner termed her “possible” for the La Brea.