Trainer Hollendorfer boasts 2 contenders
With five straight dominant victories since a second in her debut, Unique Bella is the strong 9-5 morning-line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint on Saturday at Del Mar.
With his best race having come at Del Mar, Battle of Midway is a dangerous 10-1 shot in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Friday.
“When you’re going into these kinds of races, you have to understand that these are the top horses in the world, so it’s a little tougher than the average race,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “We’re optimistic we can do a good job.”
Despite the 3-year-old filly’s gaudy record, Unique Bella faces some obstacles in the 7-furlong Filly & Mare Sprint.
After being sidelined for the second time because of sore shins, Unique Bella won the LA Woman Stakes on Oct. 8 in her first start in seven months. Horses often regress (or bounce) after a strong debut or comeback if they don’t have ample time between races.
“I don’t know who makes up all these things, but I’m not a big believer in that,” Hollendorfer said. “You can have a horse break its maiden and come back against winners and lose, and they say the horse bounced. We’re just happy to have gotten a race into her so we can compete in the Breeders’ Cup.”
The Filly & Mare Sprint didn’t join the Breeders’ Cup until 2007, and 3-year-olds are 0-for-29 in it, with six favorites losing.
“If you have a good horse and it’s the best horse, it’ll probably win,” Hollendorfer said. “If not, it won’t. Age has nothing to do with it.”
Although Unique Bella beat older opponents in the LA Woman Stakes, Saturday’s race marks her first appearance in a Grade 1 event. But of her 13 opponents, only By the Moon, defending champion Finest City and Paulassilverlining have won Grade 1 races that weren’t age-restricted.
Battle of Midway also is a 3year-old, and he’ll be facing older opponents Friday for the first time in a career in which he has won four of nine starts. By far his best performance speed figurewise came in a 6¼-length win in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar. He also finished third at 40-1 odds in the Kentucky Derby.
“He showed that he really got hold of the Del Mar surface, and there are horses for courses,” Hollendorfer said. “That’s one of the things we put in the positive column when we walk him over there. Prat (jockey Flavian) has been working him and he tells me the horse is feeling similar to when he was coming up to the Derby.”
The Dirt Mile also joined the Breeders’ Cup in 2007, and 3year-olds are 2-for-33 with two favorites losing.
Long the dominant trainer in the Bay Area, Hollendorfer has had 20 starters in the Breeders’ Cup and won with long-shot Dakota Phone in the 2010 Dirt Mile and favorite Songbird in the 2015 Juvenile Fillies. He has had four seconds.
“There are some anxious moments waiting for a race like this, but I’m not pacing the room or anything,” Hollendorfer said. “I’m just making sure we do the things you have to concentrate on and do everything right.”