Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer accounts for half the Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II) field of six older fillies and mares at Santa Anita Park Feb. 16, headed by 123-pound high weight Lady of Fifty.
Lady of Fifty, owned by partners Hollendorfer and George Todaro, will attempt to rebound from a fourth-place finish in the La Canada Stakes (gr. II) as the 6-5 choice Jan. 20. The Hall of Fame conditioner's other entrants in the $200,000 Santa Maria are recent stakes winners Going for a Spin and Snow Fall.
The horse to beat in the 1 1/16-mile main track event could be Book Review, winner of the La Brea (gr. I) on Santa Anita's opening day Dec. 26 and most recently second in the La Canada. South American-bred mares Great Hot and Private Affair complete the field.
The Santa Maria is race 4 on the Saturday card with a probable post time of 2:03 p.m. PST.
A minor stakes winner at Santa Anita last November, Lady of Fifty captured the Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II) handily by 3 1/4 lengths on the Cushion Track at Betfair Hollywood Park six weeks prior to the La Canada.
In the latter race, the 4-year-old gray/roan daughter of After Market stalked a soft pace after steadying in traffic on the clubhouse turn. Racing wide into the homestretch, Lady of Fifty made little headway as More Chocolate kicked clear of the field en route to an impressive win. Lady of Fifty wound up beaten by more than four lengths.
Lady of Fifty has won half of her 12 lifetime races while earning $329,000, and is working solidly for her return. Joe Talamo, who was aboard when she clocked a bullet six-furlong move of 1:12 3/5 Feb. 9 at Hollywood Park, takes over from Martin Garcia. She breaks from post 5 while spotting each of her five opponents five pounds.
"If she runs her race, she'll be tough," Talamo said.
Hollendorfer's Snow Fall, a 5-year-old daughter of War Front owned by Peter Abruzzo, Taylor Made Properties, and George Sufley, ran away with Paseana Handicap by 3 1/4 lengths Jan. 13 at Santa Anita. Hollendorfer's other entrant, Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' homebred Going for a Spin, was claimed for $40,000 by Hollendorfer last May and is coming off a 1 1/4-length tally in a starter handicap on grass Jan. 20.
Book Review, a 4-year-old Giant's Causeway filly trained by Bob Baffert for Gary and Mary West, ran second to More Chocolate by 1 3/4 lengths when bet down to 7-5 in the La Canada. She was a minor stakes winner in New York for Chad Brown prior to transferring to Baffert for the 2013 campaign. Her win in the seven-furlong La Brea was by a neck over the well-regarded Reneesgotzip. Rafael Bejarano has the return call.
Jockey Gary Stevens, who swept last weekend’s stakes, the San Marcos (gr. IIT) Feb. 9 and the non-graded Wishing Well a day later, will be aboard longshot Great Hot, who is trained by A.C. Avila. Brazilian-bred Great Hot was a well-beaten fourth in the Paseana after a 2012 campaign in which she was blanked in 10 starts.
A Group III winner on grass in her native Peru, Private Affair overcame a 13-month absence to win a classified allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Hollywood Park Nov. 22. She comes off last-place effort going 1 1/2 miles against males in the Hollywood Turf Cup (gr. IIT) Dec. 15.
$200,000 Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II, Race 4, 2:03 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 4 & Up, 1 1/16 Miles
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Great Hot (BRZ), G L Stevens, 118, A C Avila
2. Book Review (KY), R Bejarano, 118, B Baffert
3. Private Affair (PER), H I Berrios, 118, A M Rodriguez
4. Going for a Spin (CA), E A Maldonado, 118, J Hollendorfer
5. Lady of Fifty (KY), J Talamo, 123, J Hollendorfer
6. Snow Fall (KY), T Baze, 118, J Hollendorfer
Lady of Fifty is the 123-pound high weight in the Santa Maria Stakes.
Benoit Photo