Hollendorfer Caps 28th Bay Title With Big Closing Day

(from Bay Meadows report)
It was only fitting that trainer Jerry Hollendorfer won Sunday's $65,387 Foster City Handicap, the closing-day feature of the 2004 Bay Meadows spring meeting.

Fourteen stakes were presented during the 55-day meeting and Hollendorfer won seven of them. He captured the Foster City with Ninebanks, who defeated stablemate Adreamisborn by 1 1/4 lengths in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up.

Handyman Bill finished third.

The Foster City was the fourth stakes at the meet in which Hollendorfer saddled the exacta.

Ninebanks, with substitute jockey Chance Rollins up, rallied from fourth in a field of eight and won the Foster City in 1:42.73. Rollins filled in for Ninebanks' regular rider, Ron Warren, Jr., who missed his second day of racing due to back spasms.

Ninebanks, a 6-year-old Smokester gelding owned by Peter Abruzzo, recorded his 11th victory in 36 career starts. The Foster City win, his first in two starts in 2004, was worth $40,225 and boosted Ninebanks' earnings to $686,168.

He paid $8, $4 and $2.80. Adreamisborn returned $4 and $3. Handyman Bill was $4.80 to show. Favored Wixoe Express finished last in the field of eight.

Hollendorfer, who won three races on closing day, finished the season with 64 victories and claimed his 28th straight training championship at Bay Meadows.

"I was very pleased with the meeting," said Hollendorfer. "We've been working very hard to put together a good stable and we have great people working for us. That's why we've been able to accomplish some good things."

Jockey Russell Baze continued his dominance at Bay Meadows, winning 90 races to earn his 31st career riding title at the Peninsula track. Baze won four stakes to also lead in that category.

(Chart, Equibase)