Del Mar: City to City's Palomar score caps big day for Hollendorfer

DEL MAR, Calif. - It seemed to take forever for Jerry Hollendorfer to get that elusive 6,000th win, but he's making up for lost time in his quest for 7,000.

Hollendorfer won five races on Monday, four at Golden Gate Fields, and then a fifth at Del Mar when City to City captured the Grade 2, $150,000 Palomar Handicap for female turf horses.

City to City ($13.60), under jockey Garrett Gomez, got a ground-saving trip and caught pacesetting Medaglia d'Amour in the final strides to win by three-quarters of a length. Medaglia d'Amour held second by a neck over Go Forth North, the lukewarm favorite at 4-1, with All Star Heart another nose back in fourth.

City to City, 4, was timed in 1:41.58 for 1 1/16 miles over a turf course that was firm, but had a bit of moisture in it following a shower two hours before first post.

The win for City to City, a filly by City Zip, was her sixth in 19 starts, but her first since April 2010, a losing streak encompassing seven races, including a lengthy layoff from July 2010 to May of this year.

"She had surgery on an ankle," said Hollendorfer, who is also a co-owner of City to City. "We layed her up at Pegasus training center in Redmond, Washington. They did all the rehab, and they did a great job. We just had to take our time, and she's paying us back."

City to City had finished third, beaten a head and a nose, in the Osunitas Handicap on July 23 in her last start.

"She came off a layoff, and ran a couple of good races," Hollendorfer said. "I'm very proud of her. There wasn't much speed in the race, but Garrett judged it accordingly. He got lucky. He got her off the rail.
She might have won last time, too, but she didn't have enough time to get out."