First-time starter Straighten Up gives Hollendorfer first California victory since December
CYPRESS, Calif. - The 7,732nd winner of Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s career occurred when the juvenile first-time starter Straighten Up led throughout a maiden special weight race for California-breds at Los Alamitos late Friday afternoon.
For the 76-year-old Hollendorfer, the third-leading all-time trainer by wins in North America, Straighten Up was his 24th win of the year, and first with a Thoroughbred in Southern California since Dr. Troutman won a $10,000 claimer at Los Alamitos last December.
Quite a lot has changed since then.
Last month, Hollendorfer and 1/ST Racing, the parent company of California tracks Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita, reached a confidential settlement in a lawsuit Hollendorfer filed pertaining to the company’s summary banishment of his stable from its facilities after four horses in his care were euthanized as a result of injuries sustained in racing or training at Santa Anita from late December 2018 to June 2019.
At the time, Santa Anita was under international scrutiny for a series of fatal injuries in racing or training that spring sustained by several stables. The injuries led to widespread changes of regulatory policies regarding enhanced safety and veterinary oversight of horses entered to race or scheduled to undergo workouts.
Hollendorfer has not raced or stabled horses at those venues since June 2019.
In a phone interview late Friday afternoon, Hollendorfer said he was under court orders not to discuss terms of the settlement, and whether he would be able to race again at Santa Anita or Golden Gate Fields.
“I seriously cannot discuss a single inch of any settlement negotiations,” he said. “The judge was very adamant.”
For now, Hollendorfer has stables based at Monmouth Park in New Jersey and at Los Alamitos. Later this month, Hollendorfer plans to race at Del Mar, which begins its summer meeting on July 22.
“I’ve got 20 stalls,” Hollendorfer said. “I’d like to fill them.”
Straighten Up, owned and bred by Kevin Nish’s KMN Racing, will play a leading role in the stable’s plans at Del Mar.
Ridden by Mike Smith, Straighten Up took the lead shortly after the start of Friday’s seventh race, led by as many as three lengths and won by 1 3/4 lengths over Charbonneau. Straighten Up ran five furlongs in 58.62 seconds and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 61.
“He showed class from the time you got on him,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he can compete with open company.”
Smith said Hollendorfer told him that Straighten Up might get tired during the race.
“He was running, but he did get tired,” Smith said.
For Hall of Famer Smith, Straighten Up was his first mount since June 19, the closing day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. Some leading riders in Southern California ride sparingly during Los Alamitos meetings.
“I got more tired than he did,” Smith said. “It’s good to ride one.
“Jerry thought a lot of him. I was so excited he called me. He didn’t forget his little buddy.”
Smith, 56, and Hollendorfer have teamed to win major stakes with the champions Shared Belief, Songbird and Unique Bella in the last decade.
At Del Mar, Hollendorfer and Nish will have options with Straighten Up. He can stay in the statebred division and run in the $125,000 Graduation Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 12, or run against open company in the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs on Aug. 14.
Hollendorfer, who did not attend Friday’s race because of illness, said they would decide on race plans later.
“We’ll take him down there and run in a stakes,” he said.
Straighten Up is by Straight Fire and is out of No Better Terms, by Pure Prize. Straighten Up is a half-brother to Stealthediamonds, who was graded stakes-placed and a California-bred stakes winner, and to Kimberlea K, a California-bred stakes winner for Nish and Hollendorfer in 2017.
Straighten Up impressed Hollendorfer with workouts in May and June.
“I had told Mike that the horse was pretty quick out of the gate,” Hollendorfer said. “He’s a really smart colt. He learns fast. I didn’t take him to the gate very often.”
Hollendorfer does not have any runners entered at Los Alamitos from Saturday through Monday, but is active at Monmouth Park this weekend, where the stable’s division is led by longtime assistant Dan Ward.
The Monmouth stable had a winner on Saturday in a maiden special weight race for New Jersey-bred 2-year-olds with the first-time starter Wild Mule, who won by 7 1/2 lengths.