Free's preview: Hollendorfer going for rare feat

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was a 3-year-old kid when the Gold Cup was run for the first time at Santa Anita, won by Solidarity in July 1949. Two months earlier, a fire destroyed the Hollywood Park grandstand and forced the summer meet to be run at Santa Anita.

Fast forward to 2014, and Hollendorfer is in the Hall of Fame with a chance to make history Saturday when the Gold Cup will be run at his permanent home – Santa Anita. Hollywood Park is history. The deserted track sits empty, waiting for the wrecking ball.

On Saturday, Hollendorfer sends out Fury Kapcori, the frontrunner who will keep 4-5 favorite Game on Dude honest in the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup.

But that is getting too far ahead. The Gold Cup is race 8 Saturday on a 10-race card. Now is a good time to look at earlier races.

Race 2: Pace play

More history. It has been seven years since jockey William Antongeorgi won a race at Santa Anita. It was April 13, 2007, when he guided Aureliano to victory in the sixth race, a $20,000 claiming race restricted to non-winners of two.

Antongeorgi, 27, later moved his tack to Northern California, where he became one of the circuit’s top 10 riders. That is, until now. Antongeorgi has relocated to Southern California, and he picks up a live mount in the second race.

Hope ’n Pray looks like the lone speed in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for $12,500 claiming fillies and mares, non-winners of two. It is not a coincidence that the “most live” mount Antongeorgi has this meet is trained by Steve Miyadi.

Before he made the switch to Southern California, Antongeorgi consulted with Miyadi regarding the move and advice on a prospective agent. Miyadi suggested Susan McBrayer. Deal done. As for Hope ’n Pray, he drops from a maiden-40 starter allowance to the bottom class level.

Most important, he is the lone speed. Hope ’n Pray can give Antongeorgi his first win at Santa Anita in seven years. And at 4-1, bettors can back him with confidence.

Race 3: Price play

Want to see a bad trip? Take a look at Broadway Bella’s impossible journey in race 4 May 31. She broke from post 8, which is about as close to the rail as she ever got to the inside in the one-mile turf race. That is a slight exaggeration, but the point is this – she never had a chance.

Broadway Bella was wide early, wide in the middle, wide on the far turn and into the lane. Yet she lost by only three lengths. On Saturday in race 3, she breaks from another bad post, 10. She might get caught wide again.

But here’s the deal. This $40,000- $50,000 maiden-claiming race is not strong. It is begging to be won by an upsetter. Broadway Bella has improved each successive start, and at odds of 8-1, she is worth consideration.

Races 5-8: Dorf day

Hollendorfer has a chance to equal a feat accomplished at Santa Anita twice by trainer Richard Mandella: win four stakes on a single card.

Mandella accomplished the feat in 1993 and 2013. Both were Breeders’ Cup programs at Santa Anita. In 1993, he won the BC turf with Kotashaan and Juvenile Fillies with Phone Chatter, along with the Skywalker Handicap with Region and the Smile Handicap with Memo.

In 2003, he won four BC races – the Classic with Pleasantly Perfect, Turf with Johan, Juvenile Fillies with Halfbridled, and Juvenile with Action This Day.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, Hollendorfer has contenders in all four graded stakes, races 5-8. He starts Parranda, 3-1 favorite in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes, Sahara Sky, 8-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes, Morning Fix, 5-1 fourth choice in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes, and Fury Kapcori, 9-2 co-third choice in the Grade 1 Gold Cup.

Gambling on Dorf

At 5-1 on the morning line, Morning Fix is the highest odds of the four Hollendorfer stakes starters. At that price, she is worth a gamble.

Morning Fix was an allowance-caliber filly early in her career, winning her first two starts racing 5 1/2 furlongs on the synthetic surface at Golden Gate. Her career took off when Hollendorfer switched the filly to turf.

Facing older fillies and mares May 8 at Golden Gate, she finished third at odds of 30-1. Next time out in a second-level allowance, facing older fillies and mares again, she won by three-quarters of a length over the multiple winner Bottle Blonde.

Morning Fix actually might be dropping in class Saturday into a Grade 3 for 3-year-old fillies. It is not an overwhelming field. Famous Alice is the 7-2 favorite following a fourth-place finish last out at Penn National.

There is one caveat regarding Morning Fix. Jockey Dennis Carr delivered a stellar ride on the filly last time. Morning Fix saved ground start to finish and never left the rail. It was an ideal trip. Perfect-trip winners occasionally are over-bet. But she faces easier Thursday with Elvis Trujillo aboard.