Golden Gate: Hollendorfer has Halo Dolly good to go

You don’t make racing’s Hall of Fame like trainer Jerry Hollendorfer did this year without the ability to develop horses.

Hollendorfer has a knack of getting the best out of runners, whether it’s an Eclipse winner like Blind Luck last year, a 2-year-old filly like Hollywood Starlet winner Killer Graces, or a 3-year-old filly such as Halo Dolly, who could be the one to beat in Saturday’s $75,000 Pacific Heights at Golden Gate Fields.

Halo Dolly will have to be at her best Saturday against five older rivals in the 1 1/8-mile turf race. Her primary opposition will be last year’s Pacific Heights runner-up, Antares World, who is still looking for her first win of the year but has finished second in all three of her Golden Gate starts this year, including the Work the Crowd on the turf.[bc_video_id:240509:]

Hollendorfer gave Halo Dolly every chance to develop after purchasing her earlier this year following her maiden victory. She has won 6 of 9 starts for Hollendorfer, including five in a row at one point.

Halo Dolly, onetime claimer, ran second in a Golden Gate starter allowance in March, her first start for Hollendorfer. He tried Halo Dolly in the $125,000 Melair for California-breds at Hollywood Park next, only to see her fade late and finish sixth.

“Horses come along at their own rate,” said Hollendorfer.

Halo Dolly won a starter allowance race upon her return to Golden Gate Fields, which began a five-race win streak that included a pair of allowance victories and a win against 3-year-olds in the Diamond Jubilee on turf at Santa Rosa and against older in the Solano Beach on turf at Del Mar.

Hollendorfer took a shot in the Grade 2 Cotillion at Parx in Pennsylvania, but Halo Dolly tired badly after stalking the pace through six furlongs, finishing last of six.

“That didn’t work out,” he said. “We took a shot but weren’t disappointed.”

Halo Dolly came back to beat the talented Lady Railrider by six lengths in her last start, an allowance on the Golden Gate Tapeta, and returns Saturday to a surface on which she’s 3 for 3.

Antares World ran with some of the West Coast’s top 3-year-old fillies last year, with the highlight a second in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park. Since running second in the Work the Crowd in April, Antares World has run only twice, taking second in a May allowance race on the Golden Gate turf and finishing ninth in the California Cup Distaff on the 6 1/2-furlong downhill turf course at Santa Anita in October.

Bleach Blond makes her first start in more than six weeks, when she won an allowance race here.

Also entered are Two Thirds Victory, who has four turf wins here; Sweetly Peppered, who has a second and a first in two starts here since a two-month layoff; and Arrivederci Caro, who will be making her turf debut.

Pacific Heights Stakes, Post Time: 1:15 PT Sunday

Purse: $75,000; 1 1/8 miles

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	ML Odds
	Two Thirds Victory	F. Henderson	K. Krigger	12-1
	Bleach Blonde	L. Mason	I. Beato	5-1
	Antares World	S. Specht	F. Alvarado	2-1
	Halo Dolly	J. Holledorfer	R. Baze	7-5
	Arrivederci Caro	G. Vallejo	J. Hernandez	12-1
	Sweetly Peppered	A. Paszkeiczt	A. Cedillo	6-1