Hobar a stickout in Bay Meadows feature

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Hobar, who has been working brilliantly for a comeback, will get a chance to show what he's capable of when he faces six foes in the $34,000 allowance feature at six furlongs at Bay Meadows Sunday.

Four of the seven entrants in this field have been away from the races for at least seven months, and three of those returnees - Hobar, Retro Fever, and Sempai - are top contenders.

The appeal of Hobar, in addition to his excellent workouts, is that he is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, who has a phenomenal win percentage of 29 with horses who have been off six months or more. Hobar has been working six furlongs every six or seven days, and has a recent 1:12.40 in addition to a 1:11.80 on Aug. 19.

Hollendorfer claimed the now-5-year-old for $25,000 last August, and the horse won a first-level allowance race at Golden Gate two races later. In his last start Jan. 10, he finished a close fourth in a strong $32,000 claiming race.

He seems set for a smasher, and Russell Baze takes the call.

Retro Fever, who showed promise in Southern California last year, also has been working well, and his trainer Dan Hendricks also has a good record with comebackers. Retro Fever earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure when he broke his maiden at Del Mar, and later was given a 91 when winning an allowance race at Fairplex. He has not started since Dec. 9, when he finished seventh in a $62,500 turf race at Hollywood Park.