Hollendorfer alone at top this time

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer claimed his first outright title at Del Mar’s summer meeting with 22 wins, two more than Peter Miller, with whom Hollendorfer shared the summer title last year. The Del Mar meeting closed Monday.

“Your goal is to try and do better every meet, and sometimes that works out,” Hollendorfer said. “You can never count on winning the meet title. We worked hard, did a good job, and are lucky to have the horses we have.”

Hollendorfer said a meet highlight was winning the Del Mar Debutante on Saturday with Songbird, a large but graceful 2-year-old filly who is the West’s leading contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Doug O’Neill, who won three races Monday and six stakes for the meet, was third behind Hollendorfer and Miller with 17 wins. Richard Baltas was fourth with 16 wins, including with Big Macher in the Pirate’s Bounty on Monday.

Rafael Bejarano claimed his fourth straight summer riding title at Del Mar in a runaway, with 40 wins, 10 more than runner-up Flavien Prat. Joe Talamo was third with 27 wins, and Tyler Baze and Mario Gutierrez tied for fourth with 26.

Beholder, who crushed males in the Pacific Classic, was a unanimous choice among media members as horse of the meeting and top older female. Beholder also won the Clement Hirsch, giving her a sweep of the championship races of the meet for females and for all comers.

The only other unanimous choice was Songbird for 2-year-old filly.

Wild Dude, like Songbird trained by Hollendorfer, was voted top sprinter. O’Neill had two divisional winners, Nyquist for 2-year-old male and Sharla Rae for 3-year-old filly.

Richard Mandella, who trains Beholder, had another divisional winner in Catch a Flight, who outpolled Big John B for top older male.

Gimme Da Lute outpolled Om for top 3-year-old male. Gabriel Charles was the top turf horse.