Hollendorfer has strong pair for Solana Beach

DEL MAR, Calif. – This has been trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s year to dominate stakes for statebred females.

U R All That I Am won two such races at Hollywood Park in the spring, while You Lift Me Up won the Work the Crowd Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in March. There is a good chance one of them will win Sunday’s $100,000 Solana Beach Handicap over a mile on turf for California-bred females.

Assistant trainer Dan Ward said that You Lift Me Up, who finished second by a nose in the Luther Burbank Handicap at Santa Rosa, may have an edge on Del Mar’s turf course. However, he said U R All That I Am has faced better company.

“You Lift Me Up is doing really good,” he said. “U R All That I Am is better at Hollywood than Del Mar, and the other is better at Del Mar than Hollywood Park.”

Both U R All That I Am and You Lift Me Up were bred by Tom and Debbie Stull’s Tommy Town Thoroughbreds. Stull still owns U R All That I Am, but lost You Lift Me Up to Hollendorfer in a $32,000 claiming race at Golden Gate Fields in June 2008.

You Lift Me Up is winless in three starts since the Work the Crowd Stakes and won the 2009 Solana Beach. Owned by Hollendorfer and George Todaro, You Life Me Up will be after her ninth win in her 35th start.

U R All That I Am was fifth in the Osunitas Handicap over a mile on turf here July 24, a performance that initially discouraged Hollendorfer who thought the race over 1 1/16 miles was beyond her best trip. But the result was flattered when Osunitas winner Lilly Fa Pootz, trained by Hollendorfer, returned to finish second by a nose in the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes here last weekend.

“The Osunitas wasn’t that bad of a race,” Ward said. “It was tough competition last time.”

U R All That I Am won the B Thoughtful Stakes and Fran’s Valentine Stakes and was second in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes at the Hollywood Park meeting earlier this year.

The Hollendorfer-trained starters face formidable rivals in Ultra Blend, who won the California State Fair Sprint Handicap at Sacramento last month, and Lady Railrider, who won the California Cup Matron last October.

Lady Railrider was third in the Burbank Handicap, her only start this year. Owned by breeders Larry and Marianne Williams and trained by Steve Specht, Lady Railrider led in early stretch in the Burbank and was beaten by Christmas Ship, who is trained by Hollendorfer

Kafwain colt tops yearling sale

A colt by Kafwain was sold for $20,000 at the Northern California Yearling Sale last Tuesday, the top price of a sale that saw declines in gross, median, and average from 2009.

Overall, 82 horses were sold Tuesday for a gross of $357,400, which marked a decline of 36.8 percent. The average fell 15.2 percent, from $5,146 to $4,359, while the median fell from $3,250 in 2009 to $3,000 this year.

The Kafwain colt was purchased by Kjell Qvale from the consignment of BTO. The colt is out of Way Up, who was stakes placed at Delaware Park, Rockingham Park, and Suffolk Downs in the 1990s. Way Up is the dam of Wavy Lass, who was stakes placed at Turf Paradise in 2007 and has been running in claiming races on the Northern California circuit this year.