Hollendorfer to seek injunction against Santa Anita

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is scheduled to seek a motion for preliminary injunction in Los Angeles Superior Court allowing him to start horses at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, according to his attorney. The meet begins Dec. 26.

Hollendorfer has not stabled or raced horses in his name at Santa Anita since late June, when he was told to vacate his stalls after four of his runners were euthanized as a result of injuries sustained while training or racing since late December 2018.

Hollendorfer relocated to Los Alamitos the day after Santa Anita officials ordered his stable off the property. Since late June, Hollendorfer has had runners at race meetings at Del Mar and Los Alamitos, but lost court action to have runners at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California and Santa Anita, tracks owned by The Stronach Group.

Drew Couto, an attorney representing Hollendorfer, said on Friday that Hollendorfer sought a temporary restraining order against Santa Anita earlier this year to allow him to participate at the track’s autumn meeting, which ran from Sept. 27 to Nov. 3.

When Hollendorfer lost that decision, the stable’s runners ran in the name of his assistant Dan Ward. The stable’s Vasilika was second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Couto described the court hearing on Dec. 24 “as a different type of motion” in an effort to participate at Santa Anita’s meeting, which runs through June 21.

“Now that he’s been advised orally that he’s not getting stalls and not being able to participate at the meeting, we’re going for the preliminary injunction,” Couto said.

Hollendorfer said earlier this month that he planned to send his 25-horse stable to Oaklawn Park for its winter-spring meeting, which begins Jan. 24. Those plans could change if the court rules in his favor later this month.

“He has to figure out what options he has,” Couto said.