Hollywood Park: Hollendorfer can break Whittingham's stakes record

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer may set an unbreakable record at Betfair Hollywood Park this weekend.

Going into Saturday’s program, Hollendorfer is tied with the late Charles Whittingham for most stakes wins at a Hollywood Park autumn meeting, with six. Saturday, Hollendorfer starts Swiss Lake Yodeler in the $200,000 Soviet Problem Stakes. Sunday, he will run Pray Hard, and perhaps Life is a Joy, in the $200,000 King Glorious Stakes.

The King Glorious Stakes is the featured race on the final day of racing in the history of Hollywood Park. The track is scheduled to be demolished for development in 2014.

Thursday, Hollendorfer downplayed the possible record.

“Charlie was my idol, and an idol to hundreds of other people, too,” he said. “I haven’t done it yet. I’ll be proud to be mentioned with Charlie Whittingham.”

Whittingham, who died in 1999, won 222 stakes at Hollywood Park, the most in track history. In the 1984 autumn meeting at Hollywood Park, Whittingham won such stakes as the Native Diver Handicap with Lord at War.

In recent weeks, Hollendorfer has won three stakes with 2-year-olds – the Hollywood Prevue and CashCall Futurity with Shared Belief; and the Real Quiet Stakes with Tamarando, who was third in the CashCall Futurity. With older horses, Hollendorfer has won the On Trust Handicap with Rousing Sermon, the Bayakoa Handicap with Broken Sword; and swept the first three positions of the Native Diver Handicap with Blueskiesnrainbows, Hear the Ghost, and Rousing Sermon.

“We’ve had a good meeting,” he said. “We want to try to keep it going and keep doing better.”

Pray Hard will give Hollendorfer an excellent chance for a win Sunday. Owned by Tom and Debbie Stull’s Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, Pray Hard beat maidens in his fifth start Nov. 30, in a maiden race over six furlongs for California-breds.

The King Glorious Stakes is run over seven furlongs for 2-year-old California-breds.

Two stakes horses recuperating

The 3-year-old stakes runners He’s Had Enough and Moreno will be out until spring while recovering from recent injuries.

He’s Had Enough, who was nominated for the $300,000 Malibu Stakes on opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, was recently diagnosed with an inflamed ankle, trainer Doug O’Neill said.

“He’ll get 60 days off,” O’Neill said.

Owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, He’s Had Enough has 1 win in 10 starts and has earned of $491,750. He was second in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, losing by a head to Shanghai Bobby. He’s Had Enough was winless in five starts this year, the most recent of which was a third in the Sam’s Town Stakes at Delta Downs in Louisiana on Nov. 23.

Moreno, who won the Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park in July, is recovering from a splint bone injury diagnosed after a 10th place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, trainer Eric Guillot said.

Moreno has won 2 of 12 starts and earned $663,090 for Southern Equine Stable. In the late summer, Moreno was second in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga and the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.

“I’ll start back on Feb. 1,” Guillot said. “I hope I’ll have one of the better handicap horses next year.”

Strauss joins TOC board

William Strauss, a horse owner who has raced such runners as Mizdirection, The Pamplemousse, and Turbulent Descent in partnership in recent years, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the organization announced earlier this week.

Strauss, a resident of Del Mar, replaces Dennis Cardoza, a former congressman who recently resigned, the TOC said.

Strauss has a background in business as a senior vice president of Chip Soft/Intuit and was the co-founder of the online florist Proflowers.