Horsemen's groups urge due process for Hollendorfer

Two national horsemen’s organizations issued a joint statement Thursday addressing the ongoing case of Jerry Hollendorfer, imploring racetracks to apply due process in a controversy that has sidelined the Hall of Fame trainer since The Stronach Group ordered him June 22 to vacate their California tracks, Santa Anita and Golden Gate.

The four-paragraph statement from the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, based in Maryland, and the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, based in Kentucky, begins with: “Due process is a fundamental and accepted constitutional right in our country” before further stating that “(t)he situation which occurred recently at Santa Anita from the Stronach Group regarding Jerry Hollendorfer has clearly sidestepped those rights and exemplifies our concerns.

“The HBPA and THA are in lockstep on this issue. We do not intend to stand idly by and let reputations be destroyed, and careers ruined. There must be a fair process that gives our horsemen a right to confront allegations of wrongdoing.”

The statement was issued through the New York division of the THA. Initially, the New York Racing Association said it would permit Hollendorfer to stable and race at its tracks, but NYRA recanted its offer several days later. As a result owner Larry Best, who employed Hollendorfer, retained former Hollendorfer assistant Don Chatlos Jr. to train his horses in New York.

Hollendorfer has said he is trying to determine his next course of action through legal means. The 73-year-old trainer has won 7,621 races in a legendary career that landed him in the Hall of Fame in 2011.