Pepper Crown will try to defend Rolling Green title

There are nearly as many questions to be answered as there are talented runners signed up to run in Monday’s $50,000-added Rolling Green at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Golden Gate Fields.

The defending champion, Pepper Crown, will be back, but he has many uncertainties surrounding him.

Pepper Crown was Northern California’s top handicap horse last year with wins in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile and Grade 3 Berkeley in addition to his $23.20 upset of the Rolling Green. If 2014 was a dream year for Pepper Crown, 2015 has been if not a nightmare at least “unfortunate” in the words of breeder-owner-trainer Alex Paszkeicz.

After going 6 for 14 and earning $272,937 last year, Pepper Crown is 1 for 8 this year with earnings of $67,453.

“It’s going to be tough,” Paszkeicz says of Monday’s race. “It would be nice to go back to last year and have everyone overlook us, but everybody’s looking at Pepper Crown now.”

Pepper Crown is back at his favorite track, and Paszkeicz is hoping the horse runs as well as last year.

“He enjoys competition,” he said. “He loves it whether it’s a workout in the morning or racing in the afternoon.”

Pepper Crown’s arch-rival G.G. Ryder also is returning to his favorite track after running fourth as the Oak Tree Handicap favorite at Pleasanton and finishing sixth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the California Dreamin’ at Del Mar.

The winner of both the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf and the Grade 3 All America on the main track here this spring, G.G. Ryder did not run all that badly in the losses at Pleasanton and Del Mar, but he didn’t unleash his usual late kick, either.

G.G. Ryder is 4 for 5 over the Golden Gate turf and 10-6-3-1 on the main track. He is 0 for 6 elsewhere.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer owns the 4-year-old G.G. Ryder with longtime business partner George Todaro.

Hollendorfer also will run Outside Nashville in the Rolling Green. Outside Nashville has two stakes wins, and he finished second to G.G. Ryder in the All America on the Golden Gate main track. He is coming off a turf stakes win in the Joseph Grace at Santa Rosa.

Alert Bay will be looking for his first victory since winning the California Cup Turf Classic on Jan. 24. The victory was his fifth straight in a stakes race.

Alert Bay is coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile on the dirt at Emerald Downs on Aug. 16.

“We want to get back on grass,” said trainer Blaine Wright, noting the 4-year-old City Zip gelding’s 6-3-1-1 record on turf, including a Grade 2 win. “He’s doing good right now, and the race makes sense for us.”

Eagle Screams is looking for his third straight win over the course. Trained by Gil Matos, he ran fourth in the All American and then was second in the Oak Tree Handicap at Pleasanton and the Joseph Grace at Santa Rosa.

“Every time the bell rings, he’s ready,” said Matos of the 6-year-old Redattore gelding. “He competes with everybody. He has a shot to win.”

Billy Morey will saddle the 3-year-old Solomon Bay, who won his stakes debut in the Robert Dupret on the turf at Santa Rosa.