Pleasanton: Hollendorfer has three in Alameda County

Trainer Jeff Bonde said he felt surrounded after the draw for Saturday’s $50,000-added Alameda County Fillies and Mares Stakes at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton.

Five fillies and mares were entered in Northern California’s first stakes for older fillies and mares − three were from the barn of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

“There’s power in numbers,” Bonde said.

And Hollendorfer has all the power in this 1 1/16-mile race.

Likely to be heavily favored is Halo Dolly, who won seven of 12 starts as a 3-year-old last year and used an easy allowance victory here as a springboard to stakes wins in the Diamond Jubilee at Santa Rosa and Solano Beach at Del Mar. She comes into Saturday’s race off a victory in the Frans Valentine at Betfair Hollywood Park on May 20.

Cathy’s Crunches won three straight stakes as a 2-year-old, even beating males once. Last year, as a 3-year-old, she placed in four of six stakes, including a second behind future Grade 1 winner Lilacs and Lace in the California Oaks and a third in the Grade 3 La Habra.

The question about Cathy’s Crunches is her condition. She made her first and only start of the year June 9 in a five-furlong turf sprint after nearly eight months on the sidelines.

Hollendorfer’s third starter is Anniversary Girl, who comes into the race off a game win as the odds-on pick in a May 20 $62,500 optional claimer on the turf at Golden Gate Fields. She is stakes-placed, but all four of her career victories have come on the turf.

The three have a combined record of 19 wins, 11 seconds, and eight thirds from 52 starts and $764,318 in earnings.

Bonde will send out Inner Groove, a 5-year-old Rock Hard Ten mare who will be making her Northern California debut. In her last start, Inner Groove scored a 2 1/4-length win in a $20,000 claimer May 11 at Hollywood.

“We felt with a short field it was worth taking a shot to get her stakes-placed, which would add value to her,” Bonde said.

Big Time Sunshine completes the field.