Red Cross Knight back on dirt in search of second straight win

Red Cross Knight is unbeaten in three starts at Los Alamitos, winning at levels ranging from a $10,000 claimer at six furlongs to an allowance race for California-breds at a mile.

This year, Red Cross Knight has raced with success at Santa Anita in allowance races, beating statebreds on turf there May 19. Red Cross Knight led throughout that one-mile race and his forward style gives the 4-year-old colt a chance for consecutive wins for the first time in Friday’s featured allowance race at the same distance against open company on dirt at Los Alamitos.

Red Cross Knight appears to be the lone pacesetter in a field of seven in the seventh race on an eight-race program that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific. The Friday program is part of a four-day racing weekend at Los Alamitos, which concludes the summer meet on Sunday. The Del Mar summer meeting begins on July 20.

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Red Cross Knight, owned by George Todaro, was trained by John Sadler at Santa Anita earlier this year, and is now with Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who had the colt in his stable for four starts at Del Mar and Los Alamitos in 2022 and last year.

Hollendorfer has raced only at Del Mar and Los Alamitos in California since the summer of 2019, following his eviction from Santa Anita by track management after four horses in his care were euthanized as a result of injuries sustained during racing or training that year.

In 2022, Hollendorfer and 1/ST Racing, the parent company of Santa Anita, reached a confidential settlement in a lawsuit that Hollendorfer filed pertaining to the company’s summary banishment of his stable from Santa Anita.

Without a stable at Santa Anita, Hollendorfer, who has won 7,771 races in his career through Wednesday, has had only three starters this year, all at the current Los Alamitos meeting, which began on June 22.

Red Cross Knight is Hollendorfer’s most recent winner, with a first-level allowance win at Los Alamitos in December.

On Friday, Red Cross Knight will be ridden by Edwin Maldonado. While the colt is effective on the lead, he is not overly reliant on that style, having won in the past by stalking the pace. His speed may be his best asset on Friday, however.

“I think he can do either one,” Hollendorfer said. “The horse has trained well.”

Hollendorfer said racing conditions may suit Red Cross Knight.

“The races I’ve seen, the track seems to be a fair track,” he said.

Red Cross Knight will be closely followed by Big Hat Willie, the winner of a starter allowance at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in April, but fourth of six in an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles on turf on May 19.

Big Hat Willie, trained by Peter Miller, won twice on dirt last year, including a starter allowance for sprinters at Los Alamitos last June.

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