Santa Anita notes: Hollendorfer, Baffert have strong contenders for Strub, La Canada stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Whether it’s a Grade 1 race or an $8,000 claimer, Jerry Hollendorfer likes to be in action. The Hall of Fame trainer competes at all levels, one of the reasons he is tied for the lead in the standings at Santa Anita with 11 wins.

Hollendorfer will look to keep his hot streak rolling this weekend at Santa Anita, where he’ll send out leading contenders in the two biggest races of the week.

On Saturday, Hollendorfer is set to run Hear the Ghost and Zeewat in the Grade 2, $200,000 Strub Stakes for 4-year-olds. On Sunday, he’ll have Broken Sword and possibly Let Faith Arise in the Grade 2, $200,000 La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies.

Both the Strub and the La Canada once were the final legs of three-race series for newly turned 4-year-olds. The middle legs of both series – the San Fernando for males and the El Encino for females – have been eliminated, and the distance of this weekend’s races has been shortened from 1 1/8 miles to 1 1/16 miles.

Hear the Ghost will be making his third start off a layoff in the Strub. Last year, Hear the Ghost became a top contender for the Kentucky Derby with his victory in the San Felipe Stakes, but an injury detected just before the Santa Anita Derby took him out of action until the fall.

He returned Nov. 7 in a second-level allowance sprint against older horses and finished second to the subsequent stakes winner Cyclometer, then was second in the 1 1/16-mile Native Diver Stakes to stablemate Blueskiesnrainbows, who came out of that race to win the San Pasqual last Saturday.

Short of winning, “I couldn’t have asked for him to have come back any better,” Hollendorfer said. “His last race was a good step forward. I think he’s coming up to a big effort.”

Zeewat was a late-running third in the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes on opening day. He owns two wins from three starts going two turns, all on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields.

“He’s run long before, and the horse is doing real good,” Hollendorfer said.

As with many of his runners, Hollendorfer is a co-owner of Hear the Ghost and Zeewat.

In addition to Hollendorfer’s pair, the Strub field is expected to include at least Heir of Storm, Kaigun, Rookie Sensation, and Say Ow. Bob Baffert – tied atop the trainers’ standings with Hollendorfer – was pondering running Flashback, Govenor Charlie, and Shakin It Up, but was unlikely to run all three.

Battier and Dice Flavor are possible for the Strub, more so Dice Flavor. Battier is a recent arrival from New York, where he had been trained by Todd Pletcher. He is now trained by Michael McCarthy, a former Pletcher assistant in New York who last month returned to his native Southern California to go out on his own.

Flashback and Shakin It Up worked six furlongs in company Sunday. Flashback, who started just behind and outside of Shakin It Up, got the faster time, 1:14.40, but Shakin It Up, who was timed in 1:14.60, appeared to be going the easier of the two at the end of the work.

Shakin It Up was first and Flashback fourth in the Malibu. It was the first start for Shakin It Up since March. In his only start around two turns, he was fourth in the Sunland Derby, which was won by Govenor Charlie.

Hollendorfer and Baffert appear to have the main players in the La Canada. Broken Sword is coming off the best performance of her career, a runaway victory in the Grade 2 Bayakoa at Hollywood Park, where she outran the Baffert-trained Fiftyshadesofhay, who finished 4 1/4 lengths back in second. They are scheduled for a rematch in the La Canada.

Broken Sword has won her last two starts. Her only win on dirt came in her debut in July 2012, when she won a 5 1/2-furlong stakes race at Pleasanton, the Juan Gonzalez Memorial, by 11 lengths. Hollendorfer prefers to train her at Golden Gate between starts.

Joel Rosario was in town for Broken Sword’s win in the Bayakoa, but with Rosario based at Gulfstream Park, Rafael Bejarano will have the mount Sunday, Hollendorfer said.

In addition to Broken Sword, Fiftyshadesofhay, and possibly Let Faith Arise, the La Canada field is expected to include Ondine, Oscar Party, Rathbaun, and possibly Spellbound.

Iotapa and Scherzinger, both nominated to the La Canada, are expected to await the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes going seven furlongs Jan. 25. That race is scheduled to be the final start for the outstanding California-bred mare Teddy’s Promise.

Garcia, Pedroza suspended

Jockeys Martin Garcia and Martin Pedroza were suspended for three days, beginning this Friday, for careless riding last Friday.

Garcia was penalized, according to the stewards’ ruling, “for driving into a space without sufficient clearance and causing interference” while aboard Lady of the Nile, who won the third race Friday. There was a stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run of the race, but Lady of the Nile was not disqualified.

Pedroza was suspended “for crossing over without sufficient clearance leaving the starting gate and causing interference” aboard Di Conti in that day’s fourth race. Di Conti was disqualified from fifth to sixth.

◗ Jockey Agapito Delgadillo was fined $500 by the stewards for failing to ride his mount to the finish in the sixth race Saturday. His mount, Street Car, finished fifth, beaten a nose for fourth in a race with superfecta wagering.