Santa Rosa: Longview Drive much the best in Cavonnier

Longview Drive controlled the pace and pulled away from the field in the stretch for a 5½-length victory in the $55,000 Cavonnier Juvenile Stakes at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa on Sunday.

Longview Drive, a son of Pulpit who lost to stakes-winning Sherman Bartlebort in his debut, has won two straight since then. Sherman Bartlebort ran last in the field of five 2-year-olds after breaking slowly, then getting bumped when trying to move up down the backstretch.

Longview Drive, a $175,000 purchase by Steve Beneto at last September’s Keeneland sale, gave trainer Jerry Hollendorfer his first stakes victory since his induction to racing’s Hall of Fame on Friday.

He outraced first-timer Call Mc Kelly, establishing a half-length lead through the opening quarter. He was a head in front at the quarter pole but responded gamely to jockey Russell Baze’s urging into the lane, pulling clear.

Call Me Kelly slipped back to third in the stretch but rallied to edge Marshal Marini by a head for second in the race run in 1:10.42 for six furlongs.

“It looks like he likes dirt,” said Hollendorfer, who watched the race from Del Mar. “I hope he likes synthetics because we’d like to run him at Del Mar.”

The victory, worth $31,600, increased Longview Drive’s earnings to $52,900.