Santa Rosa's Diamond Jubilee draws strong Hollendorfer trio

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has three top contenders for Saturday’s $50,000-added Diamond Jubilee at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Hollendorfer’s troika is headed by multiple stakes winner Cathy’s Crunches, who won three straight stakes at Golden Gate Fields last fall. Although she’s 0 for 3 this year, Cathy’s Crunches hit the board in all three starts, including a pair of turf stakes, one of which was the Grade 3 La Habra at Santa Anita.

Alec’s Moon, another multiple stakes winner, beat males in the Portland Meadows Derby after winning the Portland Meadows Oaks. She ran third in the Golden Poppy on the turf at this 1 1/16-mile distance this spring at Golden Gate Fields. Halo Dolly ran sixth in her lone stakes try but has won three straight since then, including her turf debut.

But there are other interesting runners in the field of seven, and Our Curious Kitten and Can Do It Again could offer a bit of value against the Hollendorfer onslaught.

Our Curious Kitten, trained by Sergio Ledezma, ran fourth in the Golden Poppy in her turf debut after scoring an allowance victory. She has sprinted in her last two starts, including a seventh-place finish on the turf for a $62,500 tag on July 1 at Hollywood Park. She gets her preferred two-turn trip here.

“I think she’ll run well,” said Ledezma. “We need a spot for her, and I’m not worried about the turf.”

Ledezma likes the way the Kitten’s Joy filly is coming into the race, dismissing a July 21 five-furlong work in 1:05.60 that was listed as the slowest of 22 that day at golden Gate Fields.

“That was really a seven-furlong work, but there was a misunderstanding with the clockers,” he said, adding the filly went her final quarter in 24 seconds.

Steve Specht sends out Can Do It Again for Larry and Marianne Williams, who will be represented by Lady Railrider in Sunday’s Luther Burbank.

Can Do It Again debuted in New York and ran twice at the Fair Grounds, losing the three starts by a combined 83 1/2 lengths. But since coming to California, she has won both her starts, a $20,000 maiden claimer and a starter allowance. Both were at 1 1/16 miles on the Golden Gate turf.

“She’s done well, but this is a much tougher field,” Specht said.