ARCADIA, Calif. – This could be another memorable winter for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and the leading 3-year-old filly in his stable.

A year after Songbird won three stakes at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, the Hall of Fame trainer has another runner with immense promise. Unique Bella won her stakes debut in Sunday’s $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs by 7 1/2 lengths.

The margin could have been more if jockey Mike Smith had urged Unique Bella in the final sixteenth.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ian Kruljac follows the Southern California weather these days as avidly as some folks follow politics or the NFL playoffs.

Kruljac is the trainer of Finest City, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita in November. Finest City is nearing a comeback in the $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Jan. 21 but has had her preparation disrupted by wet weather in Southern California in recent weeks.

ARCADIA, Calif. - A muddy start to the winter-spring meeting has been just fine with trainer Richard Baltas.

On consecutive Saturdays, Baltas-trained runners have won stakes scheduled for turf and transferred to a wet main track because of rain. Goodyearforroses won the $98,000 Robert Frankel Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on Dec. 31.  Saturday, Watch This Cat won the $98,000 Las Cienegas Stakes for female sprinters. The race was scheduled for the hillside turf course.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Gormley is likely to have a nine-week gap between races after winning his 3-year-old debut by a head in a thrilling running of the $100,690 Sham Stakes at a mile on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Trainer John Shirreffs said on Sunday that he is leaning toward the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on March 11 for Gormley’s next start. The Grade 2 San Felipe is a key prep for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles on April 8.

“I would like to give him time,” Shirreffs said. “The San Felipe is a logical spot.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Arrogate worked six furlongs in 1:11.94 prior to the first race at Santa Anita on Sunday, an exercise that leaves the star 4-year-old colt on schedule for an expected start in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Valadorna worked five furlongs Thursday in 1:01.60, her longest timed workout since she arrived at Fair Grounds from Florida for trainer Mark Casse to prepare for her 2017 debut.

Casse has made no commitments, but Valadorna is only a maiden winner and thus is eligible for a first-level allowance race. Casse said last month that he would consider running Valadorna in an allowance prep for the Feb. 25 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, and there’s such a race in the condition book for Jan. 27.

The Hal’s Hope is one of three graded stakes to be run here at Gulfstream Park next weekend, along with the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale and Grade 3 Marshua’s River.

The Grade 3 Hal’s Hope attracted 20 nominations, including four from leading trainer Todd Pletcher – Tommy Macho, Zulu, Madefromlucky, and Stanford. All four also could be in consideration for the $400,000 Poseidon on the Pegasus undercard on Jan. 28.

Among the others pointing for the one-mile Hal’s Hope are Ami’s Flatter, Bird Song, Realm, Dolphus, and Team Colors.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Rick Violette, the president of New York’s Jockey Injury Compensation Fund, is hopeful that legislation will be passed this year that will help keep workman’s compensation premiums in line with 2016.

On paper, it appears that owners and trainers on the NYRA circuit will pay a $3,000 premium to the Jockey Injury Compensation Fund this year, a 16.5 percent increase over the 2016 premium of $2,575. Owners and trainers were required to pay $1,500 by Jan. 1, with the other $1,500 due June 1.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jason Blewitt, who has worked for the New York Racing Association since 1998, was fired Thursday as the company eliminated his position as television host and analyst.

Blewitt, 38, began working at NYRA part time in the media communications department in September 1998. He started working full time in that department in May 2000. Blewitt eventually left the communications department for the television department, where he was a presence on both NYRA’s in-house simulcast show and, for a decade, the host of NYRA’s nightly recap program.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mo Town, who won the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct in November, returned to the work tab Friday at Payson Park as he begins preparations for his 3-year-old campaign.

According to trainer Tony Dutrow, Mo Town worked a half-mile in 50.60 seconds over the dirt surface at Payson Park, a training center in Indiantown, Fla.

“All is very good,” Dutrow said. “The horse is happy. I wanted to get started today. He did it matter-of-factly.”