Horse Racing at The Downey Profile® Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown Coverage
Hollendorfer Guns from Both Hips in El Camino Real Derby
2/15/2012
4:39 pm
Jerry Hollendorfer will fire two bullets with the stretch-running Russian Greek and a fast filly named Lady of Fifty in the Grade III El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields Saturday.
Ten were entered in the $200,000, 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real Derby, Northern California’s premier event for Triple Crown hopefuls.
Hollendorfer has saddled a record five Derby winners,and he’ll attack the 31st running of the stakes from both angles as he sends out a front-runner in Lady of Fifty and a closer in Russian Greek.
Russian Greek has three wins in four starts, including two stakes victories. A Kentucky-bred son of Giant’s Causeway, Russian Greek charged from last to win to the 1 1/16-mile California Derby in his most recent outing on Jan. 14. Olympia Star, Inc. owns Russian Greek, who employed a big stretch kick to win the one-mile Gold Rush Stakes on Dec. 10. Jockey Aaron Gryder will ride Russian Greek.
Lady of Fifty has been victorious in four of her five career races and swept a series of stakes for young fillies at Golden Gate Fields. The Kentucky-bred daughter of After Market won the six-furlong Golden Gate Debutante on Nov. 5, the one-mile Corte Madera on Dec. 3, and the 1 1/16-mile California Oaks on Jan. 21.
Lady of Fifty will try to become the first filly to win the El Camino Real Derby. Owned in partnership by Hollendorfer and George Todaro, Lady of Fifty will have the services of Russell Baze in the saddle. He’s won the Derby eight times, including six of the past seven years.
Irish-bred Lucky Chappy won a stakes in Italy last year and most recently finished second in the Kitten’s Joy Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf race run at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 21. He was fourth in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs last November. Lucky Chappy is trained by Graham Motion and will be ridden by East Coast-based Alan Garcia.
Cahill Chrome ran second at odds of 29-1 in the California Derby and was beaten just a length by Russian Greek. Trained by Roger Hansen, Cahill Chrome races for longtime owner/breeder Kjell H. Qvale of San Francisco and will be ridden by Juan Hernandez.
Senor Rain finished third in the California Derby, the fourth stakes in which he has finished in the money. Senor Rain is trained by Peter Miller, who also conditions All Squared Away, a front-running winner of a 1 1/16-mile maiden allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 22. Kevin Krigger will ride Senor Rain, and Kerwin John will be aboard All Squared Away.
Handsome Mike finished second in the Grade III Generous Stakes, a one-mile turf race at Hollywood Park on Nov. 27. Most recently, he finished fourth in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes, a one-mile dirt race at Santa Anita on Jan. 7. Hollywood Park-based Handsome Mike is trained by Doug O’Neill and will be ridden by Corey Nakatani.
Daddy Nose Best, sixth in the Juvenile Turf, will be out to make amends for his last start when he finished fifth as the odds-on favorite in the Eddie Logan Stakes, a one-mile turf stakes at Santa Anita run on Dec. 31 and won by Chips All In. Daddy Nose Best is trained by Steve Asmussen, who won last year’s El Camino Real Derby with Silver Medallion. Two-time champion jockey Julien Leparoux will fly in from Florida to ride Daddy Nose Best.
Unveiled Heat, trained by Steve Specht, ran fifth in the California Derby in his first start following a maiden victory in a 1 1/16-mile turf contest at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 4. Specht’s money rider, Frank Alvarado, will ride Unveiled Heat in the El Camino Real Derby.
Rockinarz Recruit posted a five-length victory in a six-furlong maiden allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 2 and then finished third in a six-furlong allowance race at Santa Anita on Jan. 20. Trained by Lloyd Mason, Rockinarz Recruit will be ridden by Abel Cedillo when he makes his first try around two turns in the El Camino Real Derby.
--Edited Golden Gate Fields release with additional content by Dick Downey
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