Racing! Are you still on holiday today?

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome to our horse racing newsletter as we look a little deeper in the controversy surrounding the banishment of Jerry Hollendorfer.

The controversy over Jerrry Hollendorfer’s ban from all Stronach tracks continues to be the hottest topic in racing. The Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Assn. (HBPA) and the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Assn. (THA) issued a joint statement on the holiday to voice their objection to the lack of due process in the Hollendorfer case.

You can read it for yourself:

“Due process is a fundamental and accepted constitutional right in our country. In a government sanctioned and regulated industry, it is required. Every person in our industry who holds a license to participate is given a right to due process when their livelihood is threatened. We are an industry that operates according to rules and regulations, standards are clear, violations have consequences and we are transparent.

“The situation which occurred recently at Santa Anita from the Stronach Group regarding Jerry Hollendorfer has clearly sidestepped those rights and exemplifies our concerns. By this action, every licensee in racing is on notice of potential arbitrary career-ending actions by racetracks without rules, standards, the right to due process, fundamental fairness and accountability.

“As horsemen, we know that our primary responsibility is the health, welfare and safety of the horse, the integrity of our sport, and the fairness of competition. There is no place in our sport for individuals who cannot accept this commitment. In this regard, racetracks, regulators and horsemen must constantly work together to find solutions to the challenges we face, with honest discussion and transparent decision-making. When decisions are made behind closed doors and without open communication, we create conflict and turmoil at a time when we need to be collectively focused on the betterment of horse racing.

“The HBPA and THA are in lockstep on this issue. We do not intend to stand idly by and let reputations be destroyed, and careers ruined. There must be a fair process that gives our horsemen a right to confront allegations of wrongdoing. In those states where horsemen are not accorded due process by racetracks, we will seek agreements to protect their rights or statutory protections. Our intent is to ensure a fair process. The time we take to do what is right and fair will be an invaluable investment in our industry.”

OK, that’s their point. Let’s go back to what The Stronach Group said the day the ban was placed on the trainer.

“Individuals who do not embrace the new rules and safety measures that put horse and rider safety above all else will have no place at any Stronach Group racetrack. We regret that Mr. Hollendorfer’s record in recent months at both Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields has become increasingly challenging and does not match the level of safety and accountability we demand. Effective immediately, Mr. Hollendorfer is no longer welcome to stable, race or train his horses at any of our facilities.”

As for what I think about this, well I’ve tried to put my journalism blinkers on so I can just see what’s real and not be distracted by my or other opinions. So, I’ll continue to strive to see both sides of the story as I continue to report it.

Still, there are a couple things we can all (well, almost all) agree on.

--Being the trainer of four of the 30 dead horses is an incredibly high number. And two additional deaths at Golden Gate is not good by any metric.

--The deaths in the Hollendorfer barn played well into the Stronach Group’s plan to switch the narrative away from itself and onto the trainers.

The remaining question is what will Del Mar do? Will they let Hollendorfer run horses under his own name? Well, I don’t know, but I have a guess.

I think Del Mar is trying to figure out a seamless way to try and let his horses run, but under a different name. Remember the name Art Sherman. Or, assistant trainer Dan Ward. I’m speculating that Del Mar does not want to have to make and announce a decision and that’s what it is working toward. We’ll see.

So, now it’s time to see what you think. We’ve created a poll that you can vote on and we’ll reveal the results in the Monday newsletter. You can vote in the poll by clicking here. You won’t see the results when you vote. We believe you get a truer picture of what people are thinking this way and it discourages multiple votes.

And, I’ve done this in the past with usually good results. Send me your thoughts on this issue in no more than two sentences, preferably one. DON’T GET PERSONAL. DON’T BE MEAN SPIRITED. BE THOUGHTFUL. And I want a real name, not one of those indistinguishable email names. If you have a thought, own it. Put “Hollendorfer” in the subject field and email me at johnacherwa@gmail.com.

If I get enough usable ones, they will be in the Monday newsletter.

More on 7f Sire Stats Book

Thanks to all of you who tried for one of the seven free copies of the 7f Sire Rankings. And congrats to those of you who got one of the books. We’re going to do the winners as the United Airlines upgrade list would, where, you can almost always find J CHE as No. 1 on the list that didn’t get the upgrade. And, since we didn’t ask for permission to use the names, this is safer.

B SIM (from Los Angeles); C AGU (Escondido), P ZIG (Valencia), J GRE (Mission Viejo), T MIL (San Marino), C HOL (San Gabriel), D BRO (Bloomfield, NJ).

Now, for those who didn’t win one but still wanted to buy the book, I gave you an incomplete address. You can get the book for $28.95. The address is: The Maiden Man, 150 S. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA, 91502. And, $3 from every book sale goes to CARMA.

Los Alamitos thoroughbred review

The holiday feature, a $45,000 allowance/optional claimer, was won by Catcoa, who ran a smart race off the pace and cruised to an easy two-length win as the favorite.

Catacoa, trained by Anna Meah and ridden by Edwin Maldonado, paid $4.80, $3.40 and $2.40. Charimnslew, who set the pace, was second and Qafilah was third.

Los Alamitos thoroughbred preview

This is the kind of card that makes you think a three-day racing week might not be a bad idea. There are seven races, three with five horses and three with six. First post is 1 p.m.

The feature, based on the high purse of $40,000, is the sixth race, a maiden speial for horses going six furlongs. The favorite is Oil Can Knight, at 7-5, who will be trying for a win for a fifth time. He was second last out in a maiden claimer. Doug O’Neill is the trainer and Abel Cedillo will ride. The horse was bought as a 2-year-old for $80,000.

The second favorite, at 2-1, is Noble Pursuit for John Sadler and Jorge Velez. He’s a first time starter but was $270,000 purchase in 2017 at the Ocala sale. He’s a son of Curlin. Now, Sadler is known for bringing horses along slowly, but probably not as slow as missing his entire 3-year-old season. So, that’s the negative for this well-bred colt.

Here are the field sizes, in order: 6, 5, 5, 6, 5, 6, 10.

Ciaran Thornton’s SA pick of the day

RACE FIVE: No. 3 Sippin’ Sweet Tea (8-1)

Sippin’ Sweet Tea moves up in class for trainer Eoin Harty off a win last out and gets Lasix for the second time, a move that the trainer wins 20% of the time with. The track profile looks to suit this horse perfectly. I especially like the last race notes of “driving” when racing up north implying the distance should be fine. Has a second from two starts at this mile distance. The horse won easy last out splitting horses into the turn and powering down the stretch. We are getting 8-1, the best value today on this entire card.

Thursday’s result: Saints Paynter went gate to wire to give us another big winner at 7-1 ($16.00). Boom!

Ciaran Thornton is the handicapper for Californiapick4.com, which offers daily full card picks, longshots of the day, best bets of the day.

Los Alamitos nightime weekend preview

It’s time to turn things over to marketing and meda guru Orlando Gutierrez, who will tell us about the upcoming weekend at Los Alamitos. Orlando, the floor is yours.

“A Pick 6 carryover of $7,951 and a trio of races for 2-year-olds in the final three races will highlight Friday’s seven-race program at Los Alamitos. The Pick 6 will start in the second race and with the new money expected to be wagered into the Pick 6, the total pool could be around $30,000. First post is 6:15 p.m.

“On Saturday, the 2018 AQHA champion 3-year-old Hotstepper will make his season debut when he takes on strong cast of older horses in the Grade 3 Independence Day Handicap at 300 yards. Eight races are on tap with a 6:55 p.m. start.

“Hotstepper, a $63,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, enjoyed a solid 2-year-old campaign finishing second in the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity, third in the Grade 1 All American Futurity and qualified to the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity. He was superb during his sophomore campaign, winning the Grade 1 All American Derby and then scoring in the Grade 1 Texas Classic Derby. The son of One Famous Eagle would be named the champion 3-year-old and champion 3-year-old gelding after a year in which he earned $769,313 of his lifetime $1,254,409 in earnings.

“Trained by Paul Jones after being conditioned by Sleepy Gilbreath last year, Hotstepper has had a solid work tab at Los Alamitos that includes two bullet drills. This includes a 350-yard gate work in 18.0 seconds. He'll make his 2019 debut from the seven with jockey Cody Jensen.

“’This is a nice race to give him his first out of the year,’ Jones said. ‘We're looking to run him in the Go Man Go Handicap (on Sept. 1) and then the Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (on Oct. 13). Our goal with him is the Champion of Champions. The 300 yards is probably not his best distance, but this is a good spot to give him an out.’

“Chance To Fire, an allowance winner in his last start and a horse with a lot of graded stakes appearances in his resume, will also compete in the Independence Day. Recent allowance winner Elicity, a top Utah-bred mare, is another solid runner to watch in this event. Eagles Policy, My Favorite Cartel, Jess Bet Me and Ray Donovan will complete the field.

“The marquee race of the weekend is the Grade 1 $155,100 Vessels Maturity – with an emphasis on Maturity – as three of the major contenders in this race are the 7-year-olds He Looks Hot and BH Lisas Boy and the 6-year-old Zoomin For Spuds. They are the past three winners of the Vessels Maturity. He Looks Hot, who posted the fastest qualifying time in the trials, won the 2016 running. BH Lisas Boy won the 2017 race and Zoomin For Spuds won it last year. The winner earns a provisional berth to this year’s $600,000 Champion of Champions. Nine horses will compete in the Vessels final.”

Ed Burgart’s LA pick of the day

FIFTH RACE: No. 7 Wildness (3-1)

She drops into a much easier spot and gets a positive post change since fourth-place debut three weeks ago when finishing fourth while three lengths behind a rapid winner. After a sluggish start, she found a nice stride crossing the wire and was loaded with energy on the clubhouse turn. She has the most upside in a field where no rival has posted higher than a 66 last-out Trackmaster speed figure.

Final thought

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Now, the stars of the show, Thursday’s results and Friday’s entries.

KING CHARLIE settled off the rail, stalked three wide then steadily advanced around the last turn, challenged approaching mid stretch, battled outside rival and gamely got up in the final strides. DRINK was forced out slightly into first bend, stalked outside pacesetter, challenged on the last turn, gained advantage then edged away from off the rail, dug in when engaged, dueled inside winner, held slim lead in deep stretch but was out gamed in final yards. SUPER CLASSIC crossed over and raced inside to second turn, came out then three wide leaving last bend, continued off the rail and proved next best. PASSING drifted out bit into initial turn, came back in and set pace from the inside, had little resistance for rival on the second turn and weakened in the late. FAIT ACCOMPLI drifted out some early, came back in and saved ground chasing the leaders, continued inside and lacked needed response.

YOUNG HENDRICK had good early foot, contested the pace outside rival into and on the turn, gained upper hand while three wide exiting the bend, continued off the rail and safely held under steady urging. JETOVATOR broke bit slow then rushed up to engage outside rival forced the pace while two wide leaving the turn, continued inside and finished willingly. ATOMIC CANDY also broke slow, settled inside, later shifted out and came four wide into the lane and gained minor award. NORTHRNDANCRSGHOST stalked while outside foe early, continued three wide on the turn and into the stretch and did not threaten. TIGER ON YOUR SIX tracked leaders while bit off the fence, lost contact with top pair around the turn and weakened.

HANDSOME JOHN settled outside, made steady progress three wide around the turn and into the lane, rallied under left then right handed urging and collared leader late. MOON JUICE quickly sped to the front, set pressured pace from the inside, brushed with rival in upper stretch, edged away but could not stave off winner in final yards. NIGHT AT THE OPERA forced the pace into and on the turn, continued outside leader then three wide into the stretch, brushed with inside rival in upper stretch and gave ground in final eighth. MR BINGLEY was taken off the leader in early going, stalked bit off the rail or two wide and lacked stretch response. SONIC BOY reserved from off the rail, drifted out further in upper stretch and weakened. BIG BAD BEN stalked leaders while three wide, remained on same path to the stretch and also weakened.

LEADING INDICATOR stalked from the inside, continued two then three wide into the stretch, rallied under left handed split rivals passing eighth marker then was along in time from the inside. FLYING TO THE LINE bobbled and broke in slightly, quickly recovered and rushed up to engage inside rival, gained control on the turn, came three wide into the lane, fought back inside rival in the drive and regained slim lead then missed from between foes. SECOND AVENUE prompted the pace from the outside, continued prominently four then three wide, poked her nose in front in upper stretch, continued four wide and outside in the drive but was out finished. DUNBOW ROAD dueled from along the rail into the turn, remained inside forcing the pace to the stretch then held for a minor ward. SPANISH CHANNEL caught three deep leaving the backstretch, remained on same path on the turn then came four wide into the lane and finished willingly. FLYING FLIRT was off step slow, stalked from along the rail, was in tight and dropped back nearing three-eighths and never rallied. PETRONILLA hopped at the start to be off behind the field, chased outside then four wide on the turn, came in some late but never menaced.

BLUEGRASS FAITH quickly stepped to clear lead, checked momentarily early on the turn, had lead dissolve, continued inside then shook free in upper stretch and proved best under steady handling. FLY THE SKY stalked from the outside, moved up four wide on the turn, caught five wide entering the stretch, rallied from the outside and nailed rival in final jump for second. HOT SOCKS moved up from between rivals, forced the pace outside winner around the bend, came three wide into the lane, lost contact with winner in the drive then lost place in final stride. POUR ON THE COLE three wide and between foes on the turn, caught four wide exiting the bend, gradually angled over through the drive and lost ground late. SHEZ A GRINDER was off bit slow, saved ground chasing the pace and never menaced.

SERGIO stalked from between foes, advanced three then four wide into the stretch, rallied under right handed urging, led nearing eighth marker then drew clear. WAR UNION was sent to the front, stretched lead leaving the backstretch, drifted out in upper stretch, was overtaken in the drive but gamely lasted fort second. ALFAREED was squeezed at the start, came out early, stalked four then five wide into the stretch, lugged inward in the drive and was turned back for the place. CAPTAIN N. BARRON broke inward slightly, between rivals early, stalked three wide on the turn and into the lane and weakened from the inside. DRILL TIME three wide and between rivals early, secured the inside on the turn, remained along the rail and lacked needed response. GRYFFINDOR stalked early from the inside then along the rail, came out some while dropping back and weakened. LUCKY PATRICK close up early from the outside, stalked from well off the rail and also weakened. NATIONS HOPE broke out slightly, chased while outside rival, angled out some and four wide into the stretch and faded.

CATOCA content to track pacesetter while outside rival,, advanced three wide on the last turn, reached the front under asking approaching eighth marker and edged away late under urging. CHARMINGSLEW was sent up from bit off the rail to grab control on the initial turn, set uncontested pace on two wide path into the lane, resisted when challenged but could not match winner in final sixteenth. QAFILAH (IRE) stalked from the inside, remained along the rail into and through the stretch and pulled away from rival late to prove next best. PACIFIC STRIKE four wide early then came in bit on the first turn, tracked pace three wide, moved up some around last turn and into the lane but weakened in the drive. WATHEEQA settled inside, saved ground to second turn, angled out later on that bend and failed to threaten.

SAINTS PAYNTER quickly sped to front, set pace from bit off the rail into and around the turn, turned back rival in upper stretch and powered away under strong handling. AMATARA led pace pursuers into the turn while three wide, advanced around the bend, challenged outside winner passing quarter, was turned away through the drive but clearly held second. SHOCKING FAST settled between rivals, moved up three wide around the turn, continued on same path into the stretch, did not threaten top pair later in the drive but padded margin for the show. BUSY PAYNTER forced the early issue from between foes, secured the rail early on the turn, remained inside thereafter and safely held for minor award. FULL ECLIPSE settled inside, hugged the rail around the bend and into the stretch and failed to threaten leading quartet. KOHALA COAST chased from off the rail, continued on three wide path around the turn and weakened some in the drive. RANEEM settled well off the rail, moved up some while four wide around the turn, loomed on same path in upper stretch but gave way readily in the final three-eighths. NOBLE GIRL reserved while three wide, remained on same path on the turn, came out further leaving the bend and weakened. LADY WEDAD settled outside, chased four wide into the bend, angled over early on the turn, remained inside and lacked any rally.

IRISH BALLAD settled off the rail, angled over leaving the backstretch, advanced around the turn, reached the front passing three-sixteenths marker and drew clear under urging. WINDING forwardly placed early, stalked four wide, came out further entering the lane, rallied under strong handling from the outside and gained the place. GOLDEN IMAGE bobbled in a slow start, chased from between rivals, angled in some in upper stretch, split rivals then closed with a rush in final sixteenth to secure the show. LORELEI'S WARRIOR settled bit off the rail, shifted out on the turn, caught five wide into the stretch then rallied strongly from outside in final eighth to improve placing. SICULO quickly sped to the front, set pace while bit off the fence, drifted out leaving the turn, came out further in upper stretch, was overtaken and weakened in the final sixteenth. ALFONSO C chased from the outside, continued five then four wide to the stretch and lacked needed response. MIGHTY ELIJAH was off slow and bit awkward, moved up from the inside into and early on the turn, continued along the rail and failed to sustain effort. R B EYE three deep early, remained off the rail then four wide leaving the turn and failed to menace. MUSCLE HEAD had good early foot, attended the pace from outside leader, remained three then four wide into the lane but had little left for the drive. BAJA WARRIOR angled over nearing the turn, chased three wide on the bend and gave way through the stretch.