Halo Dolly Seeks Another Del Mar Double

Halo Dolly successfully defended her title in the Solana Beach Stakes on August 18. Monday, the 5-year-old California-bred daughter of Popular, will be sent out by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to do the same in the Grade II $150,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap.

“We’ve done the same thing we did with her last year, with one work between the races, and she looks very good,” Hollendorfer assistant Dan Ward said Sunday morning. “She went faster in the Solana Beach this year than she did last year.”

Halo Dolly won the 2012 Solana Beach by a half length in 1:34.40 for the turf mile under Joe Talamo and came back 15 days later to defeat stablemate City to City in the Yellow Ribbon by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:40.40 for 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

This year’s Solana Beach victory was accomplished by a half length over Bella Viaggia in 1:33.40. It was actually Halo Dolly’s third straight win in the Solana Beach.

Four other horses have won stakes at Del Mar three years in a row:  Native Diver winning the San Diego Handicap from 1963 to 1965, Flawlessly winning the Ramona Handicap (now called the John C. Mabee Stakes) from 1992 to 1994, Track Gal winning the Rancho Bernardo Handicap from 1995 to 1997 and Zenyatta winning the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes from 2008 to 2010.

Halo Dolly is the 3-1 morning line favorite in a field of 10.