Hollendorfer Pair Ready for Triple Bend

Sahara Sky and Wild Dude should have ample pace to run at in Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 Triple Bend Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs.

Both horses trained by Jerry Hollendorfer have good tracking styles, which should benefit them against expected pacesetters San Onofre and Masochistic.

“It looks like there’s enough pace, but we’ll see how it sets up,” Hollendorfer said. “Both horses should run well.”

Sahara Sky, a 7-year-old Pleasant Tap horse owned by Hollendorfer and Kim Lloyd’s Sweetwater Stable, rallied for third, beaten only a length, against Masochistic and San Onofre in the Grade II Kona Gold at 6 ½ furlongs on April 11. Winner of the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap in 2013, Sahara Sky has eight wins from 22 starts with earnings of $1,169,578.

Wild Dude, also owned in part by Hollendorfer along with Green Smith Jr., finished a willing third last out in the Los Angeles Stakes at six furlongs May 25. He has won Grade II stakes twice, but will be seeking his first Grade I in the Triple Bend.

The field for Triple Bend, which goes as race seven: Blue Tone, Kent Desormeaux, 12-1; San Onofre, Alex Solis, 3-1; Appealing Tale, Joe Talamo, 10-1; Sahara Sky, Rafael Bejarano, 3-1; Masochistic, Tyler Baze, 9-5; Wild Dude, Flavien Prat, 9-2; and Holy Lute, Mike Smith, 10-1.

Source: Santa Anita Park